Corporate Head of Academics - School Group Strategy

LEAMS Education; Dubai; On-site; AED 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

LEAMS Education in Dubai seeks a Corporate Head of Academics to shape and implement group-wide educational strategy across British and CBSE schools. You will lead curriculum quality, standards, and school improvement, using data and regulatory insights to drive sustained attainment across campuses.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in academic leadership, with at least 5 in senior roles, and a proven track record of cross-campus collaboration, policy development, and inspector readiness within

Qualifications

• Mastery of UAE education regulatory requirements.
• Strong track record in cross-campus academic leadership.
• Experience in British and CBSE frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic academic leadership across all LEAMS Education schools.
• Translate vision into clear academic priorities and standards.
• Ensure assessment and reporting frameworks across campuses.

Skills

Corporate academic leadership

Education strategy

Multi-school leadership

British Curriculum

CBSE curriculum

UAE education regulations

Curriculum development

Assessment frameworks

Data analysis

Regulatory inspections

Education

Master's degree in Education

Doctorate preferred

Job description

Role Snapshot

Corporate Head of Academics - School Group Strategy – Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Industry: Education Management – Function: Educaiton Management – Experience: Minimum 10 years of academic leadership experience, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership role – Job Type: Full-time – Gender: Any – Nationality: Any – Salary: 30000-45000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in Dubai; please confirm the final offer with the employer.

Job Overview

The Corporate Head of Academics - School Group Strategy opportunity in Dubai, United Arab Emirates within the Education Management industry is seeking an accomplished academic leader to shape, implement, and continuously improve educational strategy across LEAMS Education's British and CBSE curriculum schools. The role carries group-wide responsibility for curriculum quality, academic standards, school improvement, assessment, professional development, performance analysis, regulatory readiness, new school academic setup, and sustained improvement in student attainment.

Role Context

The Corporate Head of Academics will provide senior academic leadership across a diverse portfolio of schools, ensuring that teaching, learning, curriculum, assessment, and school improvement remain aligned with LEAMS Education's strategic direction and applicable regulatory expectations. Unlike a single-school academic leadership role, this position requires the ability to influence performance across multiple campuses, curriculum models, leadership teams, and student populations. The successful candidate will create common academic expectations while recognizing the specific requirements of British and Indian CBSE education frameworks. The role will use academic performance data, internal reviews, inspection criteria, international benchmarks, and school-level evidence to identify priorities and drive sustainable improvement. Strong collaboration with Principals, Phase Heads, Heads of Departments, and corporate leadership will be essential to translating strategy into measurable classroom impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic academic leadership across all schools within LEAMS Education.
• Translate the Group's vision and mission into clear academic priorities.
• Establish group-wide expectations for teaching, learning, assessment, and student achievement.
• Ensure academic strategies remain aligned with relevant UAE regulatory frameworks.
• Develop long-term plans for educational quality and continuous improvement.
• Advise senior leadership on emerging academic priorities and risks.
• Create consistent academic standards across the school portfolio.
• Oversee curriculum development across British and CBSE curriculum schools.
• Review curriculum frameworks for quality, progression, coherence, and relevance.
• Ensure curriculum implementation supports measurable student outcomes.
• Guide schools in adapting curriculum delivery to local regulatory expectations.
• Monitor academic policies across the Group.
• Establish consistent standards for curriculum documentation.
• Review schemes of work and academic planning frameworks.
• Support curriculum innovation where evidence indicates opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure curriculum design reflects appropriate progression between phases.
• Maintain oversight of teaching and learning standards.
• Establish frameworks for evaluating classroom practice.
• Promote evidence-based teaching strategies across schools.
• Identify and disseminate effective instructional practices.
• Support leadership teams in strengthening teaching quality.
• Develop mechanisms for evaluating the impact of instructional improvement initiatives.
• Maintain focus on student attainment and progress.
• Establish assessment principles and frameworks across schools.
• Review formative and summative assessment practices.
• Promote consistency and reliability in academic assessment.
• Monitor moderation and reporting standards.
• Ensure assessment evidence supports informed academic decision-making.
• Analyze academic performance data across campuses.
• Identify trends in student achievement and attainment.
• Benchmark outcomes between schools where appropriate.
• Compare performance against internal targets and relevant external benchmarks.
• Identify achievement gaps requiring targeted intervention.
• Present academic findings to senior leadership.
• Translate complex data into actionable school improvement priorities.
• Establish accountability for agreed academic targets.
• Drive school improvement initiatives across the Group.
• Review School Improvement Plans and academic action plans.
• Ensure improvement priorities are evidence based.
• Monitor the implementation of agreed improvement strategies.
• Evaluate the impact of improvement initiatives over time.
• Challenge underperformance constructively and establish recovery actions.
• Recognize and replicate high-impact practices across schools.
• Use inspection frameworks to strengthen school readiness.
• Develop academic audit methodologies.
• Lead internal academic audits and quality reviews.
• Evaluate curriculum implementation, assessment, student outcomes, and teaching practices.
• Produce clear recommendations following academic reviews.
• Track implementation of audit recommendations.
• Maintain documentation supporting academic accountability.
• Support schools in preparing for regulatory inspections.
• Represent LEAMS Education during relevant academic inspections.
• Participate in meetings with regulatory stakeholders where required.
• Maintain strong knowledge of UAE education requirements.
• Support compliance with applicable academic regulations.
• Collaborate closely with School Principals.
• Partner with Phase Heads and other academic leaders.
• Work with Heads of Departments to strengthen subject performance.
• Establish regular mechanisms for reviewing academic priorities with school leaders.
• Coach leaders in interpreting performance information.
• Support Principals in implementing effective academic improvement plans.
• Build alignment between school-based and corporate academic teams.
• Encourage professional collaboration across campuses.
• Create opportunities for schools to share successful teaching practices.
• Develop a group-wide professional development strategy.
• Identify teacher and leadership development priorities.
• Design professional learning programs linked to academic needs.
• Monitor the quality and impact of professional development.
• Support leadership development for middle and senior academic leaders.
• Promote evidence-based professional learning.
• Encourage teachers to reflect on the impact of instructional practice.
• Build professional learning communities across the Group.
• Support new school establishment projects.
• Design academic structures for new schools.
• Develop curriculum frameworks for new school openings.
• Advise on staffing structures from an academic perspective.
• Support preparation of academic policies and procedures.
• Contribute to school accreditation processes.
• Ensure new schools are academically prepared for regulatory requirements.
• Support curriculum mapping during school setup.
• Establish assessment and reporting frameworks for new campuses.
• Review proposed educational resources and academic systems.
• Advise on academic technology and learning platforms.
• Support transition and implementation planning for new educational programs.
• Monitor international education trends and benchmarks.
• Evaluate appropriate innovations for potential implementation.
• Encourage responsible adoption of new teaching approaches.
• Promote academic practices that improve student engagement and outcomes.
• Represent LEAMS Education at academic forums.
• Build relationships with relevant educational stakeholders.
• Contribute to professional education networks.
• Communicate the Group's academic direction clearly to internal audiences.
• Deliver presentations on student achievement, curriculum, and school improvement.
• Prepare academic reports for executive leadership.
• Support strategic decisions with reliable academic evidence.
• Build consensus among leaders across diverse school settings.
• Influence effectively without relying solely on direct authority.
• Manage competing academic priorities across multiple campuses.
• Maintain clear timelines for group-wide initiatives.
• Establish accountability for implementation and outcomes.
• Promote an inclusive approach to academic improvement.
• Support consistent expectations for all learners.
• Encourage academic structures that recognize different student needs.
• Ensure school improvement activity remains focused on measurable educational impact.
• Maintain a strong commitment to safeguarding and student wellbeing.
• Support academic environments that are safe, inclusive, and respectful.
• Model high standards of professional integrity and educational leadership.
• Contribute to wider organizational strategy when required.

Ideal Profile Candidates

Candidates should hold a Master's degree or higher in Education or a related discipline. A Doctorate or NPQH qualification is preferred. Applicants must bring at least ten years of academic leadership experience. A minimum of five years should have been spent in a senior leadership position within a school group, multi-school organization, regulatory body, or comparable education environment. The successful candidate should demonstrate a proven record of improving academic performance and raising student attainment across more than one school or educational setting. Strong knowledge of British Curriculum frameworks is required. Candidates should also possess substantial understanding of Indian CBSE academic structures and expectations. A strong working knowledge of UAE education regulatory requirements is essential. Applicants should demonstrate expertise in curriculum development, implementation, review, and innovation. Experience leading school improvement planning is required. The role demands strong understanding of assessment systems, academic performance analysis, and evidence-based intervention. Candidates should have practical experience designing and leading academic audits. Experience preparing schools for regulatory inspections and accreditation processes is highly desirable. The successful candidate should demonstrate the ability to work effectively with Principals, senior leaders, middle leaders, and corporate teams. Excellent communication and presentation skills are required. Applicants should be able to influence senior stakeholders across diverse educational environments. Strong team-building and leadership-development capability is important. The role requires a strategic leader who can move confidently between executive planning, academic quality assurance, data analysis, curriculum review, and practical school improvement.

Skills Set

• Corporate academic leadership
• Education strategy
• Multi-school leadership
• British Curriculum
• CBSE curriculum
• UAE education regulations
• Curriculum development
• Curriculum implementation
• Curriculum review
• Curriculum innovation
• Academic policy
• Teaching and learning
• Instructional leadership
• Academic standards
• Student attainment
• Student progress
• Assessment frameworks
• Academic assessment
• Performance analysis
• Academic data analysis
• School improvement
• School Improvement Plans
• Academic audits
• Quality assurance
• Inspection readiness
• Regulatory inspections
• International benchmarking
• Academic accountability
• Professional development
• Teacher development
• Leadership development
• Principal collaboration
• Head of Department development
• Phase leadership
• Academic governance
• School accreditation
• New school setup
• Academic structures
• Curriculum mapping
• Educational innovation
• Strategic planning
• Stakeholder management
• Executive communication
• Academic presentations
• Team building
• Change leadership
• Consensus building
• Performance management
• Educational technology
• Safeguarding
• Student wellbeing

Why Join Us

This position offers the opportunity to shape academic strategy across a diverse and growing group of schools rather than influencing performance within a single campus. The Corporate Head of Academics will have direct scope to strengthen curriculum quality, teaching standards, assessment, professional learning, inspection readiness, and student attainment across British and CBSE education environments. The role also provides significant exposure to group-level leadership, school improvement strategy, regulatory engagement, new school development, academic audits, and executive decision-making. LEAMS Education offers a collaborative environment where senior academic leaders can influence long-term educational direction, develop leadership capability across schools, and create systems that produce sustainable improvements in teaching and student outcomes.

About the Company

LEAMS Education is a UAE education provider operating a diverse group of British and Indian CBSE curriculum schools. Based in Dubai, the organization focuses on teaching excellence, student achievement, school improvement, professional development, educational innovation, and collaborative leadership. Its corporate and school leadership teams work together to strengthen academic quality and deliver consistent educational standards across the Group.