PA to Head Master - January 2027

Taaleem Holdings; Dubai; On-site; AED 134,000 - 201,000; Full time

Job summary

Harrow International School Abu Dhabi is seeking a capable receptionist/administrative professional to be the first point of contact for parents and visitors and to support the Head Master and leadership team.

You will handle inquiries, manage communications, and use Word and Excel to keep the school’s office running smoothly while upholding the school’s values of Courage, Honour, Humility and Fellowship.

Qualifications

• Excellent command of the English language, both written and verbal.
• Excellent communication skills (inter-personal, telephone and written).
• Experienced in digital office tools (Microsoft Office etc.).
• High levels of emotional intelligence.
• Demonstrates exceptional professional personal presentation and grooming.
• Understanding of general reception tasks with excellent customer facing skills.
• Exceptional time management & organisational skills.
• Ability to develop and refine systems of work-flow and office management.

Responsibilities

• Present a professional impression to parents, guests and customers.
• Being the first point of contact within the school as required.
• Assist with all queries knowledgeably, efficiently and courteously and support the Head Master from an administrative perspective to support the smooth running of the school.
• Lead the day-to-day management of the Head Master’s office.
• Support the administrative duties of the Head Master and, at times the wider leadership team.
• Ensure visitors and school community members are welcomed professionally and in line with safety procedures.
• Manage communications in and out of the school, maintaining high professionalism.
• Utilise digital systems, particularly Word and Excel, to support the school’s administrative team.
• Support internal communications within the school such as daily announcements and staff briefings.
• Manage own work demands to meet deadlines calmly and confidently, even under pressure.
• Support handling of emergency procedures.
• Assist with school events.
• Understand data protection and confidentiality and safeguard the school and community.

Job description

Safeguarding Statement

Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We hold ourselves to a high standard of effective practices in relation to child protection and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff to share this commitment.

All successful applicants must be willing to undergo enhanced child protection screening appropriate to the post, including various background checks including, receipt of high-quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks. No member of staff will be able to start until these checks are complete and this process takes, on average, a month.

Job Purpose

• Present a professional impression to parents, guests and customers.
• Being the first point of contact within the school as required.
• Assist with all queries knowledgeably, efficiently and courteously and support the Head Master from an administrative perspective to support the smooth running of the school.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead the day-to-day management of the Head Master’s office.
• Support the administrative duties of the Head Master and, at times the wider leadership team.
• Ensure that visitors and school community members are welcomed to the school professionally and in line with the safety procedures of the school.
• Manage communications in and out of the school, always maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.
• Utilise digital systems efficiently and effectively, particularly Word and Excel, to help support the school’s administrative team.
• Support the internal communication systems within the school such as daily announcements to teachers, staff briefings etc.
• Manage own work demands to meet deadlines calmly and confidently, even during times of high pressure.
• Support with the handling of emergency procedures.
• Assist with school events.
• Demonstrate an understanding of data protection and confidentiality and behave in a way that safeguards the school and school community members at all times.

Requirements

Education: Good general education appropriate to the post.

Experience: A minimum of 2 years working in a similar field

Competencies:

• Excellent command of the English language, both written and verbal
• Excellent communication skills (inter-personal, telephone and written)
• Experienced in digital office tools (Microsoft Office etc.)
• High levels of emotional intelligence
• Demonstrates exceptional professional personal presentation and grooming
• Understanding of general reception tasks with excellent customer facing skills
• Exceptional time management & organisational skills
• Ability to develop and refine systems of work-flow and office management

All staff are expected to conduct themselves in line with the School’s values which are: Courage, Honour, Humility and Fellowship. While the School’s values set out what matters most to us, the behaviours below are intended as a shared set of expectations to refer to, and standards to aspire to, in our dealings with others. They are the practical application of our values.

COURAGE

• We remain optimistic and purposeful in a disrupted world.
• We take responsibility for our decisions, even the hard ones.
• We always challenge poor behaviour in ourselves and others.
• We are open to new ideas, and seek fresh challenges.

HONOUR

• We keep our promises.
• We act with integrity – doing the right thing, even when it is difficult or when no one is watching.
• We respect and value our traditions whilst setting them in the context of today.

HUMILITY

• We work hard to serve others within the School and across our wider communities where possible putting their interests before our own.
• We give and seek honest and appropriate feedback, reflect on our failures and learn from them.
• We support each other through challenges and whatever the outcome, we celebrate those that took part.

FELLOWSHIP

• We respect each other and value our differences, knowing that we are more effective and more resilient working together.
• We are kind and inclusive; we value the contribution that each of us makes.
• We role model the behaviours that we would like to see in others; we ask only of others what we would be prepared to do ourselves.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are values that are important to us at Taaleem. We believe in diversity of thought and actively welcome everyone regardless of their background to bring their valuable and relevant skills to our community.

Note: It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

This advertisement is posted on behalf of "Harrow International School Abu Dhabi" which is part of the group owned by "Taaleem Holdings PJSC" and independently operated under a licence to use the "Harrow School" brand. For further details of the relationship, please see the relationship statement on the harrowdubai.ae website. Accordingly, applicants should be aware that the employer will be part of Taaleem Holdings PJSC’s group and under its control and not Harrow School.