Chief Academic Officer - Remote

Institución Internacional SEK; Madrid; Remote; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Institución Internacional SEK is seeking a Chief Academic Officer to shape its international network of schools. You will report to the President and lead academic strategy across IB and non-IB programs, ensuring excellence across curricula, countries, and regulations.

You will align teaching quality, standardize observation and coaching, and mentor school leaders. This role requires a master’s in education, IB certification, 10+ years in international education, and a proven track record of

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Education or related field required.
• Formal IB certification or extensive IB training preferred.
• 10+ years international education experience, including senior leadership.
• Proven leadership in IB programmes (PYP, MYP, DP).
• Experience across multiple schools or within an international education group.
• Data literacy; comfortable with digital teaching tools and education management platforms.
• Culturally agile leader able to work across time zones.

Responsibilities

• Develop one academic strategy and shared quality standards for the network.
• Oversee IB programmes and national curricula with clear equivalencies.
• Create group-wide frameworks for teaching quality: observation, coaching and evaluation.
• Implement a unified quality assurance system with a performance framework.
• Mentor school leaders and academic teams.

Skills

Data literacy

Digital teaching tools

Education platforms

Strategic leadership

IB programme leadership

Cross-cultural leadership

Time zone coordination

Mentoring

Education

Master’s degree in Education

IB certification

IB training

Tools

Education management platforms

Job description

What if you could shape how students learn across an entire international network of schools?

IES is looking for a Chief Academic Officer.

You would report directly to the President of SEK and lead academic strategy across a diverse network of IB and non-IB schools.

This is not a role for someone who wants to run one school. It’s for someone who can answer a hard question: how do you keep academic excellence consistent across different curricula, countries and regulations, without flattening what makes each school unique?

What you’ll lead

• One academic strategy and shared quality standards for every school in the network
• Oversight of IB programmes (PYP, MYP, DP) and national curricula, with clear equivalencies so students get a consistent experience
• Group-wide frameworks for teaching quality: observation, coaching and evaluation
• A unified quality assurance system and a performance framework that makes results comparable across schools
• Mentoring school leaders and academic teams

What we’re looking for

• A Master’s degree in Education or a related field. Formal IB certification or extensive IB training is strongly preferred
• 10+ years in international education experience, including senior leadership (Regional Academic Director or equivalent)
• Proven leadership in IB programmes (PYP, MYP, DP)
• A track record of improving student outcomes
• Experience across multiple schools or within an international education group is highly desirable
• Data literacy, plus comfort with digital teaching tools and education management platforms
• A culturally agile leader who is credible with educators and happy to work across time zones

Remote, with frequent international travel