Head of Safeguarding and Wellbeing

The International School @ ParkCity; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious international school in Kuala Lumpur seeks a Head of Safeguarding & Wellbeing to lead safeguarding initiatives, oversee pastoral care, and ensure a supportive environment for students. This leader will collaborate with staff to implement safeguarding policies and directly impact student welfare from Early Years through Year 13. The ideal candidate has a strong background in safeguarding and pastoral leadership, along with exceptional interpersonal skills. This role offers a chance to shape a positive school culture.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in safeguarding and pastoral leadership.
• Proven ability to manage sensitive and complex situations.
• Experience with multi-agency safeguarding processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for safeguarding, wellbeing, and pastoral care.
• Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• Support the development of a safe and inclusive school culture.

Skills

Empathy

Interpersonal skills

Leadership

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Crisis management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree with teaching qualification

Recognised safeguarding or DSL training

Job description

Overview

The International School @ ParkCity (ISP) is seeking a compassionate, highly skilled and strategically minded leader to oversee safeguarding, pastoral care, wellbeing and community engagement across the whole school.

The Head of Safeguarding & Wellbeing is a key member of the Whole School Leadership Team and plays a central role in shaping a culture in which every student feels safe, supported and empowered to thrive, and where staff are confident, trained and supported in their safeguarding responsibilities.

This role provides strategic leadership from Early Years to Year 13, ensuring that safeguarding, wellbeing and pastoral systems are robust, coherent, preventative and aligned with the values and ethos of ISP.

Start Date: 1st August 2026

Responsible for: Safeguarding Team, Medical Team

Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership of Safeguarding, Wellbeing & Pastoral Care
   • Provide strategic, whole-school leadership for safeguarding, wellbeing and pastoral care from Early Years to Year 13.
   • Advise the Principal and Whole School Leadership Team on safeguarding, wellbeing and pastoral matters, contributing to whole-school strategic planning and risk management.
   • Use data, trends and case analysis to inform strategic decisions and continuous improvement.
2. Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
   • Act as the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, holding overall responsibility for safeguarding across the whole school.
   • Ensure safeguarding policies, procedures and systems reflect international best practice and meet statutory and regulatory requirements.
   • Oversee the effective management, recording, monitoring and follow-up of all safeguarding concerns.
   • Lead and deliver high-quality safeguarding training for all staff, ensuring a strong, vigilant and confident safeguarding culture.
   • Liaise with external agencies and professionals as appropriate, including leading multi-agency engagement and referrals.
   • Ensure safeguarding practice is culturally sensitive and appropriate within an international school context.
3. Whole-School Pastoral Leadership
   • Provide strategic oversight of pastoral care across all phases of the school, ensuring consistency in expectations, practice and support.
   • Work closely with the Principal, Heads of School, and pastoral teams to ensure high levels of care, timely intervention and effective escalation of serious pastoral matters.
   • Support and lead a multi-agency approach to student welfare, including attending and contributing to Team Around the Child meetings.
   • Develop, review and monitor pastoral policies to ensure they remain effective, fair, inclusive and responsive to the needs of students and families.
   • Promote positive relationships, behaviour, attendance and student welfare through aligned pastoral systems and practices.
   • Provide strategic oversight of the development, coherence and implementation of the school’s pastoral programmes, including PSHE and COALS.
   • Ensure strong vertical and horizontal alignment from Early Years to Year 13.
   • Work with school leaders to ensure programmes effectively support students’ personal development, wellbeing, citizenship and readiness for life beyond school.
   • Monitor impact and quality, supporting continuous refinement and improvement.
4. Counselling Services
   • Work alongside the leadership and strategic development of the School Counselling Team.
   • Ensure counselling provision is accessible, professional, ethically sound and fully integrated within the wider pastoral and safeguarding systems.
   • Support counsellors in delivering proactive wellbeing initiatives and in the early identification of student needs.
   • Ensure appropriate referral pathways and collaboration with external professionals where required.
5. Medical Services
   • Provide strategic oversight of the school’s medical provision.
   • Line manage and support the nursing team to ensure high-quality care for students.
   • Ensure clear, effective protocols are in place for student health, medical needs, medication administration and emergency response.
   • Work closely with medical staff to ensure alignment with safeguarding, pastoral and wellbeing systems.
6. Whole-School Leadership & Culture
   • Actively contribute as a member of the Whole School Leadership Team, modelling ISP’s values and expectations.
   • Support the development of a safe, inclusive and supportive culture for both students and staff.
   • Build strong, trusting relationships with students, staff and families, promoting confidence in the school’s safeguarding and wellbeing provision.
   • Represent the school professionally in matters relating to safeguarding, wellbeing and pastoral care.

Personal Skills & Attributes

Highly empathetic and emotionally intelligent leader.

Calm, reliable, organised and able to manage sensitive and complex situations with discretion.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with students, staff, families and external professionals.

Strong professional judgement and resilience when dealing with high-stakes or emotionally demanding situations.

Committed to promoting a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for all members of the school community.

Experience

Significant experience in safeguarding, pastoral leadership, wellbeing or student welfare roles.

Previous experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead (desirable) or substantial, demonstrable safeguarding leadership experience.

Experience working with children and young people in an international school or comparable setting.

Experience in leading teams and coordinating whole-school wellbeing initiatives.

Experience working with external agencies and multi-agency safeguarding processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and a recognised teaching qualification.
• Recognised safeguarding or DSL training.
• Postgraduate qualification or study in counselling, pastoral leadership, psychology or education (desirable).

Safeguarding

The International School @ ParkCity, KL is committed to ensuring that all students within the ISP community are kept safe and free from harm as a result of abuse or neglect. Child Protection is the responsibility of all members of the school community, by applying for employment at The International School @ ParkCity, KL you are:

• Declaring that you are able to work with students in a way that promotes and safeguards their safety and welfare.
• Declaring that there is no reason that would prevent you from working with children at our school.
• Supportive of appropriate background checks that will be made.