Headmaster / Headmistress

NagaEd School Leadership Partnership Programme

 

Job Title: Headmaster / Headmistress
School Focus: Early Childhood Education & Primary Years
Location: Kohima
Hours: Full-time
Probation: 6 months

Purpose of the Position

NagaEd partners with schools committed to quality foundational education to strengthen academic leadership, institutional systems, and learning outcomes. This partner school in Kohima is rooted in Early Childhood Education — a philosophy that recognises the earliest years as the most critical window in a child’s development, and designs the entire learning environment around how young children actually grow.

The Headmaster / Headmistress is the principal academic and administrative leader of the school — responsible for holding the integrity of a child-centred, developmentally appropriate approach across every classroom, building a high-performing teaching team, and ensuring the school operates as a model of progressive early childhood education in Nagaland.

This role is for an educator who understands Early Childhood Education from the inside — someone who sees the early years not as preparation for “real school”, but as the foundation on which everything else is built.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Academic Leadership
• Lead with a clear, consistent Early Childhood Education philosophy across all classrooms and year levels
• Ensure learning environments are developmentally appropriate, child-centred, and thoughtfully prepared
• Oversee curriculum delivery aligned to ECE principles and the NEP 2020 Foundational Stage framework
• Lead academic planning cycles — learning calendars, observation schedules, assessment rhythms, and annual reviews
• Monitor teaching quality through structured classroom observation and precise, developmental feedback

Staff Leadership and Development
• Recruit, orient, supervise, and appraise all teaching and support staff
• Build a culture of reflective practice — through peer observation, internal mentoring, and ongoing professional development
• Support teachers in strengthening child observation skills, record-keeping, and individualised learning facilitation
• Conduct structured performance conversations and address underperformance promptly and fairly
• Foster a collaborative, mission-aligned staff culture grounded in deep respect for the child

Administration and Operations
• Manage all school operations including admissions, timetabling, facilities, and regulatory compliance
• Maintain accurate student records, developmental documentation, and institutional files
• Ensure child safety, safeguarding, and protection standards are upheld at all times
• Coordinate with NagaEd Programme Lead on reporting, milestones, and institutional development Parent and Community Engagement
• Build deep, trust-based relationships with parents — helping them understand and support a child centred approach at home
• Conduct regular parent education sessions and student progress conversations
• Represent the school as a centre of progressive early childhood education in the Kohima community
• Communicate the school’s vision, values, and learning approach with clarity and warmth

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Required
• Postgraduate degree (MA / MSc / MEd or equivalent)
• Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) — mandatory
• Specialist training or certification in Early Childhood Education (ECE) — strongly preferred
• Minimum 5+ years of teaching experience, with a strong early years foundation
• Minimum 2+ years in a formal leadership role (Head of Department, Deputy Head, Coordinator, or
equivalent)
• Demonstrated understanding of child development, play-based and inquiry-based learning, and
developmentally appropriate practice
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

Preferred
• Experience leading or coordinating an early childhood or primary school
• Familiarity with NEP 2020 Foundational Stage and NIPUN Bharat / FLN frameworks
• Knowledge of progressive early childhood pedagogies — including but not limited to Reggio Emilia,
Waldorf, or Montessori approaches
• Prior experience working in Northeast India

CORE COMPETENCIES

• ECE philosophy — deeply grounded in how young children learn and develop
• Instructional leadership — observes classrooms with precision, gives developmental feedback, grows teachers over time
• Accountability — sets clear expectations and follows through with consistency and fairness
• Communication — warm, clear, and credible with children, staff, parents, and partners
• Systems thinking — builds routines and processes that outlast their creator
• Cultural sensitivity — understands and respects the Naga social and educational context
• Resilience — steady under pressure, constructive in difficulty