Dean of Residences & Student Life

Position Title
Dean of Residences & Student Life
(Senior Leadership Position)

Reporting To
School Director (Head of School)

School Context
The school is a K–12 co-educational international school with a progressive boarding programme commencing from Grade 3 onwards. Boarding is conceived as a  home-away-from-home . Student residences comprise thoughtfully designed study bedrooms with attached bathrooms (not dormitories), supported by age-appropriate pastoral structures, high adult-to-student engagement, and a strong focus on wellbeing, independence, and character development. Separate, purpose-built residential facilities exist for boys and girls, each led by trained Residence Parents and pastoral teams.

Role Purpose

The DEAN is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping an exceptional residential and enrichment experience that truly transforms student lives - residential and day scholars alike. The role exists to ensure that boarding is not merely accommodation, but a deeply enriching, safe, structured, and nurturing environment that complements academic learning and fosters independence, character, wellbeing, and global citizenship.

The DEAN is responsible for architecting a purposeful, high-value residential journey where student engagement is driven by design, never by chance. Beyond ensuring safety and pastoral warmth, the role-holder must curate a daily environment where every student is stretched through a balanced synthesis of physical, emotional, and academic stimulation. This "value-added" experience is anchored in the Pathways World School Happiness Quotient, ensuring that our students aren't just well-cared-for, but are actively thriving through structured challenge and a deep sense of community.

Reporting directly to the School Director, the DEAN provides strategic and operational leadership across student life, student services, enrichment programmes, pastoral care, and residential operations. The incumbent will champion a home-away-from-home philosophy, ensuring every child feels known, supported, challenged, and inspired.
Key Pillars of the Residential Experience
To translate this vision into reality, the role-holder will oversee the development and execution of:
Dynamic Programming:  Designing a robust calendar of enrichment (e.g.,  Weekend Leadership Expeditions, "The Big Debate" evening series, or the Global Kitchen cultural exchange ) that ensures students are meaningfully engaged multiple times daily.
Strategic Documentation:  Authoring and refining comprehensive  Student Handbooks  and boarding charters that clearly articulate expectations for personal growth and communal responsibility.
Organized Challenge:  Implementing "Strive" pathways that move beyond a formulaic hour-count, instead focusing on high-impact activities—from intensive fitness modules to collaborative academic peer-mentorship.
Holistic Flourishing:  Monitoring the "Happiness Quotient" through regular student audits, ensuring that the warmth and love inherent in our boarding houses are matched by a rigorous pursuit of individual potential.

Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership of Boarding
Provide overall leadership, vision, and direction to the boarding programme in alignment with the school’s philosophy, mission, and values.
Develop a contemporary, child-centred boarding culture that balances structure with warmth, independence with guidance, and discipline with empathy.
Benchmark the boarding programme against best practices from leading international boarding schools globally.
Contribute actively to the School Leadership Team and whole-school strategic planning.
2. Student Welfare, Pastoral Care & Wellbeing
Ensure the physical, emotional, social, and psychological wellbeing of all boarders.
Establish and oversee robust pastoral care systems including mentoring, counselling, wellbeing check-ins, and early-intervention mechanisms.
Lead age-appropriate approaches to managing adolescence-related issues such as homesickness, peer relationships, emotional regulation, digital wellbeing, identity development, and behavioural concerns.
Serve as a trusted adult presence and role model, setting high standards of…