The Haile-Manas Academy (HMA) is a world-class, co-educational, secondary boarding school for students of exceptional promise recruited from across Ethiopia. The pioneer class of 35 9th graders arrived on a newly constructed, well-equipped campus in January 2021, in the town of Debre Birhan, Ethiopia.

We will build resilient, independent thinkers; purposeful, community-minded individuals; and engaged, enterprising young citizens through depth of inquiry, hands-on problem solving, and the sustained shared experiences of a residential setting. We aspire to admit our students without regard to their financial circumstances, and expect our graduates to have significant impact on their communities – whether those communities are local, national or global.

We seek dynamic and inspirational educators for this once-in-a-lifetime chance to help create and develop a premier school for Ethiopia’s most promising and motivated students, a school that will serve as a model for the country. Our faculty will be mission-driven Ethiopian and international educators who are motivated to model how individuals from different backgrounds form a community to collaboratively design solutions to a wide variety of concrete challenges. In this start-up phase, faculty and students will be especially empowered to create the systems and structures for the school community in which they want to live that are motivated by their passions and aligned with the mission of the school.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced educator with exceptional vision, energy and resilience. He/she will be capable of shaping a vibrant school culture founded on the belief that all young people deserve the chance to build lives of meaningful contribution.

Head of School Kari Ostrem, who brings over 20 years of experience as a teacher and administrator at leading American high schools to the position, will run the school in partnership with Deputy Head of School Tesfaye Kifle, an experienced Ethiopian educator.

As a residential school, we expect faculty members to make a significant contribution to the academic, co-curricular and residential aspects of school life.

Academic Responsibilities

•  Teach two sections of a 9th or 10th grade research-based, technology-infused, text-heavy history course that meets 6 hours a week, including Saturday morning
• Design and deliver an inquiry-based, constructive curriculum consistent with Ethiopian national standards in collaboration with a partner teacher
•  Understand the successes and challenges of each individual student and share formally and informally with students and families
•  Actively participate in and shape a collaborative, vibrant professional development culture with support from educational leaders in the US and across the continent
•  Share best practices or provide professional development for high school educators across Ethiopia using HMA facilities

Co-Curricular Responsibilities

• Design and implement a meaningful co-curricular offering two of the three trimesters (community outreach, coaching, or club) according to the school’s mission
•  Develop student leadership in co-curricular offerings
•  Know and be a presence in the community that is impacted by co-curricular offerings

Residential Responsibilities

•  Live on campus in a furnished apartment to be available outside of school hours
• Advise 8 students academically and socially-emotionally and be the contact for families
•  Be actively involved with the residential curriculum administered in the evenings and in the dormitories
• Be part of a team that designs and supervises community experiences and down time on weekends (Saturday afternoon and Sunday) approximately two times a month

Qualifications

• A mission-driven professional who is inspired by this unique opportunity to create a transformative model school in and for Ethiopia
• A background in or appreciation for the value of a boarding school education
• Demonstrated ability in the creation of vibrant academic communities
•  A demonstrated track record of successful problem-solving, failing and learning from failure, and resilience
• A master’s degree or higher in the relevant field of study
• Competence in using technology in the classroom
•  An experienced practitioner who is a thoughtful listener, an innately fair and humane person of high integrity, and a warm and welcoming presence