Manager - Arabic - Aldar Education

Aldar Education is currently seeking a Manager - Arabic to support our growing family of owned and operated schools in the UAE. This is an exciting opportunity to join the highly successful Aldar family of schools and to help shape the future of Abu Dhabi’s leading school group. 

The Manager – Arabic will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of Arabic education across Aldar schools. Based at Headquarters, the postholder will set the K–12 vision and roadmap for Arabic A (native) and Arabic B (non-native) provision, ensuring alignment with MOE standards, ADEK frameworks, and Aldar’s values and National Identity priorities.

The role is responsible for translating strategy into actionable improvement plans with measurable KPIs, leading curriculum and assessment design, ensuring quality assurance and compliance, and supporting schools to deliver dynamic, innovative, and high-impact Arabic learning experiences. The Manager will oversee assessment, moderation, and data analysis to drive attainment and progress, while also establishing professional learning networks and capacity-building programs for leaders and teachers.

A key dimension of the role will be to support the Arabic Centre of Excellence (CoE) initiative, contributing to its mission of innovating Arabic pedagogy, developing high-quality resources, leading flagship competitions, and strengthening research and professional development that raise standards of Arabic education across the Aldar network and beyond.

In addition, the role will strengthen stakeholder engagement, building partnerships with cultural and educational entities, and acting as a trusted advisor to HODs, and teaching teams. As part of the central School Improvement team, the Manager will ensure that Arabic pedagogy across Aldar schools reflects global best practice while preserving the UAE’s culture, heritage, and identity.

Main Duties:

Strategic Leadership & Governance:

• Set the K–12 vision and roadmap for Arabic A & B, aligned to MOE standards, ADEK frameworks, Aldar values, and National Identity priorities.
• Translate strategy into annual improvement plans with clear KPIs, milestones, and risk/mitigation.
• Work as part of the wider HQ school-improvement team to enhance provision and ensure innovative, high-impact Arabic pedagogy across schools.
•  HQ-produced Arabic materials where needed.

Curriculum Design & Implementation:

• Lead development and cyclical review of curriculum frameworks, progression maps, scope & sequences, and model units for EY–G12.
• Secure vertical progression (from phonological awareness/phonics and early literacy to morphology, syntax, discourse, and literature) and cross-curricular links (e.g., National Identity, UAE culture and history).
• Curate/adopt high-quality resources, text anthologies, and digital platforms; publish guidance for schemes of work and lesson planning.

Assessment, Moderation & Data Impact:

• Design a coherent assessment strategy (diagnostic placement for A/B, formative checks, summative/common termly assessments) with robust item banks and analytic rubrics for reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
• Lead standardisation and moderation; quality-assure grading and evidence of learning.
• Build data dashboards and run impact reviews of attainment/progress; identify gaps and commission targeted interventions.
• Benchmark outcomes against internal targets and external expectations (e.g., inspection indicators and relevant external exams where applicable).

Quality Assurance & School Review:

• Lead subject-specific reviews (lesson observations, work scrutiny/portfolios, student voice, data triangulation) and issue action-focused reports.
• Support inspection readiness and drive follow-through on post-review actions with HODs.

Professional Learning & Capability Building:

• Establish Arabic subject networks/PLCs and deliver targeted PD tied to curriculum rollouts and assessment literacy (balanced literacy, phonics, writing workshop, adaptive teaching for Arabic B).
• Produce exemplars, moderation portfolios, micro-credentials, and implementation guides, coach middle leaders on change management.

Stakeholder Engagement & Partnerships:

• Coordinate with cultural partners (e.g., National Archives, DCT) to enrich Arabic through authentic texts, competitions, and enrichment (poetry, spelling bee, creative writing).

Specific Duties:

• Translate Arabic strategy into annual improvement plans with KPIs, milestones, and risk-mitigation actions.
• Contribute to Aldar’s wider school improvement strategy by aligning Arabic initiatives with inspection frameworks, ADEK/MOE compliance, and Aldar’s National Identity priorities.
• Ensure vertical progression and integration of Arabic with cross-curricular areas such as UAE heritage, Islamic Studies, and Social Studies.
• Lead standardisation and moderation of Arabic assessments to ensure fairness, reliability, and consistency across schools.
• Design and deliver targeted professional development programs linked to curriculum roll-outs, assessment systems, and pedagogy.
• Support the development and delivery of the Arabic CoE strategy, including flagship initiatives such as literacy research, Arabic phonics stories, and student competitions (e.g., Poet of Aldar, Spelling Bee, Creative Writing).

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Arabic with postgraduate qualifications in teaching (e.g., PGCE).

Bachelor’s degree in Arabic and Teaching Qualification, e.g., PGCE / BA in Education / Diploma in Education.

Minimum Experience:

At least 4 years’ experience in a Middle or Senior Manager/Leader within a school setting and or the education sector.

Job Specific Knowledge & Skills:

• Excellent Arabic communication skills, written and oral.
• Competent English communication skills, written and oral.
• Attention to detail with diligent follow up, and able to execute in a timely manner.
• Skilled in multi-tasking, meeting deadlines and handling pressure.
• Organizational ability, of self and others.
• Collaborative team member.
• Creativity and presentational skills.
• Forethought and forward planning.
• Capable of influencing people and talented in networking with cultural sensitivity.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and intercultural awareness.
• Strong and consistent supervisory skills.
• Initiate effort and energy beyond the typical workday, where the tasks require additional commitment.

What We Offer

Aldar Education is a family of world-class, child-centered, and innovative schools based in the UAE. We educate students across our group of owned and managed schools and as we grow, so does our need for highly skilled, inspirational, and dedicated school and educational leaders. We offer an attractive remuneration package including a range of benefits. Our future-focused learning model includes both students and staff, so we place a special emphasis on professional development, coaching, and training.

Successful candidates will have access to a wide network of professionals and opportunities to both lead and contribute to training others as well as developing themselves.

This job description is not all-inclusive. Aldar Education reserves the right to amend this job description at any time.  We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are dedicated to our national development strategy and encourage UAE Nationals in their application to our company.

Aldar Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Offers of appointment are subject to satisfactory references and police clearance.