Chief School Officer

 

This position can be based in any of our key hubs across Africa, with a strong preference for our Head Office in Johannesburg. It involves frequent travel across our network.

 

Enko Education is at a defining moment in its journey; as we continue to broaden our Pan-African footprint, our strategic focus is shifting toward deep operational transformation: the realization of the African International School of Choice (AISoC). Our ambition is to ensure that every school in our portfolio becomes the undisputed leader in its community - a place where academic excellence and operational profitability coexist in a delicate, high-impact equilibrium.

To bridge this gap and fulfill our mission of providing African learners access to the best universities, we are seeking a seasoned Chief School Officer (CSO) to join our Executive Committee. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will be the architect of our schools' transformation, driving the Enko Model to ensure our growth is predictable, reproducible, and synonymous with world-class quality.

 

Your Profile: a High-Stakes Coach

You are a rare breed of leader who marries the surgical execution of a COO with the high emotional intelligence required to lead educators through profound transformation. Your career in multi-site management - whether in Education, premium Retail, or high-end Services - demonstrates a mastery of driving a "Group Playbook" while empowering local leadership to excel.

Thriving as a disciplined intrapreneur, you would navigate the Enko Model with a knack for creative, low-cost problem-solving that never compromises the blueprint. You possess an innate ability for relentless prioritization, instinctively filtering out the noise to protect "the main thing." Rather than leading by decree, you secure buy-in through influential narrative building, stepping into the shoes of your team members to turn systemic change into a shared mission.

People describe you as a People Developer to the core; you diagnose performance gaps with precision and foster a culture where unwavering accountability meets psychological safety. Moving fluidly between English and French, you bridge the gap between international standards and local context, ensuring our vision resonates deeply with every stakeholder across our diverse African network.

 

Your Mission: Drive, Empower, Scale

As CSO, you will leverage four Strategic Pillars to deliver the Group Business Plan:

• Operational Excellence: Drive P&L and process performance across all schools to ensure financial sustainability.
• Leadership Development: Empower and hold Heads of School (HoS) accountable, streamlining operations to maximize their focus on Learning & Teaching.
• Scalable Synergies: Harness the "power of the group" by standardizing best practices and securing compliance through the Enko Comprehensive School Support Solution.
• Brand Ambassadorship: Embody Enko’s values to strengthen our Value Proposition for both parents and employees.

 

The ideal fit: what you bring to the team

To succeed in this role and thrive within the Enko culture, you will need to demonstrate a unique blend of operational rigor and high-level leadership. Specifically, we are looking for the following core competencies:

• Analytical Strategist: You possess the structural rigor to manage complex P&Ls and the analytical depth to solve root-cause operational challenges systematically.
• Agile Intrapreneur: You thrive on autonomy and find creative, low-cost solutions to hurdles while remaining strictly disciplined in your execution of the Enko Model.
• Focused Executor: You demonstrate relentless prioritization, protecting "the main thing" from distractions and maintaining a high-performance tempo across the network.
• Influential People Developer: You combine high EQ with influential storytelling to mentor leaders, create psychological safety, and turn organizational resistance into positive momentum.
• Avid Learner: You possess the intellectual curiosity and agility to grow alongside our organization, constantly seeking to improve both yourself and our operational frameworks.
• Bilingual Communicator: You offer professional fluency in both English and French, an essential enabler for engaging deeply with our diverse stakeholders across the continent.

 

Why Join Enko Education?

Joining Enko means taking a seat at the table of an ambitious educational project in Africa. We offer a high-autonomy environment where "disciplined intrapreneurship" is celebrated. You will work within a committed Executive Committee and lead a team of independent-minded school leaders, all driven by the same purpose: giving African learners the wings to fly. This is a unique opportunity to shape the governance and operational landscape of a fast-growing group that is literally changing the trajectory of thousands of young lives.

 

(English version)

Equal Opportunities & Safer Recruitment

Enko Education is an equal opportunities employer, committed to inclusivity, diversity, and valuing difference. Enko Education schools are committed to child safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students and young people, and we expect all staff, volunteers, and third parties to share this commitment. Our safer recruitment practices aim to ensure that only individuals committed to child safeguarding join our schools. You can read our Safer Recruitment Statement here.

• Successful candidates must provide a police clearance (or equivalent) from every country where they have lived in the past 10 years before signing an employment contract.
• Reference checks with previous employers will also be conducted for each successful candidate.

About Enko Education

International education with Africa at heart and the world in mind.

Enko Education is a fast-growing network of 15 international schools in 10 African countries, offering international education with Africa at heart and the world in mind. Our mission is to make high-quality international education accessible to more African learners and to guide them towards the world’s best universities through innovative programmes leading to globally recognised qualifications.

Since 2014, Enko Education has helped thousands of students secure admission to top universities such as Yale College, Sciences Po, École Polytechnique, and the University of Toronto. Backed by leading development finance institutions and funds including Proparco, I&P, Adiwale, BIO Invest, Oiko Credit and Liquid Africa, we are on track to reach 20,000 students by 2028.

Learn more on our website.

(French version)

Égalité des chances & Recrutement sécurisé

Enko Education est un employeur qui respecte l’égalité des chances, attaché à l’inclusion, à la diversité et à la valorisation des différences. Les écoles Enko Education s’engagent à protéger les enfants et à promouvoir le bien-être des élèves et des jeunes, et attendent de l’ensemble du personnel, des bénévoles et des tiers qu’ils partagent cet engagement. Nos pratiques de recrutement sécurisé visent à garantir que seules les personnes partageant notre engagement rejoignent nos écoles. Vous pouvez consulter notre Déclaration sur le recrutement sécurisé ici.

• Les candidats retenus doivent fournir un extrait de casier judiciaire (ou équivalent) pour tous les pays dans lesquels ils ont vécu au cours des 10 dernières années avant de signer un contrat.
• Des vérifications de références seront effectuées auprès des employeurs précédents pour tout candidats retenu pour un rôle.

À propos d’Enko Education

Une éducation internationale avec l’Afrique au cœur et le monde en perspective.

Enko Education est un réseau en pleine croissance de 15 écoles internationales dans 10 pays d’Afrique, offrant une éducation internationale de qualité à un coût accessible. Notre mission est de faciliter l’accès des apprenants africains aux meilleures universités du monde grâce à des programmes innovants menant à des diplômes mondialement reconnus.

Depuis 2014, nous avons accompagné des milliers d’élèves vers des universités de premier plan telles que Yale College, Sciences Po, l’École Polytechnique ou encore l’Université de Toronto. Avec le soutien d’institutions financières de développement et de fonds tels que Proparco, I&P, Adiwale, BIO Invest, Oiko Credit et Liquid Africa, nous visons à scolariser 20 000 élèves d’ici 2028.

Pour en savoir plus, visitez notre site internet.