Director Search

Almost universally, international schools engage a search firm when recruiting a new head of school. The role of the selected firm is to support the Search Committee throughout the search process—from the initial drafting of the position statement to the final appointment. 

Typically, the firm visits the school and meets with a broad range of constituencies for a deep dive to learn about the school and its community, the school’s opportunities and challenges, and the expertise and qualities desired in the next head. The firm then works with the Search Committee to articulate a position statement that includes this comprehensive school profile, and which is used to advertise the opening and actively recruit qualified candidates. The firm carries out preliminary interviews in order to narrow the candidate pool, and also performs background checks, leading to the finalists visiting campus to meet the community. Many search firms provide training for the search committee on best practices to vet and select candidates and also assist with the new Director's transition process.

After conducting a comprehensive selection process, we have appointed a search consultancy firm to help us identify and attract the best candidates in our search for ZIS’s next Director. 

We have engaged Resource Group 175 (RG175) as our search firm. Our search will be led by RG175 consultants Jim Scott and Ham Clark

RG175 stood out to our committee for several reasons: 

• Wealth of relevant search experience: RG175’s has an impressive track record in recruiting directors international schools across the globe.
• Quality of recruiting networks: we were impressed by RG175’s candidate pool and ability to recruit candidates who might not be actively looking to change jobs.  

The Search Committee will work closely with the search consultants and board to finalize a position profile, capturing the essence of ZIS, as well as the qualifications and characteristics necessary for our next director. The committee will vet prospective candidates. Once the field of candidates is narrowed down to a small handful, we will invite them to school to meet with members of our community. 

The Board of Trustees is responsible for appointing and supporting the Director. The Search Committee is responsible for all aspects of the search and making a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, which makes the final decision. While the appointment of the Director is solely the responsibility of the Board, the Search Committee will incorporate input from faculty and staff, students, parents and alumni during the process, ensuring that the final recommendation has broad community support.

The Director is the only employee who is hired by and reports directly to the Board of Trustees. Appointing a director is one of the most important responsibilities of the Board.

The Board of Trustees has asked two of our current members -  Alexandra Hallen Utterman and Essa Al-Saleh - to serve as Co Chairs of the Search Committee. They will lead this process and closely coordinate the search with the executive search firm on behalf of the whole board.

The Search Committee will also be composed of other representatives of relevant stakeholder groups of the ZIS community, as we believe it is important to include the ZIS community in an advisory capacity to the Board throughout the search process. 

The Search Committee will include the following members of the ZIS community:

• Essa Al-Saleh - Member of the Board of Trustees, Co-chair of the Search Committee 
• Alexandra Uttermann - Member of the Board or Trustees, Co-chair of the Search Committee
• Mariana Grigorian - Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
• Carl Hollitscher - Chairman of the Board of trustees.
• Catherine Jolly - Lower School Principal
• Maaike Lange - ZIS Parent
• Joel Lobland  - Upper School Math teacher and Head of the Math Department
• Jennifer Model - Middle School French teacher and Assistant Head of World Languages
• Chicco di Stasi - Member of the Board of Trustees

RG175 engages in a comprehensive recruitment process. In particular, they are distinguished as active recruiters and do not rely solely on passive advertising or listings. The company has an extensive network of contacts, which they draw upon to develop a robust candidate pool. RG175 vets candidates extensively and ensures that the Search Committee considers applicants of the highest caliber, with a continual focus on candidates whose leadership strengths and experience best align with the requirements of the School.

Although RG175 excels in direct recruiting, they also advertise the position through extensive and wide-reaching US and international outlets that extend to approximately 4,000 educators, including current and aspiring heads, and state and regional association directors.

There are two critical periods during which we request input and participation from the community. The first was during RG175’s visit in September 2022, and the second will be when the finalist candidates visit the School. At that time, the community will learn more about the finalists and their leadership objectives.  Besides in-person meetings, we will provide surveys so that everyone can provide their input. You are also welcome to ecom@zis.ch the Search Committee with any questions or thoughts you wish to share.