Head of College – Brighton College Al Ain

Brighton College Al Ain is seeking an outstanding, inspirational and experienced Head of College, preferably for August 2026.

The school was named 2025-26 British International School of the Year, and this is an exceptional opportunity to lead it through its next stage of development.

Brighton College in the UK is consistently regarded
as one of the country’s leading independent schools – ‘School of the Decade’ according to The Sunday Times – and Brighton College Al Ain is part of the Brighton College International (BCI) group. BCI is committed to ensuring that all its international schools are authentic representations of Brighton College’s distinctive blend of academic, pastoral and co-curricular provision,
and that the Brighton pillars of Curiosity, Confidence and Kindness are at their heart. BCI also fosters collaboration and a spirit of partnership across the group.

The three Brighton College international schools in the UAE – in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai – are the result
of a highly successful partnership between Brighton College and Bloom Education. Al Ain – ‘the Garden City’ – is the biggest inland city in the UAE, close to the border with Oman and part of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Brighton College Al Ain is a British curriculum school of c.1,000 pupils, situated on a beautiful 28-acre campus with impressive state-of-the-art facilities. The school is co-educational in the Pre-Prep, Prep School and Sixth Form, with single-gender learning in Years 6-11. Approximately 60% of the pupils are Emirati.

The Head of Brighton College Al Ain reports to a Board comprising representatives of Brighton College UK, Bloom Holdings and Bloom Education. On a day-to-day basis, the Head is accountable to the General Manager of Bloom Education for the educational and commercial operations of the school and its alignment with the inspection and regulatory frameworks of ADEK, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Education and Knowledge.

The next Head of College will ideally be a serving Head/Principal with experience in both the UAE and in highly-regarded British or British international schools. It is vital that the Head appreciates the importance of the inspection framework and has the experience to position Brighton College Al Ain securely as an outstanding school. They will also need to be creative and visionary in responding to Al Ain’s changing demographics and educational landscape. And they must be enthusiastic about strengthening Brighton College Al Ain’s approach to inclusion within a premium school environment.

There will be plenty of challenges and opportunities for the new Head of College as Brighton College Al Ain enters its next phase. The successful candidate will need a balance of skills: committed to excellence and clear-sighted in identifying and addressing areas for improvement; depth of thinking to blend the distinctive Al Ain context and the Brighton College approach; gravitas, credibility and excellent communication skills to reassure parents and other stakeholders; and the commercial and political instincts to strengthen further the school’s market position. Like all Brighton College Heads, they will be expected to lead with authenticity, purpose and a deep-seated commitment to the progress and development of each and every pupil within their school.

For the right candidate, this will be an outstanding opportunity. It represents the chance to build on the school’s success and make it stand out in the UAE, the wider Middle East and the Brighton College International group – a school distinguished by its location but representing the very best traditions of a Brighton College education.

The appointment is for August 2026, but for an exceptional candidate, January 2027 may be possible. The position comes with a competitive package including medical cover, flights, housing and school places.

Further details about the role are available in the candidate information.

For an initial, confidential conversation about the role, please contact Jean Sullivan at jeansullivan@rsacademics.com  (including a copy of your CV/resumé if you have not recently been in contact with RSAcademics)

The closing date for applications is Thursday 16th April 2026 at 10:00 UK / 13.00 UAE

To apply, candidates should complete an application form and submit it electronically to RSAcademics, together with a letter of application, data-sharing consent form and CV/résumé. Details of how to apply and about the letter of application are in the candidate information.

When you are ready to apply, you can do so using the Apply Now link on the right side of this page to complete your application. 

Should you have any queries relating to uploading your application documents, please contact Amy Murphy, Operations Administrator, at applications@rsacademics.com. Amy can also be reached by calling +44 (0) 204 6269 791.

Brighton College, Brighton College International and Bloom Education are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Any offer of employment will be subject to successful completion of pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure, the receipt of satisfactory references, the College’s pre-employment medical questionnaire, relevant original ID documentation and examination certificates. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the School is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are “spent” unless they are “protected” under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.

The safeguarding responsibilities of the role are indicated in the candidate information.

Brighton College is committed to ensuring that the recruitment and selection of staff is conducted in a manner that is systematic, efficient and effective and promotes equality of opportunity. Our full equal opportunities policy is available on the ‘Careers’ page of our website.

RSAcademics is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and to promoting diversity and inclusion in schools.