DAKAR ACADEMY
(Dakar, Senegal)

Invites You to Apply for the Position of
Director
(Opening in the 2010-2011 school year)

Our Ministries

Dakar Academy is a 50-year-old partnership of the Assemblies of God, WorldVenture (formerly CB International) and United World Mission, mission agencies working in Senegal, on Africa’s west coast.  We seek to advance the Kingdom of God through serving missionary families by providing educational services for their children.  We operate a K-12 school in the city of Dakar whose goal is “to provide for missionary children, and other children as space permits, quality primary and secondary education from an evangelical Christian perspective utilizing curricula compatible with American school systems.”  We also run a boarding program associated with the school for children whose parents serve as missionaries throughout West Africa 

Over 230 students are enrolled in our school.  While most come from North America, the others represent more than 25 nations.  Some of our students come from the international business and diplomatic communities of Dakar.  Three-fourths, however, are the children of missionaries.  Sixty of these MKs board full-time, with 40 in DA facilities on campus and another 25 in nearby dorms run in close association with DA.  We have a staff of 45 teachers, boarding parents and support personnel.  Most are North Americans serving with an evangelical mission agency or backed explicitly by their home church.  We also have 25 Senegalese working as custodians, guards or house help.  The total budget of our ministries, supported only by tuition and fees, is $1.3 million.  Our 6-acre campus has four classroom buildings, an administrative-library building, a two-story dormitory and several apartment buildings for staff housing.

As noted by the evaluators in our school’s last re-accreditation with ACSI, Dakar Academy is a wonderful place both for students and for staff.  Staff members are dedicated and loving.  Students are respectful and cooperative, and their families stable and supportive.  We strive for excellence in our educating and our boarding care.  But, as we carry out those ministries, we also aim to honor Christ in how we treat each other.

Our Community

Dakar, capital city of Senegal, is an ideal place for a mission school.  It is stable, safe and easily accessible.  Unlike much of West Africa, Senegal has been peaceful since independence from France in 1960.  In fact, it is known internationally for its commitment to democracy and the rule of law, a rare thing among Muslim countries.  To American eyes and ears, Dakar can seem exotic.  Clothing is boldly colorful.  French mixes with Wolof and other local languages in the open markets.  Strange foods and customs intrigue the foreigner.  Still, Dakar is a huge and poor city.  With 3 million people, this crowded metropolis suffers from traffic jams and high rents and garbage collection problems.  Compared to most of its neighbors, however, Senegal is a safe and easy place to live.  Violent crime is rare.  Private hospitals are good.  ADSL and cell phones are available.  Water and electric service are normally dependable.  The international airport has links to Europe, New York and Brazil, as well as various countries in Africa.

   The Director’s role at Dakar Academy

The Board of Dakar Academy has implemented the Policy GovernanceÒ model.  As such, the Director is our chief executive officer.  He or she is responsible to lead DA’s staff in successfully carrying out its ministries.  In other words, the Director must ensure that DA achieves the goals established by the Board, while respecting the broad policies the Board has set. 

To do this, the Director organizes and leads an administrative team (normally including an Assistant Director, a Business Manager, a Maintenance Director, and a Boarding Administrator).  With them and through them, he or she leads the teaching staff, boarding staff and support staff.  The Director, whether directly or through the staff, is responsible to ensure that all the functions of the school and boarding program are carried out, from enrolling students to purchasing supplies.  The Director is also responsible for spiritual conditions within the DA ministries, whether leading staff and students personally or working though the Chaplain and others.

The DA Board, for its part, is responsible to establish the vision and mission of the organization and communicate that vision clearly. It also must monitor the success of the school and boarding program as they seek to implement that vision. The Board also maintains certain administrative functions: setting tuition and fees, establishing staff benefits, and acting as a court of appeal in certain administrative processes.  In practice, the Board and Director work together, advising each other and praying together often.

   Financial Arrangements

Dakar Academy staff members, including its Director, are missionary volunteers.  As such, some group of believers in their home country has sent them.  We expect that these people will support them in prayer and finances.  Knowing the difficulty that MK educators face to quickly raise financial support, however, DA designates part of its budget to provide a number of benefits for school staff, including a direct contribution of $5,000 per year toward their support.  Currently those benefits also include:

·         Furnished housing and access to a vehicle for the staff member and spouse.

·         Health insurance for the staff member.

·         Tuition to DA for two children.

·         For staff members who stay multiple years, other benefits accrue, such as funds for airfare and professional training and a furlough subsidy.

The Director receives the same subsidy package as all other school staff.

  Qualifications sought in a Director

Professional

·         Experience in school administration.

·        Comfortable with using an evangelical Christian curriculum.

Mission Background

·        Commitment to missions and world evangelization.  Heart for MK education.

Spiritual

·         Prayerful and committed to the Word and the Church.

·         Person of integrity.

Attitude

·        Comfortable with the established vision and roles of Board and Director.

·         Has a drive to implement that vision well.

Other helpful attributes that the Board will consider:

·         Degree as administrator in North America.

·         Previous overseas experience.

·         Previous boarding school experience.

·         Training in MK education and boarding.

·         Fluency in French.

  Timetable [Subject to Change]

·        Applications due: January 27, 2010.

·        Screening phone interviews complete: February 2.

·        Site visits begin: March 1.

·        Director on site: July 15 at latest.

   Application Procedure

To apply, provide a completed Director Application to the DA Board.  Preferably, these should be sent electronically to Board chair Charley Campbell at charleyites@gmail.com.  Alternatively, you may fax them to 221-33-832-1721 or airmail them to Dakar Academy, B.P. 3189, Dakar, Senegal    West Africa. 

   Other Contact Information

·         For communications with the Board search committee, contact Board chair Charley Campbell at charleyites@gmail.com.

·         For general information, see our website: www.dakar-academy.org

·         For background information, feel free to communicate with the current Director, Ann Marklund, at director@dakar-academy.org.