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Appointed - Marc de Vries
Sep 10, 2016
Nov 4, 2016
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
On behalf of Andrew Davies, Head of School at the International School of Bangkok (ISB) in Bangkok, Thailand and Search Associates, we are pleased to announce that after a worldwide search which produced a large number of highly qualified candidates, Mr. Marc de Vries has been selected as the new Deputy Head of School for Finance and Operations for the 2017-18 academic year.
Mr. de Vries has more than 20 years of experience in both commercial and financial management positions in Bangkok. He is currently serving as Director of Operations at IS-Bangkok, a position he began earlier this academic year. He was recently Commercial Director for the Asia and Pacific regions at MIORI, New York & Hong Kong, and previously was CEO and President of Vigilant Manufacturing Services in Bangkok. He and his wife became familiar with ISB 16 years ago when their eldest child entered ISB as an early childhood student.
Mr. de Vries earned his Dutch University Degree in Business Administration at Nijenrode University in The Netherlands. An interesting fact is that both Marc and his wife earned their high school diplomas from International School Manila in the Philippines.
Mr. Andrew Davies and Search Associates would like to thank all candidates who expressed interest in the Deputy Head of School for Finance and Operations position, and to everyone who assisted and supported the search process.
Sincerely,
Ralph Jahr and Jim Ambrose
Search Associates
International School Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand
seeks a
Deputy Head of School for Finance and Operations
To begin July, 2017
ISB Vision: To become a model of excellence in educating students for success in the world community.
ISB Mission: Through outstanding teaching in a nurturing environment, ISB inspires students to
Achieve their academic potential- Be passionate, reflective learners
- Become caring, global citizens
- Lead healthy, active and balanced lives
ISB Definition of Learning:
ISB values meaningful and transferable learning where we construct understanding by developing and applying knowledge, skills and attitudes. As learners, we develop and show our understanding when we:
- Apply our learning effectively to new situations
- Inquire to extend our learning
- Create solutions
- Communicate our learning effectively to others
- Make connections across our learning
- Reflect critically on our learning
History: Founded in 1951, ISB was the first international school in the Kingdom of Thailand. Initially opened on the grounds of the US Embassy with 35 students, ISB relocated to different campuses in the Bangkok area to accommodate ever increasing enrollment. In 1992 ISB moved from downtown Bangkok to its present campus, 25 km from the center of Bangkok. It currently enrolls about 1800 students from more than sixty countries.
Academic Program: ISB’s curriculum is based on the highest North American standards and enriched with curricula from around the world to promote international perspectives. High school students may elect to pursue the International Baccalaureate Diploma program.
Accreditation: ISB is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a U.S. based accrediting commission.
Governance: Operating under a traditional governance structure of 11 elected and 4 appointed board members, many board members are now in place who are expected to be with ISB long term.
Staff: The number of faculty, leadership and support staff members approximates 530.
Emphasis on Results and Output, Not Process and Input
The Board of Trustees and Leadership Team employ data driven decision-making where possible. As an example, the “Financial Matrix” and the “Learning Scorecard” with measurable indicators of success, are dashboards on which the board can see if the indicators are being met, sustained, need improvement or if immediate action is required
Finances: Where “Learning Comes First”
It’s a cliché, but it really is true at ISB: if whatever is under consideration supports learning, the finances will follow, with the full support of the Deputy Head of School for Finance and Operations.
Strengths at ISB for the new Deputy Head/CFO to Preserve and Improve
- Financial Management
- Facilities Improvement and Management – Long Term Facilities Plan
- Human Resources Improvement and Management
- Keeping learning, together with finances, as the bottom lineQuality before quantity and price, for any kind of service or product bought
- Sensitivity to different cultures
Preferred Qualities and Experience Sought in the new Deputy Head/CFO
- A proven track record in a similar position at a medium to large international school
- Strong background in accounting
- Experience with planning and implementing capital projects
- Experience of working collaboratively with a School Board
- Ability to make hard decisions
- Ability to complement the Head of School and Deputy Head of School for Learning (i.e. protect their time to be the Learning Leaders, rather than having their time spent on administrative issues)
- Economic and Financial background
Salary and Benefits: Salary and benefits will be competitive with other large international schools in Asia.
Procedure for Filing Application
International School of Bangkok has appointed Search Associates to act as consultant in the search for a new Deputy Head of School for Finance and Operations. Interested candidates should send an application at the earliest possible opportunity, but no later than November 4th, 2016. Candidates should note, however, that in the event an outstanding applicant is identified early in the search process, ISB reserves the right to make an appointment before the deadline. For this reason, it is very important that interested candidates apply as soon as possible.
Candidates should submit the following information in the format requested:
- A letter of application, no longer than two pages, explaining your strengths as a candidate and why you are interested in this particular position
- A current resume not to exceed two pages
- A list of references including current email addresses and phone numbers
- A maximum of three letters of reference (scanned at low resolution) that may already be in your possession.
Please scan these documents into a single PDF attachment (low resolution preferred) and send to rjahr@searchassociates.com and jambrose@searchassociates.com . Additional information about ISB can be found on the school’s website at www.isb.ac.th . The review of candidates will begin as soon as applications are received. Skype video interviews of candidates will take place on a rolling basis and might be scheduled for selected candidates soon after their applications are received. Search Associates will identify semifinalist candidates and forward their dossiers to ISB for review. The ISB Search Committee will schedule interviews with selected Semifinalist candidates, and will identify 2-3 finalists who, together with his/her spouse (if applicable) will be invited for a site visit and final interview as early in the process as possible. The new Deputy Head of School for Finance and Operations will be selected after the conclusion of the site visits and when the final interviews and reference checks have been completed. The new Deputy Head of School for Finance and Operations will begin in July 2017.
Candidates should send application materials as a single pdf file attached to an email to:
Ralph Jahr Tel: 1-609-759-0431 USA – Pacific Time Zone
Skype – ralph.h.jahr Email: RJahr@searchassociates.com
Jim Ambrose Tel – 1-775-267-3122 USA - Pacific Time Zone
Skype – jimambrose Email – JAmbrose@searchassociates.com
Consultants Comments
Search Associates has been a consultant for ISB (both on campus and remotely) for several previous administrative searches for different positions and knows the school to be an excellent organization. The Board operates in all three governance modes of the Chait model and enjoys a close partnership with the administration. Every administrator is extended the autonomy to do their job based on their competence . . . and it’s a very competent administration. Relations within the administration are informal, collegial, and filled with high expectations.
The unwritten role of the Deputy Head of School for Finance and Operations is to free the Head of School (Director) from worries about that aspect of the operation so that he might concentrate on being the learning leader for the school. This also implies the need for the new Deputy Head to understand that their role supports learning.
ISB is financially stable and has an exceptional physical plant. This is a wonderful post for a family with children. Because it is well outside the city center (an easy drive away on the freeway system . . . depending on traffic, of course!), there is reduced pollution, traffic and noise and the gated residential development surrounding the school is a safe, comfortable place to live, with many mothers picking their kids up in golf carts. Just the drive through the tree-lined street to the front gate of the school is impressive, with joggers, walkers, kids on bikes, etc.: a very comfortable community.
