Head of Visual and Performing Arts（HOD）

Ulink College of Shanghai is one of the China’s leading private schools. It is located on a green and welcoming campus in Song Jiang District in the city’s western suburbs. The School’s facilities are excellent, making it an exciting place to learn and work. The students at Ulink receive excellent academic and pastoral support and outstanding examination results are achieved. In addition, the school’s mission and vision is to create well-rounded and confident individuals who have experience in sports and the creative arts.

We currently seek to appoint a well-qualified, ambitious and experienced Teacher or current Head of Department to join the school from August 2025 in the role of Head of Visual and Performing Arts. This role has arisen due to the creation of a new, dedicated creative arts department that merges Music, Art and Drama. It is a rare and exciting opportunity to shape and direct progress and attainment in the arts. The Head of VPA will lead and manage a highly experienced department of six, including two Drama, Music and Art teachers. The Head of VPA will also be able to appoint Music, Art and Drama programme leaders from within that team once in post.

The successful candidate will be able to develop the use of teaching strategies which encourage a deep engagement with the subjects whilst focusing on excellent levels of achievement. They will be an inspirational teacher and will demonstrate high levels of commitment to the development of the creative arts at Ulink, including engaging with whole school priorities such as engaged classrooms and a rigorous curriculum.

The creative arts are thriving at the school but there are still more opportunities to unlock the talent of our students. As a school, we believe in the intrinsic value of the creative arts to enrich our students' participation in and understanding of the global society in which they live. Performance, creativity and well-honed academic skills are key components of how we approach these subjects. Many of our students go on to university to study a STEM related subject, so in addition we are committed to developing clear pathways for students whose interests lie in the arts.

There is a very active extra-curricular offering within the department, to which all members of the department are expected to contribute. We have several large-scale events, and the Head of Department will take a lead role in planning these. All VPA staff are expected to support the wider school extra-curricular programme in some way.

The salary will be commensurate with the post and will depend upon qualifications and experience.

Job Title： Head of Visual and Performing Arts（HOD）

Reports to： Academic Centre

Supervises： Programme Leaders (Art, Music & Drama) and Teachers in Department

Teaching Load: 10-12 periods a week

Executive Summary: The HOD of the Visual and Performing Arts Department oversees the coordination and implementation of the Music, Art and Drama Programmes. The VPA Department plays a key role in helping Ulink provide a world-class curriculum and the holistic development of our students. 

Core Mission:

1. Establish the vision of the Department and lead the direction of its development.

2. Be responsible for the quality of the curriculum and evaluation of individual programmes.

3. Understand the school’s wider development and be able to make decisions from the school's perspective.

Specific Responsibilities:

Leadership

1.      To create development plans and to monitor their implementation, setting department targets as necessary

2.      To assist with the recruitment and induction of high-quality teachers

3.      To represent the department at meetings, contribute to relevant school policy making and implementation

4.      To oversee the work of Programme Leaders and provide guidance and training where necessary

To oversee the collaboration of the three programmes on key events such as school productions.

Teaching and Learning

1.      Ensure the professional growth of teachers, and be able to work with PD Leads within the school, and outside providers, to offer methods and platforms to promote teacher development

2.      To implement the school’s performance management policy and effectively review teacher performance

3.      To establish common standards of practice and to encourage the sharing of good practice within the department. 

Curriculum and Assessment

1.      To oversee a programme of co-curricular creative arts events over the course of the academic year

2.      To oversee the Schemes of Work of creative arts subjects and quality assure teaching resources

3.      To oversee the assessment of the subject at IG and A Level and ensure the reporting of results are in line with agreed standards and are within reasonable time periods

4.      To ensure assessments are accurate, moderated and effectively prepare students for exams

5.      To ensure feedback to students is regular, developmental and of sufficient depth and frequency to ensure progress

6.      To use exam outcomes (including CAIE exams and internal exams) analysis and incorporate into the department development plan

7.      To work with Division (Year) Leaders to ensure staff of the department use effective methods to identify and help students who are underachieving

8.      To evaluate the music, art and drama programmes and provide feedback and guidance for the ongoing development of these programmes. 

Other Duties

1.      To reasonably formulate the department budget, and effectively implement it

2.      Explore external affiliations and creative arts events to promote greater student engagement with the arts

3.      To collaborate with Division (Year) Leaders for the successful delivery of the VPA programmes at division level

4.      To be available, where necessary, on evenings and weekends to ensure the smooth delivery of creative arts programmes and events

5.      To oversee facilities and work with logistics to ensure they are safe, clean and properly maintained

6.      Ensure events are well-publicised and can be used to market the school

7.      Any other reasonable duty as directed by the school.