School Director

Job Title: School Director
Reports To: Executive Director
Employment Status: Full-time, Indefinite-Term
Job Vacancies: 1
Start Date of Employment: For the 2025-2026 School Year - As Soon As Possible
Location: Pola Aoyama Building 5F, 2-5-17 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062
Place of Employment: Neurodiversity School in Tokyo (immediately after hiring), Workplaces designated by NPO Neurodiversity (scope of change)
Probationary Period: 3 Months
Annual Salary: 8 - 8.8 million yen, based on experience
Recruiting Organization: Neurodiversity NPO

Overview:
At NSIT, we are a small, new, early-stage school committed to nurturing the unique needs of all children. Founded by Joichi Ito (President of Chiba Institute of Technology) and Rizuki Matsumoto (President of Machino-Hoikuen Community School / Director of CEO, Machino Research Institute Inc.) in Fall of 2024, we aim to be a catalyst for educational, societal and cultural change that recognizes and elevates the strengths of neurodivergent learners, while also recognizing their unique needs. and create a "New Standard" for the future environment of children.
This is a unique opportunity to be part of a team developing an innovative educational setting and approach. At NSIT, we value all children and young people equally, embracing neurodiversity and recognizing that every individual thinks, feels, and interacts with the world in their own way. This role offers the chance to contribute to something truly transformative - shaping an approach that not only supports the children and young people we serve but also drives meaningful change in education and society as a whole.

The Role:
The School Director provides strategic leadership and operational oversight to ensure the success and long-term sustainability of a new school supporting neurodivergent children in Tokyo. This role involves managing a diverse staff, working across cultures with international students and families, and ensuring compliance with educational and legal standards. As NSIT establishes its foundation and scales its impact, the School Director will play a key role in strengthening operational structures, refining educational and support programs, and fostering a thriving learning community that prioritizes student development and institutional growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Operations
● Develop and refine school-wide policies and procedures to strengthen institutional effectiveness, ensuring alignment with educational best practices and long-term sustainability
● Proactively identify and assess health, safety, and legal risks, providing strategic guidance and developing appropriate policies as Designated Safeguarding Lead of the organization
● Collaborate with the Pedagogy and Therapy Leads to formalize and improve structured processes for student development, ensuring consistency and quality in educational and therapeutic support

Personnel Management
● Manage and support a diverse team of Educators and Therapists, ensuring alignment with NSIT’s educational policies and approach, including overseeing performance management and, when necessary, disciplinary action
● Oversee retention and recruitment of school staff, working with administrative staff to identify hiring needs, onboard new team members, and foster a positive workplace culture
● Oversee staff training and implement staff development strategies, including mentorship and professional learning opportunities, to enhance employee performance and growth
● Provide direct support to frontline staff in escalated cases of classroom management and student support, ensuring a safe and productive learning environment
● Ensure a culture of psychological safety, ensuring that all children and staff feel physically, emotionally and relationally secure

Institutional Growth
● Partner with the Executive Director to amplify the school’s thought leadership in neurodiversity and drive broader social impact through advocacy and knowledge-sharing initiatives 2
● Develop and execute strategies to increase student enrollment, ensuring smooth onboarding and long-term student and parent satisfaction through proactive engagement and follow-up
● Lead and contribute to fundraising efforts, such as donation campaigns, in alignment with the Executive Director’s strategic vision
● Partner with research and educational organizations to develop and improve programs and policies, and increase the impact and visibility of the school
● Develop partnerships with external safeguarding bodies, authorities and multi-agency teams to provide wraparound safeguarding support for NSIT students

Required Qualifications and Skills:
● Middle-level experience in educational management
● Practical experience as a teacher
● Ability to communicate in both English (business level or higher) and Japanese (native or business level)
● For foreign nationals, possession of a valid work visa that allows employment in Japan

Preferred Qualifications and Skills:
● Senior-level leadership experience in educational management
● Experience and/or training in working with neurodivergent children
● Experience and demonstrated commitment to learner-centered and asset-based approaches such as DIR Floortime and Reggio Emilia

This Role Is Recommended For You If:
● You have a strong interest in child education, developmental support, and/or neurodiversity
● You adapt quickly to change and work with agility, embracing the fast-paced and dynamic nature of the 0→1 phase
● You enjoy opportunities to build new, innovative systems and shape an evolving school
● You are looking for a growth opportunity or a legacy-building role that offers the chance to shape a small but mission-driven school for lasting success
● You have high skills to attune to each neurodivergent child, diverse families and team of staff members

Conditions and Other Details:
● Able to start as early as possible (the new academic year begins in September)
● Able to commute to the workplace
● Able to work basic hours between 8:30AM to 5:30PM
○ Standard working hours: 8 hours per day and 1-hour break
● Paid leave: 10 days after 6 months of joining the company
● Social/Labor insurance provided
● Measures to prevent passive smoking: The premises are entirely smoke-free
● Working schedule: Variable working hours based on annual calendar provided at the beginning of the academic year.
● Annual salary increase
● Transportation expenses provided (according to company regulations)
● 3-month probationary period (no change in conditions during this period)

Duties listed above represent the position’s job duties at Neurodiversity School in Tokyo. These may be adjusted as necessary, within a scope of change of duties designated by NPO Neurodiversity.

Selection Process:
Number of interviews: 3-4 (1st interview is conducted online, subsequent interviews will be conducted in person). If selected, key interview topics will be provided in advance to allow for a transparent interview process that allows candidates to demonstrate their knowledge to the best of their abilities.
Additionally, we uphold the highest standards of child protection in our recruitment procedures in line with our safeguarding policy. All roles involve responsibility for safeguarding. For successful applicants, safeguarding checks, including reference verification and background screening will be conducted as part of our safer recruitment process.

Thank you for considering contributing to NSIT’s growth, mission, and impact!