Elementary School Director with Focus on Results and Equity

Your Responsibilities In this role, you will be the immediate supervisor of ten people – a well-structured group consisting of five specialized staff members and five managers, four of whom are area directors. You will lead and develop the department through close, trust-based and strategic collaboration with your area directors, who in turn lead and support our principals. Together, approximately 120 managers and about 2,800 staff members work for our students, who currently number around 16,200. Your assignment involves translating national reforms and political objectives into concrete, successful school development in the classrooms. A particular focus lies on accelerating work to raise academic results and increase equity between our schools. You are expected to lead at a high pace in change management, analyze the effects of our initiatives, and navigate based on changing demographic and economic conditions. Your main responsibilities: Strategic leadership and governance: Lead, unite, and develop the elementary school department's organization toward set goals. Results and follow-up: Drive systematic quality work with a strong focus on demonstrating and raising the impact of our pedagogical and financial investments. Create stable conditions and work peace for principals and teachers by prioritizing, protecting the core mission, and balancing demands and expectations. Labor cooperation: Cooperate with and maintain constructive dialogue with labor unions. Media and national focus: Represent elementary schools in media contexts and actively promote Linköping schools on the national stage through networks and collaboration. Your Workplace Because our current elementary school director, after 10 years in the role, is now rounding out their working life and retiring, it is time to hand over to the next person who wants to take on this important assignment. Your assignment spans the entire municipality's geographic area and includes approximately 70 operations within the elementary school department. The elementary school department is characterized by a self-driven, positive, and professional group of area directors and principals who value participation and strong shared ownership of school development issues. We offer a workplace at the center of events where you receive qualified administrative support. Here you encounter complex but deeply stimulating challenges in an organization that dares to think in new ways and where we together make a difference for every student, every day. During the school year 2026/2027, our current elementary school director will remain in the organization but in the role of experienced advisor and will become a natural mentor in the assignment for you when you join us. About You Pedagogical university education with a degree as an elementary school teacher or leisure activities teacher, or alternative education that the employer deems equivalent. Experience working as a principal within elementary school. Experience in a management role with personnel, financial, and operational responsibility. Solid knowledge of elementary school's national steering documents, school law, and ongoing reforms. And you have very good ability to express yourself orally and in writing in Swedish, as the assignment involves extensive reporting to politicians and boards as well as external communication. We consider it meritorious if you also have experience leading other managers. And experience of successfully driving digitalization, AI applications, and system development within school operations. We would like to see that you have good experience with media management and understanding of the modern media landscape and the impact of social media. To succeed and have legitimacy in this highly strategic role, you need to have a stable foundation in the profession and extensive experience with the school's internal work. You need to have good self-distance, thrive in interpersonal encounters, and possess personal confidence that allows you to stand firm even during periods of high change pace and complex situations. You are confident in your leadership with a clear perspective on the whole, which is an absolute prerequisite because you operate in a large, politically governed organization where your decisions directly affect 68 schools with entirely different needs. You understand your role in the municipal governance chain and have a pronounced ability to place the elementary school's assignment in a larger context – you consider the entire education administration's and Linköping municipality's best interests in both actions and decisions. This means you can translate complex societal issues, demographic changes, and political directives into strategic priorities that create long-term value and increased equity for all students in Linköping. With very good judgment, you make well-considered assessments before decisions, balance local interests against the administration's overall goals, and handle difficult trade-offs with high personal integrity and professionalism. Because elementary schools face major demographic changes, economic transitions, and intensive national reforms, it is crucial that you are very flexible and change-oriented. You have the ability to quickly adapt your leadership and strategies to changed circumstances and can shift perspectives when conditions require it. You have good judgment, make well-considered assessments even in pressured situations, and handle difficult issues with high integrity and professionalism. You are a confident and stable leader who builds trust and engagement, while daring to make decisions. Your problem-solving analytical ability allows you to quickly identify patterns and propose sustainable solutions. You work in a structured manner, take initiative, and drive processes toward goals with focus on operational needs. With social confidence and personal maturity, you are responsive and have very good collaboration skills that build strong constructive relationships at all levels in the organization. Other Information When you apply for a position in Linköping Municipality, you register your application through login via e-identification (such as BankID or FrejaID) instead of email. Do you lack e-identification? Please contact the responsible HR consultant or manager, and they will help you register your application. Start Date: By agreement Employment Type: Permanent employment Employment Level: 100% Number of Vacant Positions: 1 Ref. no.: 17473 In this application, you do not attach a personal letter. Your Commitment Makes Us Better Within Linköping Municipality there are many opportunities, a wealth of knowledge, and different areas of responsibility. We work together where your sense of responsibility is a valuable driving force. With your commitment, you are helping to make Linköping even better.

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