Chief of Staff

About The Ivy

The Ivy is an elevated education center offering nursery, preschool, and after-school enrichment. Grounded in research and child development science, our purpose is to nurture confident and compassionate learners within beautifully designed, intentionally crafted spaces. With a bespoke curriculum aligned with the Massachusetts Early Learning Standards and a Reggio-inspired environment, our educators create experiences that set a new standard for early education in the region. We are backed and advised by ECE experts from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Position Overview

The Ivy is preparing to open its first campus in Business Bay, and the months ahead are the most important in our company's history. As Chief of Staff, you will work directly alongside the Founder as her right hand, across operations, administration, and family experience during the launch phase and beyond.

This role is built for someone who has worked in early years and is ready for more. Maybe you've been a teacher who became the person your manager couldn't run the school without: the one who built the trackers, organized the events, prepped the files, and answered the parents. Maybe you've coordinated admissions or administration at a nursery and watched how the whole place runs, thinking I could do more than this. This is that opportunity,  a seat at the centre of a new school, working directly with its Founder, learning how a premium education business is built from the inside.

One day you may be preparing documents for a KHDA inspection and coordinating a furniture delivery; the next, you're managing the admissions pipeline, hosting a family tour, and making sure the Founder's day runs flawlessly. You'll see everything, touch everything, and grow with the school. This role begins immediately.

What You'll Do

Operations & Launch Execution

• Support the pre-opening project plan: classroom setup, vendor coordination, deliveries, installations, and procurement follow-through.
• Assist with licensing and compliance workstreams: preparing documentation, organizing inspection files, and coordinating with KHDA, Dubai Municipality, and other authorities.
• Build and maintain the administrative backbone of the school — child records, attendance, registers, safeguarding documentation, and internal trackers.
• Coordinate logistics for staff onboarding, training weeks, and launch events.

Founder Support

• Manage the Founder's priorities, meeting preparation, and follow-ups so nothing falls through the cracks.
• Draft, format, and proofread documents, correspondence, and reports to The Ivy's standard.
• Take notes, capture decisions, and drive action items to completion across every workstream.
• Handle sensitive information, contracts, hiring, and family matters with absolute discretion.

Family & Community Experience

• Respond to enrollment inquiries promptly and warmly, and manage the admissions pipeline in our CRM.
• Host campus tours and represent The Ivy to prospective families with genuine early years knowledge and premium polish.
• Support parent communications, events, and the small touches that make families feel they've found something special.

Who You Are

You're the person everyone at your nursery quietly relies on. You anticipate needs before they're spoken, you follow through on everything, and you hold a high bar for how things look, sound, and feel. You're warm with children and parents, organized to the point of being unshakeable, and calm when things get busy. You've mastered your current role — and you're ambitious for a bigger one. You want a seat close to the decisions, and you're ready to earn it by executing brilliantly on details large and small.

Qualifications & Background

• 2–4 years of experience in an early years or nursery setting — as an educator, coordinator, administrator, or similar.
• Hands-on exposure to the operational side of a nursery: records, registrations, parent communications, scheduling, or inspection preparation.
• Exceptional written and spoken English; Arabic or French is a plus.
• Confident with digital tools: Google Workspace, spreadsheets, and nursery management or CRM platforms.
• Impeccable organization, follow-through, and attention to detail.
• Discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential information.
• A CACHE qualification 3 and above is a major bonus.
• Bachelor's degree in Education, Child Development,  Business, or a related field preferred.
• Valid UAE visa or eligibility to work in the UAE is preferred, though visa sponsorship is available; clearance required. Background and reference checks will be initiated.
• Available for an immediate start.

Why Join

Most early years roles keep you in one lane. This one doesn't. You'll be joining at the ground floor of a school built to set a new standard for early education in the region — with direct exposure to every part of launching and running a premium education business, mentorship from a Founder with deep experience leading early childhood organizations internationally, and a role that grows as The Ivy grows. For the right person, this is the step that changes the trajectory of a career.

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