Head of Department for the Upper School at Sct. Jacobi School

Would you like to lead an upper-stage where young people with special needs receive the best conditions for an independent adult life? We are seeking a head of department who with enthusiasm will help build a new leadership team that together can take on the exciting and important task of relaunching the special needs area.

You can set clear direction for the upper level and, together with the staff, create safe, developmental learning environments with a focus on each individual young person's possibilities. As head of department you will have the close leadership responsibility for the upper level and a central role in developing a daily work life where professionalism, well-being and strong relationships go hand in hand.

Sct. Jacobi School and Daycare is a special area in development, and precisely now, as we appoint a new leadership team, you will have a real opportunity to influence both the upper level and the shared leadership work. You will become part of a leadership community characterized by trust, sparring and shared responsibility.

At Sct. Jacobi you will enter an organization with high professionalism, engaged staff and well-established cross-professional cooperation, where different perspectives and competences are seen as a strength.

Here you will have the opportunity for both professional deepening and personal development as a leader. You will work in an organization that is built on a systemic and resource-oriented approach, where development, learning and strong relationships are the foundation of our work. If you are motivated by developing people, creating strong professional communities and translating ambitions into meaningful practice, this could be your next leadership job.

Our view of children and our pedagogical foundation

Sct. Jacobi School and Daycare houses about 280 pupils from 0th to 10th grade and around 140 dedicated staff. The school is distributed across three campuses: Pramstedvej and Laboratorievej in Varde and a department in Tistrup. The Solsikken Special Nursery is also part of the organization, which covers the entire special needs area in Varde Municipality.

In collaboration with parents and other partners, we strive to create the framework for a good childhood and adolescence, where children and young people with general and specific learning difficulties develop life strategies aimed at inclusion in the ordinary community. In other words, we create together the adults of the future.

We base our approach on a shared pedagogical foundation, where we believe that all children have superpowers. We do not see the child as their diagnosis, but as a person with abilities, resources and opportunities that can be developed and realized.

Leadership team at Sct. Jacobi School and Daycare

As head of department you will be part of the school’s leadership team, which consists of four department heads, a vice principal and a principal. We work based on the principle of joint leadership and shared responsibility. Therefore we expect you to actively contribute to the development of the entire organization, while also taking responsibility for your own areas of leadership.

Our leadership is built on trust, courage, curiosity, integrity and strong relationships. We support and challenge each other, and we believe that the best solutions arise from close collaboration between leaders, staff and partners.

How your leadership can make a difference

As head of department with us you will have the opportunity to make a concrete difference in daily life – for children and young people with special needs, for their families and for the staff who every day translate professionalism into safe and developmental communities.

We work relationally, and in the upper level you will also help bridge to the communities and opportunities that await after school hours

Your leadership should help create direction, coherence and follow-through, so that together we can develop a strong special area with high ambitions and a focus on the young people's possibilities.

You are a perfect fit as a leader with us if you have a relevant educational background and several years of leadership experience. In addition, we hope that you:

• Are motivated by personnel leadership and by creating ownership through involvement, and naturally involve staff's professional judgment
• Have an appreciative, resource-oriented and development-oriented view of people
• Can build strong relationships and networks for the benefit of children, families and partners
• Show courage, integrity and decisiveness in decisions and leadership tasks

Want to know more?

If you are curious and would like to hear more about the job, please feel free to call the school principal Toke Knudsmark at telephone 21 31 50 73.

You can also read more about us on our homepage , and here you can see our pedagogical foundation .

Your application

You do not need to write a traditional application. Instead, send us your CV together with this:

• a description of your motivation for this particular leadership job
• your idea of which elements you see as especially important for successful organizational development of a new leadership team

In addition to this position as head of department for the upper level, we are currently recruiting another head of department so we can compose the perfect team for the important leadership task. You are very welcome to apply for both positions, and you can also just write if you are interested in both.

If you would like to join the team, please send your application no later than 8 November 2026. We expect to conduct interviews on 16 and 20 November 2026.

Start is expected 1 January 2027 or as soon as possible. Before you are recommended for hire, we will obtain references and a child protection clearance.

We look forward to hearing from you.