School principal with the ability to bring people together and the courage to set the direction

ABOUT THE JOB

We are seeking a headteacher for one consolidated special school with three departments across three sites. The school is commonly referred to as The Special Educational Center. As headteacher you have overall responsibility for the school and are the leader of the three department heads, each responsible for the daily management of a department. There is also an administrative leader. At the same time you actively participate in the school's overall management and operations.

Your most important leadership task will be to set a common direction for the entire school and create coherence across the three sites. You do not lead alone through the department heads, but actively participate in the school's overall operations and leadership tasks close to staff and practice. You ensure good conditions for professional learning communities, a safe working environment and the learning, well-being and development of children and young people.

We are currently working to strengthen cooperation with parents and with partners such as PPR and the Child and Family Department, a work we expect you to continue.

The school's three departments are the Comprehensive Offer Valhøj (Helhedstilbuddet Valhøj), Center Valhøj and Center Tinderhøj. Center Valhøj and Center Tinderhøj are located at Valhøj School and Tinderhøj School, and you will therefore have close collaboration with the principals of the two mainstream schools. The school's total management team consists of you, the three department heads and an administrative leader. You are the leader of the management team, while the department heads are responsible for the daily management at each site.

Across the three departments the school has around 186 children and young people and about 90 dedicated and professionally strong staff. The number of children, young people and staff has grown in recent years. A central task will therefore be to consolidate the school so that children, young people and parents meet a clear common direction and a consistent quality, while each department has room to solve its particular task. It must be done with a view to a safe working environment, high professional quality and secure operation.

The school's target group is children and young people with various challenges. They may have difficulty concentrating, challenges in their social development, or for other reasons need a more structured and individually tailored school day. It can be children and young people with, for example, ADHD, autism, behavioural or emotional challenges or academic challenges who need an alternative school offering than a mainstream class.

In the Municipality of Rødovre we work in the school sector based on a shared view of children: ”All children shall have equal opportunities to be part of a learning community. Children are competent, and they generally do their best. The adults meet the children where they are."

The Child and Adolescent Perspective gives us a shared language and a common starting point for how we meet all children and young people every day. We also have three initiatives that support the area: ’Technology and Innovation’, ’Health and Well-being’ and ’Learning Communities for All’.

We are an ambitious municipality. We are ambitious in our work with the children and young people who for a period need something special. We place high value on integrity toward children, young people, parents, partners and each other. We focus on creating psychological safety, where we speak up when something is challenging, and where we help each other solve it.

We are therefore seeking a headteacher who is ready to stand on their toes, and who knows that our most important task is to create a strong foundation for the lives and futures of children and young people.

Rødovre Municipality is experiencing a large influx, and thus more children are on their way to the municipality's schools. We look forward to an exciting future with new tasks related to local utilization, – this happens in close collaboration with both the Department of Children and Culture and the Technical Administration.

YOUR PROFILE Strategic and approachable headteacher with responsibility for three departments

As headteacher you are the overall leader of the consolidated school and the nearest leader for the four department heads. You are present, strategic and structured, know your craft in leadership and have solid knowledge of the special education child and youth field. You create direction for the whole school, give the department heads a clear leadership room and follow up that decisions are translated into practice at all three sites. At the same time you actively participate in the school's leadership and operations and build trusting relationships with staff, children, young people, parents and partners.

The headteacher craft

You must know your craft in school leadership and fundamentally master all central tasks in running a school – from legislation in the school area and the special education area, school year planning and task outlines to finances and resource management. You must be in control of MED-structures as well as visitation and revisitation and be able to apply your knowledge safely in daily life.

It is the foundation for you to qualify the department heads' work and yourself actively participate in the school's operations and leadership of staff. You must also be able to lead pedagogical development and translate common goals into practice.

We know that no one can know everything, but we are seeking a leader who

• Can set direction and create followership and coherence, so everyone is motivated to give their best and commit to our view of children and the school's core task.
• Has experience with both leading leaders and staff and with creating common direction across several departments or sites in a politically governed organization. A relevant leadership education would be an advantage. You should be able to practice distributed leadership, so department heads have clear responsibility and room to act within the school's common direction, while you yourself take responsibility in the overall leadership and operations.
• Has knowledge of and experience with the special education child and youth area and can continue and develop the school in close collaboration with the four department heads, staff, children, young people and parents as well as with the mainstream schools, PPR, Child and Family Department, etc.
• Can drive strategic change processes, where strategies, goals, legislation and knowledge must be translated into concrete actions in practice. Including implementing initiatives in the agreement on the national schools' quality program – freedom and depth.
• Is a strong communicator to all participants and partners and can build relationships, networks and strong collaborations across them. In this context that you can create equal and trusting collaborative relationships, where there is an open dialogue, e.g., to be an important player in the overall headteacher team.
• Is a present leader with respect for everyday practice. You are part of the management team and at the same time its leader, and you take active responsibility in the concrete operations when needed. You must be able to maintain an overview and support the department heads, even when urgent tasks require adjusting the day's program.

It is important that you have a good and infectious sense of humor, as we at The Special Educational Center would like to laugh together.

Rødovre Municipality and The Special Educational Center offer

• Opportunity to make a clear difference for all children, young people and their families at the school.
• Opportunity to further develop one consolidated special school across three sites in close collaboration with three experienced department heads, an administrative leader and many different partners.
• A workplace that focuses on high professionalism, a good working environment and a strong community.
• A workforce that is dedicated and competent, collaborating on the learning, well-being and development of children and young people.
• A leadership team with three department heads and an administrative leader, where engagement, professionalism, generosity and a good humorous tone are central.

You will report to the school principal and become part of a sharp headteacher network that meets three times a month with the school principal.

Together for the Public School

You will find that the politicians in Rødovre Municipality prioritise the public school highly, including an ambitious effort around realising the Public School Quality Program, ’Learning Communities for All’, ’Health and Well-being’ and ’Technology and Innovation’. For example, ’Technology and Innovation’ has since August 2018 been a subject and a dimension in all subjects in our schools.

In addition we have our technology laboratory, TekX, where all children and young people in Rødovre's public schools can experiment in new learning spaces with the latest technology across ages and schools. Read more about the effort at www.tekxrk.dk and about the whole school area at www.rk.dk.

The above is only part of the overall whole, which makes leaders, staff, children, young people and boards proud of The Special Educational Center. We therefore offer a special opportunity to lead one consolidated special school across three sites.

SALARY AND EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

In accordance with the applicable collective agreement and after agreement with the bargaining-empowered organization.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE

See more at www.rk.dk. It is always good to get more information about your potential new workplace, so feel free to call the recruitment consultant from School Leader Recruitment Søren Hübbe Oxholm at telephone number 6056 2600 or the acting headteacher at Center Valhøj Rikke Frederiksen at telephone number 2289 4900. The acting headteacher is not applying for the position.

APPLICATION

We must have your application with relevant attachments and references no later than 25 October 2026. Click the "search job" button to send your application.

We expect to hold 1st interview on 3–4 November 2026 and 2nd interview on 17–19 November 2026.

We expect our new headteacher to start no later than 1 January 2027.

Rødovre Municipality is a geographically small and centrally located municipality with a high level of ambition for its citizens and the city. Also for this reason we are an attractive and exciting workplace, and we see diversity as a strength. Therefore we encourage everyone regardless of age, gender, disability, lifestyle, religion or ethnic origin to apply for the job.

We offer our employees a wellbeing and health scheme including physiotherapy and group training. Please note that Rødovre Municipality has a smoke- and nicotine-free working time, which means that we may not smoke or use vaporizers or snus during working hours.

Our positions are advertised as full-time unless otherwise stated in the job advertisement.