Head of Chess

Head of Chess - National Program Lead

Orchids The International School

Location: Bengaluru (HQ) with pan‑India travel | Function: Academics & Co‑Curricular | Reports to: Chief Academic Officer

About Orchids

Orchids is one of India's leading school networks with 100+ campuses across major cities and 75,000+ students. We combine strong academic rigor with arts, sports, and STEM. The Head of Chess role will architect a nationwide Chess+ program: using chess not just as a sport, but as a thinking literacy that boosts problem‑solving, metacognition, SEL, and joy across classrooms.

The Opportunity

We already run a weekly chess period (Grades 1–8) with 25+ boards per school, a wall demo board, Digi Boards, and Lichess for interested student tournaments. Your mandate is to upgrade this into a cohesive K‑8 program that:

• Integrates chess with math, language, science and SEL.
• Builds teacher capacity so regular classroom teachers can facilitate chess‑based thinking routines.
• Uses data‑light, student‑friendly metrics to evidence impact.
• Creates a vibrant culture through festivals, leagues, and community showcases.

What You'll Do (Key Responsibilities)

1) Strategy & Program Architecture

• Define the Chess+ Vision & Roadmap (K‑8) with clear outcomes (tactical fluency, strategy, endgames, metacognition, executive function, communication, SEL).
• Publish instructional standards and a scope & sequence (monthly themes; grade‑banded progressions).

2) Curriculum & Classroom Integration

• Design plug‑and‑play lesson kits (Do‑Now puzzles, micro‑lessons, exit tickets) for weekly periods.
• Create Cross‑Curricular Micro‑Kits (10–15 min) for Math/ELA/Science/CS/Art that teachers can drop into existing lessons.
• Localize early‑years "Story Chess" resources for Grades 1–2 (literacy & numeracy foundations).

3) Teacher Development & Scale

• Build a Teacher training pathway (foundational + ongoing) covering decision‑making, pattern recognition, dialogue protocols etc.
• Run an academic implementation Team —regional master trainers who coach, demo, and quality‑assure.
• Create explainer videos and a resource hub (lesson bank, checklists, printable decks, posters).

4) Platforms, Tournaments & Community

• Systematize Lichess use (per‑grade Teams, Studies aligned to monthly themes, classroom mode, vote‑to‑move on Digi Boards).
• Run school/zone/national ladders, online arenas, simuls, Living Chess showcases, and parent engagement days.
• Establish partnerships (district/state federations, universities, NGOs, clubs) and invite masters for residencies or workshops.

5) Data, Evidence & Reporting

• Define process‑focused metrics: puzzle accuracy & pace, endgame timings vs targets, candidate‑move quality, blunder‑check rate, reflection quality.
• Add transfer probes in math/ELA (short, low‑stakes) and SEL indicators (sportsmanship, dialogue, responsible risk‑taking).
• Deliver monthly reports and termly impact briefs for principals and central leadership.

6) Operations, Budget & Governance

• Own the annual plan, calendar, staffing model, equipment audits etc..
• Manage budget, procurement, logistics for events, and safeguarding compliance.
• Create school Plan‑of‑Action templates and run monthly implementation reviews.

What You'll Bring (Qualifications)

• 5+ years in K‑12 academics/sports/Enrichment, with experience building multi‑school programs.
• Demonstrated success in teacher training and curriculum design (preferably cross‑curricular or thinking skills/SEL).
• Strong chess background: rated player (FIDE/CBE/State) or proven coaching/competition record. (Title a plus, not a must.)
• Comfort with edtech platforms (Lichess/ChessKid/ChessBase), data dashboards (Sheets/Excel/BI), and classroom AV (Digi Boards).
• High‑leverage communicator (with proficiency in English) who can align principals, HODs, coaches, and parents across diverse contexts.

How We'll Measure Success (KPIs)

• Adoption: % schools delivering the weekly lesson format; teacher PD completion & certification rates.
• Student Growth: term‑over‑term gains in motif mastery (%), puzzles/min, and endgame target times.
• Thinking & SEL: improvements in candidate‑move quality, blunder‑check rate, reflection quality; sportsmanship incidents trending down.
• Transfer: gains on short math/ELA probes (multi‑step reasoning; inference/argument writing) where Chess+ is implemented.
• Engagement: tournament participation, event attendance, parent feedback, club enrolment.
• Ops & ROI: budget adherence, equipment utilization, vendor SLAs, schedule fidelity.