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.