A strong and professional leader is sought for the position of Head Teacher at Hvammur Nursery. We are looking for an individual with excellent teamwork skills, a solution-oriented approach, and a clear vision for maintaining an ambitious nursery practice.

Hvammur is a six-class nursery school in the south town of Hafnarfjörður. The school's values are Positive communication, equality and friendship and are reflected in all the nursery's work. At Hvammur, we work in the spirit of the Hjalli approach, and the nursery's groups are organised by age and gender. The nursery uses open-ended and creative materials that are the same across all groups, ensuring all children have equal access to the space and play equipment. At Hvammur, the developmental philosophy 'Parenting for Responsibility' is used, which encourages a sense of responsibility and self-control. Furthermore, the philosophy helps staff to standardise their approach to communication and discipline, and to foster friendship.

Hafnarfjörður has around 30,000 inhabitants. The municipality runs 17 nurseries and has service contracts with two more. The Municipality of Hafnarfjörður is a health-promoting workplace and supports the health of its employees in a variety of ways.

The aim of the Education and Public Health Department is to be a professional and progressive force in education, youth and sports affairs, to provide children and families in the town with a comprehensive service, and to promote continuity in all its work, with the well-being of residents as its guiding principle.

Key responsibilities and duties:

• Operates in accordance with the laws and regulations for preschools, other relevant legislation, the National Curriculum for Preschools and the educational policy of the City of Hafnarfjörður.
• To provide the nursery school with professional leadership in teaching and development.
• To manage and be responsible for the daily operations and running of the nursery.
• Bear operational responsibility for ensuring the nursery's operations are within the budget.
• Responsible for staff recruitment and the creation of work reports, organising staff working hours and work arrangements.
• Other duties as described in the job description

Educational and competency requirements:

• Teacher's licence
• Postgraduate education in management and/or educational sciences is an advantage.
• Management experience and extensive knowledge/experience of nursery work.
• Leadership skills
• Interest in school development and professional ambition
• Excellent communication skills and a positive attitude
• Knowledge of business and public administration
• Independent working methods and initiative in work
• Good command of Icelandic and English
• Good computer skills and knowledge of necessary systems

Further information is provided by Árný Steindóra Steindórsdóttir, Head of Early Childhood Education., arnyst@hafnarfjordur.is

Remuneration is in accordance with the collective agreement between the Association of Icelandic Local Authorities and the Icelandic Teachers' Union.

The application deadline is 14 July 2026.

A clean criminal record is required upon employment.

Applications for the post must be accompanied by a detailed CV and a covering letter outlining the reason for applying, the applicant's previous employment, education, management experience, and ability to perform the duties of a nursery manager, along with a copy of their qualification certificate.

Attention is drawn to the policy of the City of Hafnarfjörður to equalise the gender balance in employment with the city and to ensure that its workplaces reflect the diversity of the community.