Hörðurvellir Nursery School is looking to hire a full-time Head of Department.,

Hörðuvellir is a four-unit nursery school with around 75 children aged approximately 18 months to 6 years. Hörðuvellir is in a beautiful, scenic location in the heart of the town. Surrounding the grounds are the stream and the lava field, with beautiful small streams, which are ideal for field trips and nature observation.

The nursery's motto is: PLAY-EXPERIENCE-KNOWLEDGE. Free play is the children's main way of learning; through it, they gain experience and their knowledge grows over the years. We are also involved in a joint initiative within Hafnarfjörður called “Reading is the game of life.“

The nurseries of Hafnarfjörður have introduced improved working hours, based on a 36-hour working week for all staff. Staff in the Association of Early Years Educators and the Association of Occupational Therapists have opted for an arrangement whereby their academic year is comparable to that of primary school teachers. These staff members therefore take reduced working hours around Christmas and New Year, during the winter break in primary schools, in the week before Easter, and with longer periods off in the summer. 

Key responsibilities and duties:

• Responsible for the management, planning, execution and evaluation of the work in the department.
• Manages the daily work of the department and is responsible for communicating information within the department, between the nursery's departments, and between the head teacher and the department.
• Ensures that every child in the department receives teaching, guidance, care and/or special tuition as required.
• Organises collaboration with the parents/guardians of the children on the unit, e.g. settling-in, daily communication and parent-teacher conferences.
• Responsible for ensuring parents/guardians are informed about the child's development and well-being, and about the activities taking place on the unit.
• Other tasks as per the job description and as assigned by a superior.

Educational and competency requirements:

• Teacher's licence (Licence to accompany application)
• Experience in a similar role is an advantage.
• Communication and teamwork skills
• Initiative, independence in working methods and professional ambition
• Good computer skillsGood command of Icelandic, C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Job benefits:

• Fitness grant
• Travel grant
• 75% discount on nursery fees 
• Priority for nursery school
• Library card
• Swimming map

If staff with a teaching qualification cannot be found, it may be considered to appoint a university graduate or an individual with experience of working with children, in accordance with Act No. 95/2019. We encourage interested applicants to apply, even if they do not have a teaching qualification.

A clean criminal record is a condition.

The position is available from 1 August 2026.

Information about the job is provided by Sverrir Jörstad Sverrisson sverrirs@hafnarfjordur.is Telephone 5550721.

The terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Association of Icelandic Local Authorities and the Félag leikskólakennara (Association of Play School Teachers).

The application deadline is 21 June 2026.

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.