Ownership belongs with teachers, not overloaded administrators
Redesigning how Teachers
get Approval to Teach
in Dubai
Knowledge & Human Development Authority
Challenge
This project shows how I use systems thinking + strategic reframing to bring clarity to a highly complex, policy-heavy process affecting thousands of teachers, schools, and regulators
Teacher licensing for private schools in Dubai was fragmented across multiple entities. Teachers, especially overseas hires, were confused. Schools absorbed the complexity. KHDA struggled with volume of inquiries and inconsistency in approvals.
The core problem wasn’t digital.
It was lack of clarity, ownership, and alignment across the system.
My contribution
1. Reframed the problem
I led the team in shifting the focus from:
“How do we simplify the steps?”
to
“How do we give teachers ownership and visibility?”
This became the north star that shaped every decision.
2. Mapped the system to expose hidden complexity
Through shadowing, interviews, and ecosystem mapping, I helped KHDA see for the first time:
Where misinformation originated
Where policy created operational bottlenecks
How schools became unintended process owners
How overseas teachers were disproportionately affected
This clarity changed how leadership approached the problem.
3. Prototyped new service propositions
The breakthrough came from designing:
A Teacher Profile that teachers control (not schools)
A step-by-step Information Hub that gives transparent guidance to local and international teachers
A service bundle 'Move to Dubai and Teach' that helps teachers relocate to Dubai, handle the paperwork, and start teaching with confidence.
A more integrated backend to support compliance and reduce repetitive reviews
These prototypes made the future tangible and accelerated decision-making.
4. Aligned stakeholders across policy, IT, and operations
I facilitated workshops that helped each group see:
Their role in the ecosystem
The impact of their decisions on others
How a single shared roadmap could unify efforts
This alignment was crucial in a regulatory environment.
5. Coached KHDA’s internal designers and non-designers
I built capability so the organisation could continue the work, contributing to the creation of KHDA’s internal service design team within Strategy.
Breakthrough
A senior stakeholder said: “This is the first time I’ve seen our entire ecosystem on one page.”
Teachers testing the prototype expressed relief: “I wish I had this when I moved here.”
Leadership adopted the roadmap because it was grounded in user-tested feasibility, not assumptions.
Outcomes
Clear, user-friendly Teacher Profile that gives teachers ownership
Transparent step-by-step guidance hub
Reduced duplication and improved data quality through system integration
Faster approvals and less manual burden on KHDA staff
A scalable roadmap for future phases
Seeding of KHDA’s internal service design capability
Reflection
This project reinforced my belief that systems clarity is transformational.
By reframing the problem and giving teachers ownership, we shifted the entire licensing experience from opaque to transparent, and from reactive to guided.
The biggest win wasn’t the prototype. It was the shared alignment across policy, IT, and operations that made future transformation possible.
Ownership belongs with teachers, not overloaded administrators
Redesigning how Teachers
get Approval to Teach
in Dubai
Knowledge & Human Development Authority
Challenge
This project shows how I use systems thinking + strategic reframing to bring clarity to a highly complex, policy-heavy process affecting thousands of teachers, schools, and regulators
Teacher licensing for private schools in Dubai was fragmented across multiple entities. Teachers, especially overseas hires, were confused. Schools absorbed the complexity. KHDA struggled with volume of inquiries and inconsistency in approvals.
The core problem wasn’t digital.
It was lack of clarity, ownership, and alignment across the system.
My contribution
1. Reframed the problem
I led the team in shifting the focus from:
“How do we simplify the steps?”
to
“How do we give teachers ownership and visibility?”
This became the north star that shaped every decision.
2. Mapped the system to expose hidden complexity
Through shadowing, interviews, and ecosystem mapping, I helped KHDA see for the first time:
Where misinformation originated
Where policy created operational bottlenecks
How schools became unintended process owners
How overseas teachers were disproportionately affected
This clarity changed how leadership approached the problem.
3. Prototyped new service propositions
The breakthrough came from designing:
A Teacher Profile that teachers control (not schools)
A step-by-step Information Hub that gives transparent guidance to local and international teachers
A service bundle 'Move to Dubai and Teach' that helps teachers relocate to Dubai, handle the paperwork, and start teaching with confidence.
A more integrated backend to support compliance and reduce repetitive reviews
These prototypes made the future tangible and accelerated decision-making.
4. Aligned stakeholders across policy, IT, and operations
I facilitated workshops that helped each group see:
Their role in the ecosystem
The impact of their decisions on others
How a single shared roadmap could unify efforts
This alignment was crucial in a regulatory environment.
5. Coached KHDA’s internal designers and non-designers
I built capability so the organisation could continue the work, contributing to the creation of KHDA’s internal service design team within Strategy.
Breakthrough
A senior stakeholder said: “This is the first time I’ve seen our entire ecosystem on one page.”
Teachers testing the prototype expressed relief: “I wish I had this when I moved here.”
Leadership adopted the roadmap because it was grounded in user-tested feasibility, not assumptions.
Outcomes
Clear, user-friendly Teacher Profile that gives teachers ownership
Transparent step-by-step guidance hub
Reduced duplication and improved data quality through system integration
Faster approvals and less manual burden on KHDA staff
A scalable roadmap for future phases
Seeding of KHDA’s internal service design capability
Reflection
This project reinforced my belief that systems clarity is transformational.
By reframing the problem and giving teachers ownership, we shifted the entire licensing experience from opaque to transparent, and from reactive to guided.
The biggest win wasn’t the prototype. It was the shared alignment across policy, IT, and operations that made future transformation possible.
Ownership belongs with teachers, not overloaded administrators
Redesigning how Teachers
get Approval to Teach
in Dubai
Knowledge & Human Development Authority
Challenge
This project shows how I use systems thinking + strategic reframing to bring clarity to a highly complex, policy-heavy process affecting thousands of teachers, schools, and regulators
Teacher licensing for private schools in Dubai was fragmented across multiple entities. Teachers, especially overseas hires, were confused. Schools absorbed the complexity. KHDA struggled with volume of inquiries and inconsistency in approvals.
The core problem wasn’t digital.
It was lack of clarity, ownership, and alignment across the system.
My contribution
1. Reframed the problem
I led the team in shifting the focus from:
“How do we simplify the steps?”
to
“How do we give teachers ownership and visibility?”
This became the north star that shaped every decision.
2. Mapped the system to expose hidden complexity
Through shadowing, interviews, and ecosystem mapping, I helped KHDA see for the first time:
Where misinformation originated
Where policy created operational bottlenecks
How schools became unintended process owners
How overseas teachers were disproportionately affected
This clarity changed how leadership approached the problem.
3. Prototyped new service propositions
The breakthrough came from designing:
A Teacher Profile that teachers control (not schools)
A step-by-step Information Hub that gives transparent guidance to local and international teachers
A service bundle 'Move to Dubai and Teach' that helps teachers relocate to Dubai, handle the paperwork, and start teaching with confidence.
A more integrated backend to support compliance and reduce repetitive reviews
These prototypes made the future tangible and accelerated decision-making.
4. Aligned stakeholders across policy, IT, and operations
I facilitated workshops that helped each group see:
Their role in the ecosystem
The impact of their decisions on others
How a single shared roadmap could unify efforts
This alignment was crucial in a regulatory environment.
5. Coached KHDA’s internal designers and non-designers
I built capability so the organisation could continue the work, contributing to the creation of KHDA’s internal service design team within Strategy.
Breakthrough
A senior stakeholder said: “This is the first time I’ve seen our entire ecosystem on one page.”
Teachers testing the prototype expressed relief: “I wish I had this when I moved here.”
Leadership adopted the roadmap because it was grounded in user-tested feasibility, not assumptions.
Outcomes
Clear, user-friendly Teacher Profile that gives teachers ownership
Transparent step-by-step guidance hub
Reduced duplication and improved data quality through system integration
Faster approvals and less manual burden on KHDA staff
A scalable roadmap for future phases
Seeding of KHDA’s internal service design capability
Reflection
This project reinforced my belief that systems clarity is transformational.
By reframing the problem and giving teachers ownership, we shifted the entire licensing experience from opaque to transparent, and from reactive to guided.
The biggest win wasn’t the prototype. It was the shared alignment across policy, IT, and operations that made future transformation possible.
This project shows how I use systems thinking + strategic reframing to bring clarity to a highly complex, policy-heavy process affecting thousands of teachers, schools, and regulators
Challenge
Teacher licensing for private schools in Dubai was fragmented across multiple entities.
Teachers, especially overseas hires, were confused. Schools absorbed the complexity. KHDA struggled with volume of inquiries and inconsistency in approvals.
The core problem wasn’t digital.
It was lack of clarity, ownership, and alignment across the system.
My contribution
1. Reframed the problem
I led the team in shifting the focus from:
“How do we simplify the steps?”
to
“How do we give teachers ownership and visibility?”
This became the north star that shaped every decision.
2. Mapped the system to expose hidden complexity
Through shadowing, interviews, and ecosystem mapping, I helped KHDA see for the first time:
Where misinformation originated
Where policy created operational bottlenecks
How schools became unintended process owners
How overseas teachers were disproportionately affected
This clarity changed how leadership approached the problem.
3. Prototyped new service propositions
The breakthrough came from designing:
A Teacher Profile that teachers control (not schools)
A step-by-step Information Hub that gives transparent guidance to local and international teachers
A service bundle 'Move to Dubai and Teach' that helps teachers relocate to Dubai, handle the paperwork, and start teaching with confidence.
A more integrated backend to support compliance and reduce repetitive reviews
These prototypes made the future tangible and accelerated decision-making.
4. Aligned stakeholders across policy, IT, and operations
I facilitated workshops that helped each group see:
Their role in the ecosystem
The impact of their decisions on others
How a single shared roadmap could unify efforts
This alignment was crucial in a regulatory environment.
5. Coached KHDA’s internal designers and non-designers
I built capability so the organisation could continue the work, contributing to the creation of KHDA’s internal service design team within Strategy.
1. Reframed the problem
I led the team in shifting the focus from:
“How do we simplify the steps?”
to
“How do we give teachers ownership and visibility?”
This became the north star that shaped every decision.
2. Mapped the system to expose hidden complexity
Through shadowing, interviews, and ecosystem mapping, I helped KHDA see for the first time:
Where misinformation originated
Where policy created operational bottlenecks
How schools became unintended process owners
How overseas teachers were disproportionately affected
This clarity changed how leadership approached the problem.
3. Prototyped new service propositions
The breakthrough came from designing:
A Teacher Profile that teachers control (not schools)
A step-by-step Information Hub that gives transparent guidance to local and international teachers
A service bundle 'Move to Dubai and Teach' that helps teachers relocate to Dubai, handle the paperwork, and start teaching with confidence.
A more integrated backend to support compliance and reduce repetitive reviews
These prototypes made the future tangible and accelerated decision-making.
4. Aligned stakeholders across policy, IT, and operations
I facilitated workshops that helped each group see:
Their role in the ecosystem
The impact of their decisions on others
How a single shared roadmap could unify efforts
This alignment was crucial in a regulatory environment.
5. Coached KHDA’s internal designers and non-designers
I built capability so the organisation could continue the work, contributing to the creation of KHDA’s internal service design team within Strategy.
Breakthrough
A senior stakeholder said: “This is the first time I’ve seen our entire ecosystem on one page.”
Teachers testing the prototype expressed relief: “I wish I had this when I moved here.”
Leadership adopted the roadmap because it was grounded in user-tested feasibility, not assumptions.
Outcomes
Clear, user-friendly Teacher Profile that gives teachers ownership
Transparent step-by-step guidance hub
Reduced duplication and improved data quality through system integration
Faster approvals and less manual burden on KHDA staff
A scalable roadmap for future phases
Seeding of KHDA’s internal service design capability
This project reinforced my belief that systems clarity is transformational.
By reframing the problem and giving teachers ownership, we shifted the entire licensing experience from opaque to transparent, and from reactive to guided.
The biggest win wasn’t the prototype. It was the shared alignment across policy, IT, and operations that made future transformation possible.
Reflection
Challenge
My contribution
Reflection
Outcomes
Breakthrough