School Business Manager (Finance & Operations)

Job title: School Business Manager (Finance & Operations)

Salary: Salary Scale £61,788 to £69,704 (including fringe)* 

Membership of local government pension scheme

Hours: Full time, with generous holiday entitlement*

Responsible to: Headteacher / Business Leader

Could you help shape the future of our vibrant school community? This is an exciting opportunity to join our friendly, supportive and inclusive secondary school as our Business Manager, leading our finance and support functions. As a member of the School Leadership Team, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping our financial and operational excellence, leading projects, and directly witnessing the positive impact your work has on students, teachers and the entire school environment. 

In this role, you will:

• Lead a collaborative team of support staff and drive financial and operational strategy.
• Champion change initiatives and see their positive impact on school improvement.
• Secure and allocate staff and resources to ensure the smooth running of the school.
• Collaborate with and learn from passionate educators in a supportive environment.
• Contribute to a dynamic role with a diverse portfolio of responsibilities and initiatives, offering continuous learning and professional development opportunities.

We're looking for a personable, well-motivated individual with:

• Significant business and team leadership experience.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• A commercial mindset, financial acumen and strong ICT skills.
• Strong problem solving skills and a willingness to embrace new situations and initiatives.
• Previous experience in education is not required - your leadership and operational management skills are key to success in this role.

You will initially report to the school’s Business Leader on a phased handover prior to their retirement. During this period you will be mentored to understand how the school operates as well as being supported on delivering the school’s current financial strategy and programme of projects.

You duties will include:

• Ensuring fiscal responsibility and compliance while driving strategic resource allocation.
• Actively negotiating advantageous contract terms for the procurement of supplies and services.
• Ensuring outsourced services seamlessly support our community, identifying areas for improvement and greater efficiency.
• Orchestrating the smooth operation of our school, collaborating with the leadership team and other stakeholders to foster a vibrant learning environment.
• Ensuring classrooms become inspiring learning spaces, cultivating a positive and well-maintained environment that fuels student engagement and academic success.
• Spearheading innovative initiatives to diversify our funding streams and amplify our school's impact through strategic external communication.
• Serving as company secretary, ensuring legal compliance and smooth governance processes.

Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School is a heavily oversubscribed and expanding school with a warm and inclusive community of approximately 950 students, including the Sixth Form. We are proud to be an "Outstanding" school as judged by OFSTED in December 2022. However, we are not driven by Ofsted and we are committed to our core values of teamwork, respect, honesty, trust, kindness, and ambition. The school has academy status and is a company limited by guarantee.

The school's Admissions’ Code gives priority places to children of staff. 

At Bishop's Hatfield, you'll have the opportunity to work in a state-of-the-art learning environment that was recently rebuilt on the same site. Our facilities are designed to inspire creativity, collaboration, and academic success. We are also committed to supporting your professional development, and we offer a generous Professional Development Award with bursary payments to help you finance your career goals.

Our school is known for its friendly, lively, and stimulating atmosphere. We emphasise the importance of each individual's contribution, and we take pleasure in sharing and celebrating achievements together. Visitors frequently commend the good behaviour of our pupils and their thirst for knowledge.

Bishop's is a diverse community that offers mutual support and encouragement. We expect everyone within our school community to respect others' heritage, cultures, religion, and beliefs. We believe that the values, self-discipline, and sense of personal worth that our students gain here will be a support throughout their lives as British and Global Citizens.

We welcome applications from all members of the community. We especially encourage interest from racially minoritised communities and from other groups that are under-represented in the UK education system. We are a single-sex school for students, but we encourage individuals of any gender to apply for staff positions.

We are confident that Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School is a great place to work. We offer a supportive environment, excellent facilities, and a commitment to professional development. If you are passionate about education and you are looking for a rewarding career, we encourage you to apply.

We take safeguarding of our students extremely seriously and an enhanced disclosure will be sought through the Disclosure and Barring Service as part of the school’s pre-employment checks.

*Reduced hours/weeks may be negotiable. The salary is equivalent to Leadership 11 to 16, full time, and will be prorated to agreed hours and working weeks. Please note that this is not a term time only role and there will be a requirement to work a number of weeks during school holidays. 

Please see the job description on our website for more detail.

Closing date for applications: by 4pm Wednesday 15th May 2024

(the school reserves the right to make an early appointment for applications made prior to the closing date)

Provisional interview and assessment dates: w/c 20th May 2024

PLEASE COMPLETE THE BHGS SUPPORT STAFF APPLICATION FORM available on our website - https://bishophatfield.herts.sch.uk/vacancies/ 

Completed application forms accompanied by a covering letter should be emailed to sfullerton@bishophatfield.herts.sch.uk

An Equal Opportunities’ Employer, Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School is committed to

the protection and safety of its pupils and expects all staff to share this commitment.