Head of Operations

Are you an experienced, flexible and competent Operational Leader with exceptional interpersonal skills, seeking a challenging new opportunity? If so, you will be interested in this fantastic opportunity to take our state-of-the art international school through our next stage of development.

The Opportunity

The role is to due to start from late March / early April 2021.  You will be primarily responsible for the management and development of all non-academic related activities at Oryx International School covering Finance, IT and Facilities Management. You will facilitate the delivery of a high quality education through leadership of these support functions, whilst adhering to regulatory, budgetary, quality, and Group standards at all times.

You will provide effective leadership to support and secure engagement of all stakeholders in the school, with particular attention to Qatar Airways as a key stakeholder within the framework of the Orbital Education-Qatar Airways Management Agreement.

To match the expectations and reputation of Orbital Education and Qatar Airways, we expect high quality and high standards from our staff.

You will have an excellent track record of leading and managing multi disciplinary teams in a large organisation and whilst knowledge of the management of schools is useful, a willingness to learn about this specialist field is more important.

Person Specification

In particular, candidates should meet the following technical profile:

- Suitable professional qualifications in accountancy or business management are essential
- Further qualifications in site management and/or Health & Safety being desirable.
- Significant experience in financial planning and control in a large organisation.
- Experience of working as a member of a senior team with Board level experience desirable.
- Experience of working with external contractors to achieve the aims of the school and management of contracts
- Excellent skills in Financial Analysis with the ability to interpret and analyse data and act upon the information.
- Ability to work strategically and analyse issues then identify creative solutions.

In addition, the personal qualities we are looking for include:
- Proactive, enthusiastic, ambitious and energetic person
- International work experience particularly in the GCC and an understanding of Islam and Arab culture.
- Flexibility to work outside of office hours when required.

Strong English language and clear communication is an essential requirement for this role, and applications from native-level speakers of English will be preferred. For more information please refer to the separate Job Description and Person Specification provided.

The School

Oryx International School https://oryxschool.qa/ is a unique project conceptualised by Qatar Airways and Orbital Education https://orbitaled.com/ creating a joint venture between a world renowned, multi-billion dollar turnover airline and a prestigious group of International schools. The objective of this £70 million project is to satisfy the demand for premium quality British style education for the children of expatriate employees of Qatar Airways in Doha.

The vision and mission of Oryx International School is to provide the employees of the world’s five-star airline and their children access to a five-star education. The new, bespoke, built to specification school provides state-of-the-art facilities and education technology to enrich teaching and learning experiences for our students. The school aspires to foster an ethos of global citizenship, the celebration of cultural diversity and a wide international perspective to equip their students with the building blocks to become potential leaders of the future across the world.

The facilities offered at the school site, combined with our approach to education, which incorporates British style and tradition based upon the English National Curriculum, while retaining the value of local culture and tradition, allows Oryx International School to stand out.

Living and working in Qatar

Doha, the peninsula’s capital city of over 2.5 million residents, has a huge International community that choose to live and work here. Doha is preparing to host the Football World Cup in 2022 with new stadiums already completed and others still under construction. Qatar provides an excellent lifestyle, with a combination of cultures mixed with the best of Qatar’s past and present, making the local culture unique. Being in the Middle East, the weather is good all year round with extreme heat in the summer months. If you want to explore Qatar you will find plenty of opportunity to explore the desert, walk along the Corniche, visit museums, shopping malls, beaches, attend sporting events, music festivals, take a boat trip and much more. There are excellent education facilities, transportation and amenities across the city.

Benefits of working at an Orbital Education School

Orbital Education https://orbitaled.com/ focuses on delivering  the very best in British education to its students around the globe. It’s an expanding group with schools already in Spain, Hungary, Slovenia, China, Russia, Ecuador and the Middle East, with exciting plans to develop new schools across the globe. Key reasons to work at an Orbital Education School include:

1. Opportunities to collaborate with colleagues and students worldwide

2. Enhanced professional development opportunities, through partnerships with specialist learning providers to offer recognised and accredited professional development programmes.

3. Opportunities for both career development and movement within the group, providing opportunity to see the world whilst progressing an attractive and rewarding career.

Application Process

If this describes you, you meet the requirements for this position and are keen to join our excellent and friendly school we would welcome an application from you.

Applications should be made by CV in the first instance, with all relevant details of your experience and education history, accounting for any employment gaps. Applications should submitted to recruitment@orbitaled.com 

Your application should include a cover letter outlining how you would utilise your knowledge, skills, and experiences to ensure success in the role. You should also detail the names, email contacts and contact numbers of two referees, one of whom must be your current or most recent employer.

Closing Date - 30th September 2020

Successful candidates will be contacted as soon as we have drawn up a shortlist for interview which we hope to hold by the end of October. If you have not heard from us before 31st October 2020 you can assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Safeguarding – Oryx International School, Doha is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all of its staff and stakeholders to share this commitment. As part of the school’s commitment to safeguarding, all post-holders are subject to background checks and an International Child Protection Certificate administered by ACRO https://www.acro.police.uk/icp...  (if ever worked or lived in the UK), Prohibition Checks where appropriate and/or Criminal Records (Police Check) disclosure from their most recent country of residence.