Strategic School Business Manager

Formed of two local trusts on 1 September 2023, The Learning Alliance and The Learning for Life Partnership, The Learning Partnership is a diverse new multi-academy trust delivering excellent educational provision for pupils in primary and secondary schools across the North-West. The Trust primarily serves the communities of Crewe, Congleton, and Knutsford, and is now the largest multi-academy trust in Cheshire.

At Sir William Stanier School we wish to appoint a suitably skilled and experience Strategic School Business Manager. This post would suit an experienced Business Manager looking for their next challenge, rather than a developing professional, and would suit colleagues from either the maintained, academy, or independent sector.

Your focus will be on providing advice and guidance to school leaders, and managing the budget to influence the strategic direction of the school. You will be expected to serve on the senior leadership team as a key stakeholder, whilst being the lead school contact and conduit between the trust and school for all finance and HR related matters.

Other key responsibilities of the position include:

• Setting, maintaining, and forecasting of the school budget - providing advice and guidance to shape strategic direction.
• Strategically manage, monitor and report on the school’s budget on a monthly basis, running budget monitoring reports and variance analysis for the schools.
• Oversight and management of the schools’ financial processes and systems – including processing and authorising invoices and allocation of income.
• Manage and maintain the school risk register, update monthly ensuring that all risks are captured and documented and mitigations are put in place.
• Responsibility for the oversight of all Health and Safety related matters including school risk assessments; liaison with the trust's Estates professionals to ensure school compliance.
• Responsibility for the security, monitoring and control of access to systems and inventories.
• Proactive management of HR related processes including sickness absence, capability, disciplinary and grievance procedures, and recording on Access People, and informing trust HR where necessary.
• work collaboratively within a network of School Business Leaders across the trust.

The Learning Partnership has a comprehensive and supportive performance development process, to motivate, inspire, and develop colleagues to ensure that both teachers and students can realise their potential. There is a wealth of continuous professional development and networking opportunities across the Trust through The Learning Institute, our teacher training and learning and development faculty. The post provides the opportunity for an experienced SBM to develop and mentor emerging school business professionals across other trust sites.

Collaborative working across trust schools and sharing best practice are highly encouraged, and we have opportunities for more formal training and qualifications through apprenticeships and the NPQ programmes. We are passionate about developing and retaining our staff and this helps to ensure we remain an employer of choice in the locality.

The trust promotes and prioritises staff wellbeing through its commitment to the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter. A new staff benefits programme has launched this academic year, providing staff discounts in response to the rising cost of living, and offers a confidential employee assistance programme to support staff mental health and wellbeing both personally and professionally.

To learn more about the role, the school, and the development of the trust, please book a visit by contacting Michele Dobson, Principal's PA: michele.dobson@sws.cheshire.sch.uk.

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The Learning Partnership is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All staff appointments are subject to satisfactory references and enhanced checks with the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS).

In line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 The Learning Partnership does not request attendance or medical information on candidates for posts prior to appointment. We will, however, seek a post-appointment reference for successful candidates, which will include questions relating to attendance records. Appointments will be made subject to this reference and the Trust may, in some circumstances, withdraw the offer of appointment on the basis of information received, again having full regard to the requirements of the Equality Act.

The Learning Partnership is committed to the promotion of equality of opportunity and the elimination of discrimination; all applicants should note that they will be considered on the basis of suitability regardless of disability, gender, race, religion, age, sexual orientation and marital status or any other discrimination which is unfair or unreasonable. We are proud to be an employer that holds Disability Committed and Menopause Friendly status. The Trust supports CIPD’s #FlexFrom1st campaign and is ‘happy to talk flexible working’.