Pastoral and Operational Support Lead

As the Pastoral and Operational Support Lead, you will be at the very heart of our close-knit community at Aston University Mathematics School (AUMS). This pivotal role is responsible for ensuring the Principal and the senior leadership team are fully supported across all aspects of their work. Acting with significant autonomy and initiative, you will be central to the school's success.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Supporting Pastoral Care: Working with the Assistant Principal (Pastoral), you will lead the daily follow-up of absent students, act as a trained mental health first aider, and maintain careful pastoral records. There is an expectation that the postholder may become a deputy designated safeguarding lead.
• Supporting Operational Leadership and Administration: You will proactively manage priorities and perform administrative and operational tasks. For instance, you will take the lead on organising meetings and key school events, act as a vital communication link between the school's leadership and its stakeholders, and ensure reports and returns are completed with a high degree of accuracy.

We welcome applications from candidates with a diverse range of professional backgrounds and recognise that the ideal candidate could come from several different fields. It may be that you already have extensive experience working with children and young people in a pastoral capacity and are looking to use these skills in a role with significant operational responsibility. Equally, you may be a highly experienced senior administrator, PA, or operations lead who, while having less direct experience with students, possesses exceptional interpersonal skills and a natural empathy.

For us, the right personal qualities are paramount; you must be a great team player with a problem-solving outlook, able to communicate effectively and build rapport with a wide range of people, from students and parents to university academics and governors.

Aston University Mathematics School (AUMS), the West Midlands’ only University Mathematics School, will open in September 2025. As one of only nine schools of its kind in the UK, AUMS aims to transform the lives of talented young mathematicians and scientists across the region. Fully embedded within the Aston University STEM Education Academy Trust, AUMS builds on the strong pedagogical foundations and leadership of the highly successful Aston University Engineering Academy (AUEA). AUMS will prepare students for prestigious destinations, including leading universities, competitive degree apprenticeships, and influential careers in STEM. Students will benefit from an enriched academic environment designed to stretch and challenge the brightest minds in the region.

AUMS is based at 2 Lister Street, on the edge of Aston University’s campus in Birmingham’s Innovation Quarter. The school is undergoing a £5 million refurbishment to create a state-of-the-art mathematics and technology centre of excellence. As well as our own outstanding facilities, our location next to our sponsor Aston University means that we can access resources, and teaching and learning spaces like no other school.

AUMS will be a highly diverse institution with learners and staff from all communities and backgrounds from across the West Midlands. We strongly welcome applicants from within our local communities with a passion to increase our young people's social mobility and future opportunities. There couldn't be a more exciting time to join our team.

As a valued member of AUMS, we will offer:

• A family-feel environment centred around the health and well-being of staff and students.
• A designated staff benefits, training and healthcare package including a family day off per year.
• A personalised continuing professional development programme.

The closing date for this role is Wednesday 9th July 2025 at 9am. Interviews will likely take place during the following week. AUMS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful applicants will be subject to an enhanced DBS check. Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK. All new staff joining AUMS will become members of staff of the Aston University STEM Education Academy Trust from 1st September 2025.