Operations Lead - Education in Hampshire, Portsmouth

Job Title: Operations Lead - Education

Location: National remit – hybrid role - travel

Salary: £63,000 - £65,000 + 3k car allowance

Are you an experienced and ambitious leader in education and would like to play a pivotal role in supporting a portfolio of specialist schools?

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Operations Lead to support a portfolio of schools within a well-established Education provider.

The Role:

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity, working closely with Headteachers, Principals and central support functions to drive operational performance, deliver continuous improvement and ensure specialist schools achieve the highest possible outcomes for children and young people.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead multi-site operations – Partner with Headteachers, Principals and Education Leadership Teams to drive consistent operational standards, manage risk and support schools through growth, change and development.
• Drive performance and improvement – Analyse key performance indicators including occupancy, attendance, safeguarding, behaviour, workforce performance, complaints and budgets, identifying opportunities and implementing improvement plans.
• Champion quality and compliance – Ensure schools remain inspection-ready and compliant with Independent School Standards, Ofsted requirements and safeguarding legislation, leading audits and following through on improvement actions.
• Strengthen workforce performance – Work alongside school leaders and HR to improve recruitment, retention, workforce planning, training, supervision and employee engagement, supporting long-term workforce stability.
• Lead projects and change – Take ownership of operational projects across the Education Division, including new service mobilisation, expansion, systems implementation and improvement programmes, ensuring delivery against key milestones.
• Influence financial and operational performance – Work with senior stakeholders across Finance, HR, Quality, Compliance and Business Development to optimise resources, support occupancy growth, improve efficiency and strengthen overall school performance.

About You:

• Experienced multi-site leader with a strong track record of supporting senior leaders within regulated environments and working effectively across geographically dispersed locations.
• Strong quality and compliance knowledge, with an understanding of Independent School Standards, Ofsted/Estyn frameworks, safeguarding, Health & Safety and GDPR.
• Data-driven and improvement-focused, confident analysing performance information, identifying trends and delivering quality, operational and performance improvements.
• Proven project and change management experience, with the ability to lead initiatives, manage competing priorities and implement sustainable improvements.
• Excellent communicator and influencer, with strong relationship-building, organisational and problem-solving skills and the ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders. Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience required; PGCE desirable.

Package Includes:

• Base salary of £63,000 - £65,000 + 3k car allowance.
• 24/7 Employee Assistance, mental health resources, meditation apps, and bereavement support.
• Free Online GP access, Health Cash Plan, Cancer Cover, and Menopause support.
• Flexible pay with Wagestream, utility bill savings, Money Helper, and Life Assurance.
• Online workouts, Cycle to Work scheme, gym discounts, and National Trust activities.

Recommendations:

Compass Associates Ltd is acting as a Recruitment Consultancy for this permanent vacancy; we offer £500 of John Lewis vouchers for each successful recommendation.

Let’s have a chat! :

If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, gain further information or have a confidential discussion, please contact me directly on 01273 027910, Alternatively email an updated CV to with a time to chat!