School Operations Manager in Thornbury

The Castle School is looking for a dynamic School Operations Manager to join our dedicated team. Reporting directly to the Headteacher, you will act as the vital link and enabler between our school and the Trust Central Team, ensuring our day-to-day operations are seamless, compliant and fully support our vision of a great education for every child.

About the role:

This role is designed to support our Headteacher, working alongside the School Leadership Team to streamline operations and maximise the capacity of school resources. This role will predominantly focus on facilities, compliance and management of the administration function as well as some HR and organisation of school events. This role is an embedded and respected role across the trust, valued by the schools and the Senior Leadership Teams but there is still an opportunity to make it your own. You will have an eye for detail in relation to systems and operational processes, and will be methodical in your approach to safety and compliance.

The key aspects of this role are:

• Building Relationships. It’s vital that you develop and maintain productive working relationships with the Headteacher, Leadership Team, Partnership Team leads and with the school staff. You’ll also be dealing with external contracts, ie. Friends of Lyde Green (FOLG), the chair of the Community Council.
• Communication. You’ll need to communicate effectively with all internal and external stakeholders in person, writing, electronically and by telephone.
• Compliance. You’ll ensure systems and processes are in place for effective management of essential reporting and contingency plans. You’ll be the first point of contact for facilities, recruitment, and the People team.
• Operations. Coordination of critical school records will be your responsibility. You’ll act as liaison in relation to safeguarding and data protection matters. You’ll manage the site estate team, take responsibility for the admin team and provide support to various school teams as required.

You will be joining us at a really exciting time with the arrival of our new Headteacher at The Castle School, and as our Trust merges with TPLT to become Pathway Trust. To ensure this role is perfectly aligned with our expanding trust and provides the best possible support to the school, the job description will be naturally reviewed and refined in the coming months as our new leadership and structures embed.

The ideal candidate for this role will be:

• Highly organised with the ability to manage their time effectively
• A self-starter who is capable of acting on their own initiative
• Able to influence stakeholders at all levels and demonstrate strong relationship management skills
• Confident in managing and implementing change
• An exceptional communicator who is personable and able to build effective working relationships

About us

Here at The Castle School, situated in Thornbury, we are proud of our strong track record of academic achievement and pastoral care for our students. We are passionate about teaching and learning; our students’ experience of education has a long-lasting impact and prepares them for life beyond school. At the heart of what we do is our vision to be an exceptional school at the heart of the community where every student has the curiosity, skills and confidence to make the world a better place. We value kindness, fairness and aspiration for all, and expect that our students and staff will work hard, will be kind and will be respectful to one another. We’re proud of our vibrant, thriving Sixth Form that continues to demonstrate and sustain academic and vocational success. Our school is easily commutable from Bristol, Bath, Gloucester and South Wales.

We can offer you:

• Happy, engaging students
• A supportive trust and school community
• Strong collaboration across the trust family of schools and access to a centralised team of specialists across all areas of school operations
• A commitment to high-quality CPD, with dedicated time and budget for your development
• A values-driven ethos where diversity, equity and inclusion are lived every day
• Recognition of continuous service (modification order) to protect employment rights and entitlements
• Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions and death-in-service cover
• Occupational sick pay to support you during illness or unexpected emergencies
• Family-friendly leave packages to help maintain a healthy work–life balance

In order to apply for this role please fully complete an application form by 13th July, 9am. Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the process. Further details and additional information about our trust may be viewed on our website. Please know that depending on the number of applications received we may decide to close the advert early. If you do not hear from us by a week after the closing date then please assume that you have not been shortlisted for an interview. If you have previously applied for this role there is no requirement to apply again, all applications will be reviewed. We wish you all the best in your future and ask that you join our E-Teach Talent Pool so as to keep up to date with all of our latest current opportunities.

CSET is committed to equal opportunities and encourages applicants from all backgrounds and communities, as we recognise the importance and benefit this has for our pupils.

Safeguarding Statement: CSET is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All roles across the trust have a varying level of responsibility for ensuring safeguarding practice, with some roles holding significant responsibility and involving working with children on a daily basis in regulated activity. Regardless of the level of responsibility and involvement in each role, we expect all staff, visiting professionals and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. Successful candidates will be required to provide a disclosure of any unspent convictions and cautions, as well as any spent convictions or cautions that are not 'protected' (i.e., filtered) under the Amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013 and 2020). All appointments are subject to a comprehensive pre-employment checking process. This includes an Enhanced DBS check (including a Children’s Barred List check), satisfactory references, medical fitness, Right to Work in the UK, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching/management check. In line with KCSIE guidance, we will also conduct online searches on all shortlisted candidates. Our full Recruitment and Selection policy is available on our website.