Operations Manager

Package Description

Line Manager:      Chief Operating Officer 

Salary Range:      £30-35k dependent on experience.

Contract Type:     Permanent, Year-Round Role

Hours:                  Full Time. 40 hours per week to be worked Monday to Friday between the hours of 8am and 5.30pm.  Occasional out of hours/evening/weekend work may be required, to meet operational needs.

Location:              Repton and Repton Prep School campuses. Some flexible working/working from home during the school holidays is possible, by agreement with the COO.

Benefits:              Support Staff Pension Scheme, and Staff Sports Centre Membership

Job Introduction

Working across Repton and Repton Prep, this is a wide-ranging operational management role in support of the Chief Operating Officer and all her operational/support functions. Highly autonomous, you’ll be a “mini-COO” in many respects, with a blend of direct accountability for your own portfolio of work, combined with leadership of a small team, and management of operational support into others.  In all respects, you’ll drive efficiency, effectiveness, and engagement throughout the organisation. 

A highly visible role, you will work closely with key senior stakeholders including COO, Director of Facilities and Services, Finance Director, Director of HR, Compliance Manager, Legal Counsel, and senior academic stakeholders.

For a detailed description of duties, please view the Candidate Information Pack. 

Main Responsibilities

Operational and Compliance Management (35%) - Key insurance, compliance, operational and administrative tasks are completed on time, and with high levels of accuracy and attention to detail. Effective and engaging working relationships are built with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.

Project Management and Continuous Improvement (35%) - Key projects and pieces of continuous improvement work (across any operational area) are identified, defined, and successfully delivered on time and in full.

School Office and Reception Service and Management (30%) - Line management of the school offices at Prep and Senior. Teams are delivering efficient, effective, and engaging school office/reception and administration services to Prep and Senior. Pupils, staff and visitors receive excellent service an engaging brand experience.

Executive Support to the Chief Operating Officer (5% of role and time) - COO diary, calls and correspondence is managed efficiently, effectively and in a confidential and discreet manner.

This is an extremely varied and wide-ranging role with high levels of (supervised) responsibility, so please refer to the Candidate Pack document for a full and detailed job description.

The Ideal Candidate

You will be an experienced professional, with demonstrable experience in wide-ranging operational role(s) – breadth rather than functional specialism. We are completely open to the background that you might come from and would love to see candidates with a range of prior experience be it in operations, management, administrative support, customer services, project management, or something else! Likely you’ve varied corporate/commercial experience under your belt and are looking for a challenging new role with the opportunity to make an impact.  Whatever you have done previously, you will be a high-energy, can-do individual who takes pride in delivering above and beyond in this wide-ranging role. This is a highly autonomous and varied role with the opportunity to shape it as your own, and to progress your career into a more senior role in any of our operational functions.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Prior professional experience in wide-ranging operational role(s)
• Excellent attention to detail and strong general administrative skills
• Highly competent and confident user of technology including all MS applications.
• Highly organised – able to self-manage and prioritise workload effectively.
• Demonstrable experience in managing and resolving queries and issues.
• Demonstrable experience in continuously reviewing and improving operational processes and customer experiences.
• Confident, engaging, and articulate communicator in person and in writing – high energy, engaging individual who can build great relationships.
• Empathetic style, with strong skills in listening - patient, calm under pressure, and resilient.
• Strong team player and internal networker, able to galvanise ownership and action and get things done!
• Experience in successfully leading a small team.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Legal/insurance qualifications or experience are helpful to elements of this role.
• Experience in internal communications.
• Some experience in Project Management is helpful.
• Knowledge of data protection and data management compliance
• Experience in leading a remote/multi-location team

About Repton School

Repton School, founded in 1557, is a leading co-educational School situated in the historic village of Repton.  Five miles from Burton upon Trent and eight miles from Derby, Repton lies in the very centre of England.  The School boasts a consistently fine academic record and is active and successful in a wide range of other activities.  The School’s 600 plus pupils, both boys and girls, are predominantly boarders.  Each belongs to one of the ten boarding houses.   Repton prides itself on its long and close association with the village. 

With the establishment of Repton Dubai in 2007, Repton was a pioneer among UK independent schools in establishing overseas ‘branches’. Repton International Schools Ltd has now established a family of six international schools (seven as of September), with four in the UAE, one in China, one in Malaysia and Repton Cairo opening in September. The School takes great pride in its international family and works closely with its overseas partners to ensure that each Repton International school fully reflects the ethos and values of the UK school.

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment, therefore the following shall be deemed to be included, in addition to the duties that you may be required to perform:

Promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom you are responsible and with whom you come into contact.

Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 it is a criminal offence for a person over 18 (e.g. teacher, matron, sports coach) to have a sexual relationship with a child under 18 where that person is in a position of trust in respect of that child, even if the relationship is consensual.  This applies where the child is in full-time education and the person works in the same establishment as the child, even if s/he does not teach the child.  Moreover, whatever the age of the pupil, a sexual relationship between an employee and a pupil will be considered an abuse of a position of trust and gross misconduct, likely to result in dismissal.