School Operations Manager

School Operations Manager
High Peak
Salary: £28,797 - £31,000
Full-Time, Term-Time + 3 Weeks OR Full Year
Start Date: September 2025 (or as close as possible)

Are you a highly organised and proactive administrator looking to take the next step in your career? Do you thrive in a busy, people-focused environment where your operational expertise makes a real impact every day?

SF Recruitment are working with a specialist education provider supporting children and young people aged 2-19. This is a unique opportunity to join their leadership team as a School Operations Manager, helping ensure the smooth running of the non-teaching side of the setting.

What's the role?

This is a newly created position with a broader Operations Management function. You'll work closely with the Headteacher and regional support teams to coordinate and oversee the administrative and operational aspects of the school. You'll manage a small, dedicated team of around 3-4 admin staff and the Site Manager, supporting a wider staff body of around 200. This is a hands-on, varied role ideal for someone with a strong background in school administration who's ready to step up.

Key responsibilities:

Oversee day-to-day office operations and admin functions
Coordinate site and facilities management through the Site Manager
Liaise with external HR and Finance teams, ensuring tasks like right-to-work checks, job postings, and finance workbook completion are actioned on time
Ensure compliance with relevant procedures and support safer recruitment
Provide operational support to the Headteacher and act as the school's key contact for business-related matters
About you:

You'll need to be:

An experienced school administrator, senior admin, or office manager ready to take on more responsibility
Ideally experience within the education sector
Comfortable leading a small team and managing multiple tasks at once
A confident communicator with a proactive, solution-focused mindset
Familiar with school operations, ideally within a local authority or trust setting
Organised, unflappable, and capable of keeping everything running behind the scenes
Please note: You do not need to be a qualified HR or Finance professional - central teams will provide direction. What you do need is the ability to follow processes, stay on top of tasks, and be an excellent all-round organiser.

Working hours:

Full-time: 37 hours per week
Core hours: approx. 8:30am-4/4:30pm (with one shorter day)
Choose between: (Term-Time + 3 Weeks (42 weeks paid) or Full Year (52 weeks) - with holidays to be taken during school breaks
Additional info:

Enhanced DBS required (can be arranged if not already on the update service)
One-stage interview process
Ideally looking for someone to start in early September for proper induction support
If you're ready to play a vital behind-the-scenes role in a purpose-driven setting, apply now or get in touch for more details.