What skills and experience we're looking for
Due to the upcoming retirement of our current School Business Manager, an exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, hardworking and dedicated professional to join our leadership team. The ideal candidate will have a passion for promoting educational excellence, while ensuring the effective and efficient running of the organisation.
At John Hanson Community School, our vision is to inspire and empower our students, within a culture of care and belonging, to embrace opportunities to learn, succeed and become the best versions of themselves. This is underpinned by our strapline: Inspire. Care. Succeed.
Job Purpose
The School Business Manager will play a vital role in supporting the senior leadership team to ensure the effective management of the school’s finances, facilities, HR, and operational systems.
Key Responsibilities
• Ensure support practices meet statutory and Local Authority requirements
• Oversight of coordination and allocation of budget-to-budget holders.
• Collaborate with Finance Officer to develop and maintain an up-to-date manual of financial & related procedures including the use of a range of IT applications.
• Oversight of the preparation of the school’s annual accounts & associated information.
• Supervise & manage the administrative arrangements for the appointment of staff to the school.
• Investigate, identify & apply cost saving measures.
• Contribute to the governance of the school by advising the senior management team and the governing body when required.
• Oversight of management of the support staff team including those directly employed and contracted staff.
• Promote links between support and teaching staff.
• Negotiate & monitor the performance of contracts for services e.g. cleaning & catering.
• Prepare, review and implement a site development, security, improvement and maintenance programme for the school in collaboration with the Site Manager.
• Manage staffing, buildings, ICT systems and equipment, vehicles etc to achieve uninterrupted service.
• Decide levels of expenditure within the parameters set by the Headteacher/Governing Body.
• Maximise the use of financial resources for the school.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the longer-term vision and objectives of the school as part of the school senior leadership team.
• Project manage capital developments on behalf of the school, e. g. new buildings in conjunction with the County Architect.
• Develop and maintain an extensive range of customer/colleague contacts to develop and improve services and use of resources.
• Regular contact at senior level throughout HCC to achieve resolution of complex problems and develop partnership working.
• Maintain oversight of risk assessments, in collaboration with Site Manager, to ensure health and safety is observed on the site whilst ensuring safe working practices and environment for all site personnel and visitors.
• Maintain an awareness of corporate and local policies and procedures and as manager & team leader ensure these are applied in the workplace e.g., ensuring appropriate training for self and staff.
Key Decision-Making Areas in the Role
• Spending up to the delegated authority level.
• Allocation of physical resources i.e., space/accommodation, furniture, equipment.
• Allocation of responsibility to support staff.
• Prioritising use of time, systems, equipment and money.
• Managing the processing of income and expenditure analysis of reports and achievement of Best Value, including income sourcing, taking initiative on cost-cutting and fund raising.
• Purchase and deployment of administrative IT equipment i.e., what is needed within the school and where it should be placed.
• Effective use of Information Technology.
• Effective deployment of staff.
Working Conditions – environmental and physical factors, physical effort or strain and frequency of occurrence
• Predominately office-based job but does include visiting all areas of the school during the course of the week.
• Some evening working e.g., attendance at governors' meetings
• Potentially some lone working.
Role requirements for operational effectiveness
• Experience of successfully managing staff, leading and developing administrative and financial functions, including sound budget control and advice to a variety of audiences at a senior level.
• Demonstrates significant experience beyond first degree level in business administration, accounting or related disciplines.
• Shows knowledge of & capacity to generate income from various streams
• Able to assist with school-based strategic planning and project management.
• Able to understand and apply the principles of marketing.
• Knowledge of school and County procedures, Governor guidance, financial regulations and statutory guidance.
• Demonstrating improved presentation skills.
What the school offers its staff
We welcome informal conversations with the Headteacher and encourage you to come and visit our school to meet our staff and students. If you wish to do so, please email recruit@jhanson.hants.sch.uk to arrange a date and time.
Closing date for applications 0900 Wednesday 26th March 2025
We reserve the right to interview and appoint candidates before the closing date/scheduled interviews where applicable.
Application forms and further details are available from our website John Hanson Community School - Latest Vacancies or email recruit@jhanson.hants.sch.uk
John Hanson Community School and Hampshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks along with other relevant employment checks.
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.