Director of Operations & Finance

Director of Operations and Finance

Full time

Salary: S16 – S25, £31,646 – £50,356 - Starting salary point dependent on experience.

Salary Range: A 5 point progression range within S16 – S31 

Start Date: Required ASAP (Flexible start date considered for right candidate)

Unique opportunity to join a new school in North London:

• Do you want to play a key role in the development of an exciting and innovative academy? 
• Are you passionate that all children get the best start in life?
• Do you want to move your career forward in an environment which nurtures talent and has scope for career progression? 
• Do you believe all students have the potential to succeed given great teaching and the right culture? 

As a brand new school, One Degree Academy has been given a rare opportunity to raise standards of education in North London. Our Primary school opened in September 2016; we now have Reception, KS1, Years 3, 4, 5 and have been rated outstanding by OFSTED. We move to our brand new building and state of the art facilities in August – come and help us grow!

We are seeking to appoint an outstanding Director of Operations and Finance to lead the operations of our academy and trust over the next phase of its development. You will work closely with the Head of School, SLT and governing body. The successful candidate will line manage the associate staff team and be responsible for the operations of the academy including finance, procurement, HR, health and safety, admissions, estate management, governance, marketing, catering, administration and Trust expansion. 

We know that success and habits of excellence are achieved through perseverance and incremental improvement - ‘one degree’ at a time. This idea is at the heart of our school. Whether you are an experienced director or someone seeking to take the next step in your career, you will play a key part in the academy’s development. We have strong partnerships with other schools and relationships with experts who can advise, coach and offer the opportunity to broaden your skill set. This includes HR, legal, data protection and governance service providers along with health and safety, estates management and finance expertise available to support you in your career.

We are looking for an exceptional candidate who will thrive serving the needs of our visitors, staff, children and parents. This is an exciting and rare opportunity to help shape One Degree Academy from its beginnings, and to be part of a special community of committed professionals. One Degree Academy is a small school but a big family. 

Successful candidates will:

• be proactive, have strong communication skills, be organised, efficient, reliable with a positive attitude and enjoy working with children and adults
• be a self-starter with great initiative, problem solving skills and high expectations of staff and other stakeholders.
• welcome feedback and be committed to the idea of continuous improvement and self-development
• be committed to the One Degree Academy vision and values.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to:

• join an engaged staff and organisation utterly committed to developing its staff through incremental improvement 
• to play a key role developing our outstanding school, working closely with an established team external professionals and suppliers to support you.
• help move the school into its brand new state of the art buildings and grounds
• take on a breadth of leadership roles and responsibilities 

Job Description

Reports to: Head of School

Working hours: 40hrs per week

Working pattern: Full time 52 weeks 

The role: 

To have operational responsibility for the school finances, human resources, procurement, site, premises and facilities, health and safety, capital projects and income generation, catering and third-party contracts. Admissions governance and administration. To ensure that the systems in place provide the school with efficient and effective service delivery and compliance with statutory and legislative requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Post 

• To carry out the role of Chief Finance Officer, overseeing and managing a financial system that is efficient, secure, and solvent and provides the school with best value for money. 
• To provide the Head of School and Governors with the financial information that allows them to make informed decisions concerning the financial management of the school. 
• To promote the highest standards of business practice within the school. 
• To make a full and active contribution to meetings of the School Leadership Team. 
• To assist the SLT in strategic planning and school improvement. 
• To contribute as necessary to the School Development and Improvement Plan/Self Evaluation. 
• To have oversight and management of the school premises.
• To carry out the role of the school Health and Safety Co-ordinator.
• To lead and support the facilities officer with the implementation of major site improvements. 
• To assist the Head of School to ensure compliance with data protection legislation. 

To oversee the provision of efficient and effective service in Finance, HR, Site and Catering departments in the Academy.

Finance 

• To stay informed and up to date on any government and or educational funding formula changes and updates which may have a significant financial impact on the school’s budget.
• To be responsible for all matters relating to the administration of the school’s finances and to ensure such matters are handled in accordance with the financial regulations and Academies Financial Handbook. This includes oversight of the bank accounts, VAT accounting, cash handling, public and private funds.
• To ensure that the school’s financial management complies with current statutory regulations. 
• To advise the Head of School and Governors on effective value for money in contracts and leases, procurements and processes using appropriate review and benchmarking processes. 
• To evaluate information and in liaison with the Head of School, prepare a balanced annual budget and three year plan linked to the SDP for consideration by the Governing Body. Preparing appraisals for particular projects and for the development of a business plan (long term financial strategy) for the future development of the school.
• To monitor the approved budget against expenditure, advise the Head of School and Governors of any significant variations and offer advice on revision of allocations. 
• To provide monthly management reports to the Head of School and Governing Body in line with the reporting guidelines set out in the Academies Financial Handbook 
• To ensure regular and appropriate checks of financial processes are completed in line with financial regulations.
• To oversee and ensure appropriate fiscal management and accurate financial recording takes place. 
• To liaise with external bodies as required by the Head of School, for example the appointed Auditor, insurers and for internal controls procedures. 
• To ensure the effective and timely submission of the annual and regular returns required by the DfE/ESFA and external agencies e.g. Companies House, HMRC and Pensions.
• To ensure the effective submission of annual Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) bids.
• To oversee provision of information required by appointed Auditor for end of year accounts. 
• To oversee the provision and maintenance of an Assets Register and the Register of Business Interests. 
• To maintain and review the school’s Financial Management Policies and procedures in line with statutory requirements and best practice.
• To Benchmark to assess trends and report to governors. 
• To be responsible for seeking professional advice on insurance and advising the Governing Body and the Head of School on appropriate insurance for the school. Implementing the approved insurance and handling any claims that arise.
• Attend relevant leadership meetings and complete agreed actions accordingly.

Income Generation 

• To review and support maximisation of income generation. 
• To apply, as necessary, to charities and funding bodies directly or to make relevant staff aware of grants that they could bid for. 
• To oversee lettings and be proactive in maximising the efficient and effective use of the school buildings and site.

Estate Management

• To oversee and ensure the school offers a safe, secure and healthy environment, complying with current Health & Safety and other appropriate legislation. Ensuring appropriate procedures/checks are operating and implemented (e.g. accident and near miss reporting, asbestos, legionella etc).
• To oversee in liaison with the site team the maintenance of the school site, grounds, boundaries and buildings to a high standard including Security of site, upkeep of playing fields, gardens, and land drainage
• Preparation and role out of the PPM schedules. 
• To manage the Catering ensuring generation of income to cover costs.
• Installation and plant for lighting, heating, water etc….
• Responsible for purchase and maintenance of all furniture and fittings 
• To oversee the management and provision of all lettings of the school’s facilities 
• Deal with the day to day arrangements relating to; school services, building cleaning, catering, ground maintenance.
• Implementation of risk management and loss prevention strategies in the school to reduce insurance costs 
• Draw up outline specifications for premises improvements, obtaining tenders and planning permission through liaison with building contractors 
• Implement, monitor and review the school’s Health and Safety Policy to comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act and other legislation. 
• In co-operation with the Fire Service Engineers to be responsible for the installation and maintenance of equipment for protection against and escape from fire 
• Monitor and oversee the quality of work by on-site contractors 
• Implement the approved insurances and manage any claims that arise. 
• To keep abreast of relevant information including:
• Health and Safety issues specific to the school and how they relate to pupils, staff, visitors, and contractors
• Elements of fire safety and the associated risks to the school through the process of risk assessment
• Risk assessment tools and how to use them to establish hazards within the school and the associated risk involved
• Importance of a disaster recovery plan and its place within the management procedures of the school 

HR

• In conjunction with the Head of School, the Director will be responsible for the overall management of personnel matters in liaison with the contracted HR service, the Director will be responsible for all aspects of payroll, recruitment and staff progression.
• Specific responsibilities include:
• Preparation of paperwork to HR in relation to pension, contract, medical and appropriate checks for new staff.
• The maintenance of confidential staff records and to ensure that staff records held in the school are kept confidential.
• The co-ordination of the administration for staff recruitment and staff contracts. 
• Be responsible, where appropriate, for the recruitment, professional development, appraisal, and training for non teaching staff. 
• To ensure the Single Central Record is accurate and up to date. 
• Liaise with agencies providing support services at the school 
• Manage the school’s payroll provision with the payroll provider
• General personnel matters relating to staff
• Annual review of all HR and pay policies and process 

Health and Safety

• Formulate, monitor, implement and review the school’s Health and Safety policy including the introduction of all risk assessment procedures. 
• In co-operation with the Fire Service, be responsible for the installation and maintenance of equipment for protection against and escape from fire. 
• Maintain records of and initiate regular fire practices and alarm tests. 
• Advise on all Health and Safety matters including measures in the event of emergencies. 
• Liaise with appropriate Health and Safety Officers providing information and seeking advice as necessary. 

Administration and Compliance

• Act as a system manager for the administrative computer network. 
• Manage the MIS giving guidance to other users. 
• Ensure that the website is kept up to date in relation to areas of responsibility.
• Be responsible for all statutory and statistical returns and that they are completed as appropriate. 
• Keep records in accordance with the school’s record retention schedule and data protection law, ensuring information security and confidentiality at all times  
• Manage the school’s compliance with statutory obligations, and advise others on the relevant legal, regulatory and ethical requirements.
• Lead on data protection, taking responsibility for monitoring data protection compliance and advising the school community on data protection issues.
• Track all school policies and ensure they are updated in accordance with the policy review schedule
• Monitor and update the risk register

Other:

• The Director will be required to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, and follow school policies including the staff code of conduct.

• Please note that this list of duties is illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of the role. It is not a comprehensive list of all tasks that the Director will carry out. The post holder may be required to do other duties appropriate to the level of the role, as directed by the Head of School.

This document is considered to provide an outline of the areas that this role involves. This document does not preclude the post holder developing systems and structures not specifically mentioned but related to his/her broad areas of responsibility. The roles outlined above are indicative and do not preclude anything else which may be reasonably requested commensurate with the post held and duties undertaken.

One Degree Academy Values

All candidates will have a commitment to upholding the One Degree Academy’s STRIVE values. For us these are not just slogans on a wall, they are the basis of how we act.

Scholarship: We focus relentlessly on academic achievement, great learning and continuous improvement to get results. We show a zest for new learning.

Team work: We work together to overcome difficulties. When one of us succeeds, we all do. We are kind and supportive to all our teammates

Responsibility: We take ownership of our actions, caring for each other and for our environment. We look to ourselves to do what’s right or to find solutions. We do what needs to be done.

Integrity: We tell the truth even when it’s hard; we do the right thing; we make good choices; own mistakes; are honest and trustworthy

Value: We are useful and kind. We embrace new opportunities to develop wisdom. We add value to our local communities.

Effort: We never give up on trying to improve - even when it’s hard. We know there are no shortcuts: achievement comes step-by-step

To apply 

• Download an application pack from https://onedegreeacademy.org/vacancies
• Completed applications should be e-mailed to: [email removed - click apply for more details] 
• Early Applications and school visits are encouraged – We will process all applications on a rolling basis. 

To arrange a visit or if you have any questions, please email Joe Howlett: [email removed - click apply for more details]

Recruitment process

Encouraging Diversity

ODA is committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity amongst our employees. We consider ourselves incredibly fortunate to be opening a school in London, one of the most diverse cities in the world. Our aim is that our workforce will be truly representative of all sections of society and that each employee feels respected and able to give their best.

To that end we are committed to provide equality and fairness for all in our recruitment and employment practices and not to discriminate on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation (the “protected characteristics” under the Equality Act 2010). We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.

Appointment is subject to suitable references.

Safer Recruitment

ODA is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in our schools. In order to meet this responsibility, we follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

ODA requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any convictions, cautions, reprimands or final warnings that are not “protected” as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). Non-disclosure may lead to an application being rejected or, if the failure is discovered after employment has started, may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment – this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred.