Business Manager

We are looking for a Business Manager to lead our outstanding team of support staff at Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich.

About Us

Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich is an outstanding place-for students and staff alike. We pride ourselves on helping our students to be incredibly successful and we are as driven to support our staff, with an excellent CPD programme and development opportunities for all staff at the academy. We encourage our students and staff to live our core values of character, courage and conscience in our community and beyond. We have an excellent staff who are highly motivated, committed and happy.

Why work at Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich?

HGAED is a great place to work. At a time when there is so much attention, deservedly so, on teacher wellbeing and workloads, we are committed to ensuring our staff have work-life balance by reducing unnecessary admin work and meetings. We dedicate time and resources to staff wellbeing and development, ranging from NPQSL qualifications to meditation and teacher hacks such as whole class feedback to reduce workload. We are looking for staff who share our commitment to developing themselves personally as well as professionally, who are open to feedback and development and share our vision for our whole community. We believe very strongly that education can be transformative for all. We'd love you to be part of the transformation of our students' lives.

The staff here at HGAED are supportive, ambitious for our students, and happy. Our Head of Art, Clare, writes ‘The students are astute, funny and thirsty for life. They are invigorating and I really love teaching them. They keep me on my toes. But what I most appreciate working here is that we work in a climate where all ideas are encouraged, no matter how impossible they may seem, and I have seen some fantastic dreams come into being, the art gallery, the debate cake sessions and the research centre all starting to gain momentum. Not many schools would take such risks and I truly value being listened to and challenged to go beyond what I think I can do. This school is not for the faint hearted but it's also the place to be if you are up for being innovative and thinking beyond the classroom walls.'

Main Areas of Responsibility

Your responsibilities will fall into the following areas:

• Line management, with professional accountability for all support staff
• Finance, including leading, managing and advising on the management/selection of preferred suppliers and overseeing the the work of the Finance Officer to secure rigorous financial systems
• General administration, with responsibility for the management of the Administration team to ensure the provision of an effective administration system
• Management of health and safety, acting as the Academy's Health and Safety Manager
• Human resources, managing the work of the HR Manager and taking responsibility for the accuracy of the Single Central Record
• Management of premises, line managing the premises team to ensure all the maintenance processes and procedures are in place for a safe teaching and learning environment

Other duties will include:

• Acting as the Academy Data Champion
• Maintaining the Business Continuity Plan
• Maintaining the Risk Register
• Supporting the leadership team by covering duties at lunch time and break time as appropriate

A detailed list of responsibilities can be found in the Job Pack.

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Qualifications to degree level or Equivalent
• Knowledge of Microsoft software packages
• Secure knowledge of Health and Safety and Human Resources legislation
• Basic knowledge of financial procedures
• Knowledge of procurement processes
• Knowledge of the key principles of staff management
• At least five years' experience working an office environment
• At least two years' experience of managing a team of staff in a variety of different areas
• Experience of training staff successfully in a range of duties
• Experience of working as part of a team

For a full person specification, please download the Job Pack.

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please send us an email, or call to arrange a conversation.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. This will be helpful for you when completing your application, and throughout the recruitment process.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may interview and offer to a candidate before the closing date. Please note that we only accept applications submitted before the closing date via our careers website.

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, electric car scheme, 26 days' annual leave (plus bank holidays) for staff who work across the full year, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.