School Operations Manager

Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. At Taaleem, we hold ourselves to a high standard of effective practices in relation to child protection and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be subject to various background checks including, receipt of high quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks. 

Job Purpose

Key Accountabilities:

Staff Management

• Develop and maintain effective partnerships and engage in positive communication with all staff, senior leaders, HOBO and the Principal.
• Provide leadership for the Facilities Manager, Procurement assistant, IT assistant and Head nurse. This includes ensuring they adhere to their accountabilities and KPIs, supporting their professional development, conducting appraisals, and addressing performance issues.
• Adhere to the school’s policies and procedures and ensure all supervised staff do as well.
• Purchasing and Contract Management  
• Oversee operational budgets (R&M, FFE, licensing, utilities, IT), POs, and DoA compliance.
• Review procurement documentation and vendor payments; monitor advance payments and credit card use.
• Ensure deliveries are asset tagged per policy.
• QA/QC the vendor performance and escalate quality issues where required.

 Health and Safety

• Lead implementation of Taaleem and regulatory H&S protocols, and site safety infrastructure.
• Maintain H&S documentation (risk assessments, inspections, drill records, protocols etc.).
• Chair HSE meeting.
• Complete and escalate incident reports per internal systems and regulatory portals and coordinate with Facilities and Principal for post-incident investigations.
• Lead government inspections and coordinate post-crisis H&S site checks. 

Events and excursions

• Oversee school event and field trip approvals to ensure they follow Taaleem’s Events & Excursions Policy.
• Liaise with transport and third-party vendors; support with escalated trip-related issues.
•  Facilities Management
• Monitor R&M budgets and maintenance delivery in collaboration with Facilities Manager.
• Escalate site-level risks that threaten continuity of operations.
• Oversee CCTV usage for regulatory and internal policy compliance.

Compliance

• Ensure timely renewal of all key licenses (e.g., Civil Defence, Clinic, Trade).
• Maintain compliance records for inspections; report non-conformance to CO.
• Oversee onboarding documentation for ECAs, ASAs, and third-party vendors.
• Monitor adherence to Taaleem and UAE authority policies.

ESG and energy conservation

• Act as site ESG champion; lead sustainability, waste reduction, and recycling initiatives.
• Liaise with CO teams to upcycle outdated equipment and reduce utility usage in line with group targets.

Campus Development

• Contribute to the school’s strategic campus planning and monitor ongoing infrastructure needs.
• Oversee delivery of approved CIP projects; ensure all building modifications have proper authority approvals.

Shared Services

• Coordinate transport, catering, ASA, and uniform providers with support from CO teams.
• Approve space allocation for ECAs and shared services.
• Manage provider performance, changes, and communication to relevant stakeholders.
• Lead commission tracking for all other income with the support of the Shared Services Manager.

 IT end user support

• Oversee IT and software procurement against approved budgets.
• Support IT onboarding for new staff and resolve escalated operational IT issues.
• Monitor printing systems and coordinate asset usage with CO IT.

Education: Bachelor’s degree or relevant operational qualification; NEBOSH and IOSH preferred.

Experience: 3–5 years in operational roles, ideally in education, facilities, or service-driven environments.

Competencies:

• Multi-service operations coordination
• Vendor and contract oversight
• Health, safety, and compliance leadership
• Budget awareness and procurement control
• Cross-functional problem-solving and crisis response

 Attributes:

• Calm, organized, and highly accountable
• Clear communicator and team enabler
• Practical, audit-ready, and solutions-focused
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, stakeholder-heavy school environment