School Operations Manager

Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. 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.

All successful applicants must be willing to undergo enhanced child protection screening appropriate to the post, including various background checks including, receipt of high-quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks. No member of staff will be able to start until these checks are complete and this process takes, on average, a month. 

Harrow International School Abu Dhabi is seeking an experienced and competent School Operations Manager to join its founding school.

As part of our founding team, you will play a pivotal role in building a vibrant and inclusive community where the learning of every individual is at the heart of daily life. Guided by the Harrow values, our staff will create an environment in which every pupil is nurtured, challenged, and empowered to achieve their very best.

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

Harrow Values

 All staff are expected to conduct themselves in line with the School’s values which are:  Courage, Honour, Humility and Fellowship. While the School’s values set out what matters most to us, the behaviours below are intended as a shared set of expectations to refer to, and standards to aspire to, in our dealings with others. They are the practical application of our values.

 COURAGE

• We remain optimistic and purposeful in a disrupted world.
• We take responsibility for our decisions, even the hard ones.
• We always challenge poor behaviour in ourselves and others.
• We are open to new ideas, and seek fresh challenges.

HONOUR

• We keep our promises.
• We act with integrity – doing the right thing, even when it is difficult or when no one is watching.
• We respect and value our traditions whilst setting them in the context of today.

HUMILITY

• We work hard to serve others within the School and across our wider communities where possible putting their interests before our own.
• We respect each other and value our differences, knowing that we are more effective and more resilient working together.
• We are kind and inclusive; we value the contribution that each of us makes.
• We give and seek honest and appropriate feedback, reflect on our failures and learn from them.
• We support each other through challenges and whatever the outcome, we celebrate those that took part. We role model the behaviours that we would like to see in others; we ask only of others what we would be prepared to do ourselves.

FELLOWSHIP

• We respect each other and value our differences, knowing that we are more effective and more resilient working together.
• We are kind and inclusive; we value the contribution that each of us makes.
• We role model the behaviours that we would like to see in others; we ask only of others what we would be prepared to do ourselves.