Reporting to the Operations Director (OD), the successful candidate will act as the liaison between School Staff (both Academic and Administrative) and the procurement, events, transport, catering teams and any other external subcontractors deemed necessary to oversee the operations of the site.
They will have responsibility for the development, performance, and delivery all of the above listed operational support to the school to produce smooth and efficient service and delivery solution, maximizing performance & profitability against pre-agreed targets.
The ideal candidate will be well-organized and able to optimize the use of space and equipment while reducing operating costs. Leadership abilities and phenomenal efficiency can set you apart among our candidate pool.
The Designated Deputy Head of Operations is responsible for:
- Manage both the procurement department and the operations team.
- Ensure the procurement processes are in place and maintained, ensuring that all financial planning associated to company spends is analysed thoroughly to meet company’s revenue goals with regards to procurement and budget controls.
- Working closely with the OD – assist to plan, organize the bid solicitation process including drafting and issuing RFQ, RFP, RFI, tenders, developing bid evaluation criteria and guiding clients on processes involved, ensuring the integrity of the competitive process, facilitate bidder debriefings where necessary, and exercise appropriate judgment and tact while ensuring to protect confidential information.
- Liaise with all the key stakeholders such as the OD, Principal, Finance Manager, HoS and department heads to ensure budgets are maintained and orders are placed in the agreed framework and timelines.
- Prepare weekly/ monthly and annual reports records to support annual audit process.
- Build positive working relationship within the team and with external suppliers/vendors and subcontractors for existing and new potential business opportunities.
- Effective line management of the procurement executive and operations executives.
- Manage and drive forward strategically, all operational need with external providers such as the catering company and the transport company. Ensuring a high level of customer service at all times. Reviewing policies and procedures related to both sections to ensure consistent improvements and smooth daily operations within these sectors.
- Working with the OD – support the Facilities Manager to ensure the H&S requirements across all subcontractors and operations are maintained to ensure the site is safe, secure, and running efficiently to create long term financial budget strategies for site improvements.
- Support in all related elements to drive the efficiency of the department and the Business / Operations team forward at all time to maintain a high level of efficiency and work performance.
- Support other departments in the team as needed during high peak periods such as the IT team, Facilities and any other area of the shared department as a whole.
- Support with summer planning for big projects and the increase of large deliveries and installations across the site.
- Ensuring that the team understands their duties and their roles within the school and that all targets are met, with clear holiday programs in place.
- Ensure the smooth running of the team and school as a whole, acting as the main liaison with all staff, parents and the DCIS community for any transport / events / catering requirements and needs.
- Ensure high quality of services supplied by all third-party subcontractors and ensure all SOPs/KPIs set out are met and adhered to.
- Contribute to training and development of the team and school as a whole.
- Reporting (content and format as agreed) on a monthly basis or as otherwise required.
- Asist in developing plans for team activities to include strategy to achieve agreed targets.
- Ensure that all third-party suppliers have submitted their child protection documentation to go on file and uploaded to Sphera accordingly.
- Advising on energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
- Source and liaise with vendors and suppliers to ensure cost savings. Conduct annual tendering processes to ensure all maintenance contracts are efficient and within budgets.
- Delegate authority and responsibility to team with supervision, accountability, and review.
- From time to time, you may be expected to be part of special projects as are reasonably required of your job role.
- You must contribute towards the smooth running of the school generally.
Person Specification
Qualifications / Training
Bachelor’s Degree
Experience / Knowledge/ Skills
Minimum 5 years working experience within a similar role
Good cross-cultural, interpersonal & communication skills to interact with diverse nationalities and cultures with strong leadership skills
Experience of having worked within a service delivery sector, education sector experiences a bonus
Good analytical skills and evaluation of ROI, KPIs
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
Excellent time management skills and flexibility in dealing with multi-functional tasks
Personal Attributes
Creative and technical thinking ability
Self-motivated, flexible and adaptable to different tasks at hand
Proactive and able to prompt others to ensure deadlines and targets are achieved, calm working under pressure
Uses evidence to support arguments or positions taken
High level of integrity
