Finance and Operations Manager

                                                                                                Required for September 2024 (or earlier)

                                                                                                             37 hours a week, full-time

                                                                                                             All year round – 52 weeks

                                                                                      £49,814 - £54,269 pa (dependant on experience)

                                                                                             26 days’ annual leave plus public holidays

An exciting opportunity has arisen at The Sir Robert Woodard Academy in Lancing, for those looking to expand their career into School Business Management.

The School

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy, an Ofsted 'good' school and part of the Woodard family of schools, is a dynamic and popular 11–18 academy located between Worthing and Brighton, serving the students of Lancing, Sompting and Shoreham. Our aim is that every student is known and nurtured and is provided with learning experiences that allow them to fulfil their potential. We believe that students succeed when the school environment is caring and orderly; every member of staff has a part to play in achieving this.

The Position

An opportunity to join a welcoming school with friendly and busy teams, a strong, shared purpose and a commitment to providing excellent financial and operational management to the Academy and Trust. The Finance and Operations Manager will report directly to the Finance Business Partner/Head of Operations as well as to the Trust Finance Director, as part of the Trust wider Finance Team. The successful post-holder will directly manage the Finance Officer, Site Manager, Catering Manager, IT Manager and Office Manager. Previous experience of managing teams is essential. This incredibly broad role requires experience in schools financial management, site and premises development, IT and administration management, health and safety, and payroll input. This role would suit School Business Managers, or those who have deputised or supported in a similar role. Please review the job description for further details on the role responsibilities.

The position is full-time, 37 hours per week, all year round, with 26 days annual leave plus public holidays. A hybrid working arrangement including one day (maximum) per week worked offsite may be possible for the right candidate. Candidates have the flexibility to set their hours, between the core hours of 8am – 5.30pm, ensuring that the contractual hours of 37 per week are met. Support staff are entered into the Local Government Pension Scheme. All staff have access to an employee wellness programme, free on-site gym and parking, and a cycle to work scheme.

The Person

At SRWA, 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 wellbeing support, coaching, mentoring and a wide range of top-quality training and CPD programmes delivered at every level up to senior leadership.

A Staff Well-being survey in June 2023 revealed our staff consider these areas ‘outstanding’:

Staff morale, workload and job satisfaction

Appreciation of staff achievement/contribution

Opportunities for staff to develop.

The successful candidate will:

• Be highly skilled, self-motivated and enthusiastic with a positive ‘can do’ approach

• Be a natural leader, able to hold staff to account and drive improvement where necessary

• be able to work independently, managing multiple tasks at once and reacting appropriately to changing priorities

• display excellent financial management and operational management skills, proven by previous experience

• have a good working knowledge of IT systems, including experience with financial/accounting software

• be able to communicate in a professional and friendly manner with a range of stakeholders.

Please review the person specification for further details on the skills and attributes required of the post-holder. 

Application Process:

If you are interested, please apply online demonstrating how your skills and experience meet the essential requirements of the role. CVs alone will not be accepted.

Visits to the academy are welcomed and can be arranged by contacting the school and asking for Stacey Bull

Closing date: 2nd June 2024*

*Please note we reserve the right to interview and appoint any strong candidates applying before the deadline has passed and to close the advert at any time before the deadline date, should a sufficient number of strong applications be received. If you are interested then you are advised to apply early.