Role Description

JOB TITLE

Bursar

DEPARTMENT

Senior Leadership Team

LOCATION

Nantong 

SUPERVISOR

Master/School Affairs Board (SAB)

OBJECTIVES

The Bursar role is a key position within the WCC structure and forms part of the Senior Team (STM), which is made up of the most senior leaders within the Group. The Bursar plays a significant role in the strategic direction of the school as a member of the school Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

The Bursar is the Master’s strategic partner and is responsible for driving excellence in financial and operational performance to agreed KPIs and leading and managing a sizeable team of professionals across Finance, HR, Facilities, IT, School Services and Purchasing. They are responsible for continually seeking to optimise the school’s financial position whilst balancing that with ensuring an exceptionally high quality of operations that reflects the premium status of Hiba Academy Nantong. 

The Master is responsible to the governors for the overall well-being of the school, and the Bursar is accountable for the financial health of the school as well as the efficient and effective running of the financial, operational and administrative systems and processes. This includes reporting accurate and relevant financial information and keeping the Board informed of financial and operational opportunities and risks, as well as staying fully abreast of external factors that may impact the school (eg legal and regulatory changes). 

The Bursar reports to the Master on a day-to-day operational basis but is also accountable to the School Affairs Board (SAB), hence the strategic importance of the role. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Act as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and work closely alongside the other Senior Leaders to develop, articulate and promote the vision, mission and values of the school. 
• In conjunction with the SLT, create long term development goals and plans for school growth and vision. 
• Responsible for developing the non-academic Strategic Development Plan and associated KPIs and actions as well as continuously reviewing and improving the school’s strategy in the areas of finance, operations and risk management. 
• Act as a project lead on non-academic projects and provide operational feedback and advice on school management issues. 
• Ensure a high standard of proactive delivery and performance of the key operational support functions and ensure all activities support the delivery of educational excellence.
• Lead on a cohesive strategy to manage, sustain and grow the school’s subsidiary business interests, including (but not limited to) the co-curricular programme, the use of external vendors, the rental of facilities. 
• Ensure proper legal review and minimise risks on all school contracts and documents. 

GOVERNANCE

• Act as a key member of the Facilities Sub-Committee (FaSC) and the Finance and HR Sub-Committee (FiHRSC) meetings under the governorship of the School Affairs Board (SAB). 
• In conjunction with the chair of each sub-committee, responsible for the preparation and circulation of the agenda and papers ahead of the sub-committee meetings and the subsequent production and distribution of minutes. 
• Attend the School Affairs Board (SAB) meetings as a non-voting member, by invitation.
• Be directly accountable to the Board for all non-academic aspects of the school, except marketing and admissions. 
• Contract review and management, ensuring full compliance with local regulations, and risk management conducted in cases of uncertainty.
• Evaluate the school’s position with regards to external vendors and develop robust structures to protect the organisation’s interests and reputation, including the vetting, selection and payment of third parties. 
• Manage conflicts of interest and ensure probity. 
• Review and enhance the school’s position in terms of service-level agreements, in consultation with the WCC legal representation.
• Internal audit and compliance reviews. Policy writing, review and updating. 
• Identify new and emerging corporate risks and ensure they are mitigated appropriately including ensuring adequate insurance policies are in place.

FINANCE

The Finance Department works under the general direction of the Bursar. The Bursar holds ultimate responsibility for the preparation of the budgets and financial projections of the school and for the control of expenditure within the approved budgets. 

• Bear the responsibility for the maintenance of the school’s accounting records, the preparation of all students’ accounts and for ensuring their prompt settlement.
• Be responsible for the preparation and filing of statutory financial statements and for all tax filings and compliance with tax regulations.
• Support the budgeting and financial planning process including monthly management reporting.
• Oversee purchasing policy and procedures including: pricing, bidding and tendering, quality control and delivery. 
• Provide budget projections to assist in resource planning. 
• Oversee accounts payable/accounts receivable system to maximise cash flow efficiency. 
• Ensure integrity of accounting numbers and statutory reports 
• Empower and develop budget holders to generate business cases and in financial planning and management.

HUMAN RESOURCES

• Be responsible for the smooth running of all departments within the administrative structure of the school and responsible for the structure and development of those teams to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the school.
• Oversee recruitment across the school, including supporting and guiding the academic teams on the recruitment, onboarding and induction of teaching staff (in accordance with the WCC Safer Recruitment Policy) and directly managing the Human Resources team. 
• The Bursar has ultimate responsibility for the appointment of all non-teaching support staff. 
• Be responsible for the administration of compensation and benefits across the school in line with WCC Group Remuneration Policy. 
• Be responsible for overall leadership and management of all members of the non-teaching staff who are employed throughout the school and for appraising key members of staff as well as managing all disciplinary matters concerning the non-teaching staff. 
• Identify areas in which they would benefit from training and development and lead on succession planning, and talent development, within the non-academic functions.
• Develop staffing requirement plans with the Senior Leadership Team
• Provide coaching and development for Non-Academic staff, including succession planning and talent management opportunities 
• Oversee HR processes and polices e.g. recruitment, onboarding, induction, disciplinary etc. ensuring compliance and efficiency in the delivery 
• Oversee the management of compensation and benefits for all staff, including payroll and housing. 
• Facilitate the performance management process across the Non-Academic team, including regular review and development discussions. 
• Support annual remuneration and housing allowance reviews. 
• Continually improve the effectiveness and workforce planning of support services at all levels and across the whole recruitment, retention and development cycle including staff well-being.

FACILITIES

• Oversee the contract management and delivery of PMC (cleaning, security and maintenance) and landscaping services.
• Ensure appropriate fire-fighting capability is in place at all times. 
• Prepare facility maintenance, renovation and construction schedules and ensure documented, safe completion. 
• Maintenance of fully adequate insurance policies covering all risks likely to affect the school's physical plant, students, and employees.
• Plan, prepare and execute capital works programmes, as well as any other major site-specific projects. 
• Be responsible for the cleanliness, good condition and security of the school buildings and other facilities.
• Be responsible for arranging accommodation for all school staff, its sourcing and upkeep, as well as the letting arrangements of school property to outside organisations.
• Ensure comprehensive corrective and preventative maintenance is in place for all engineering systems. 
• Develop and maintain a proactive programme of facilities management, delivering excellent standards of premises and grounds, conducive to high quality education and working environment for staff.
• Ensure safeguarding processes and procedures are in place for all support and outsourced staff.

 SERVICES

• Oversee the contract management and delivery of catering, uniform nursing and bus services. 
• Responsible for delivering the highest levels of customer service to pupils and parents in all operational areas. 
• Coordinate resources for logistical support as needed (Government Relations, school events, PE, Marketing, etc). 
• Review all contract vendor agreements and compliance standards to ensure the provision of high-quality services. 
• Ensure safeguarding processes and procedures are in place for all support and outsourced staff.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

• Ensure IT Department work as ‘one team’ across WCC and provide timely, cohesive and high-quality educational support. 
• Oversee the operation and maintenance of a robust IT network infrastructure. 
• Support IT operational and budget planning liaising robustly with Academic leaders. 
• Manage IT support team to create meaningful Service Level Agreements and deliver a high-level service to pupils and staff. 
• Oversight of school IT administrative system ensuring proper access controls are maintained and strong information governance is in place. 
• Ensure IT requirements across the school are integrated within the strategic planning process. 

PROCUREMENT MANAGENET

• Oversee development of a skilled procurement team, implementing standardized ERP system procedures and systematic vendor performance evaluations
• Guide strategic procurement planning including supplier relationship management and alignment with operational requirements across departments
• Streamline procurement processes through cross-functional collaboration with Academic, Finance, IT, Facilities, and Marketing divisions
• Administer competitive tender processes for key services (catering, property management, transportation) and capital projects, ensuring compliance and cost-efficiency

HEALTH AND SAFETY

• Ensure a culture of Health and Safety is prevalent throughout the school.
• Have overall responsibility for Health and Safety, ensuring that the school complies with the highest standards of relevant legislation, and for ensuring that the school’s safety policy is kept up to date. 
• Be responsible for chairing the regular safety committee meetings and for arranging the annual health and safety audit.
• Ensure adequate staffing of the Health Centre and the professional delivery of nursing services. 
• Ensure that the campus is equipped with the required level of first aid/medical resources.
• Proper registration of all certificates and licences with government and regulatory authorities.
• Due to the nature of the role, the Bursar will encounter a considerable amount of confidential information. The confidentiality of all information records in whatever format, should be upheld in the course of employment and after it.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor's degree or above

Major: Major in finance, business or related subject area

Language: Fluent in English oral and written. Proficiency in Mandarin Chinese is a significant advantage

WORKING EXPERIENCE

Minimum of 10 years’ working experience in the field of business or any of the professional specialisms that fall under the Bursar remit (such as Finance or Operations).

Management experience of finance and operations, including at least 5 years’ of people and team management and development across multiple disciplines. Experience in the Education sector is not essential but candidates should have demonstrable experience working within a similar, premium organization ideally in a matrix structure. Experience of Governance and working with or to a Board is preferred including preparing for and presenting at Governance meetings.  

EXPERTISE

• Experience in leading multi-cultural partnership projects
• Able to operate effectively and have impact across multiple disciplines including those outside their areas of specialism
• A skilled negotiator
• Strategic and commercially astute
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, able to work with people from different cultures and at different levels of seniority
• Well-organised and goal-oriented 
• Analytical, positive and constructive approach

PREFERRED APTITUDES

• Innovative, creative problem-solver
• Strong emotional intelligence
• Reliable, tenacious and self-motivated
• Culturally sensitive 
• Passionate about quality with an eye for detail and a restless desire to reflect and improve
• Able to balance impact and achieving results with bringing people with them and developing and motivating their team

Hiba Academy and Wellington College Education fully recognise their responsibility for Safeguarding & Child Protection. We place the safety and well-being of our community at the heart of all we do. All staff understand the central importance of this commitment and undergo annual training in child protection policies and practices. To ensure the safety of our community, employment with Hiba Academy will be contingent on the successful completion of a background check.