Wellington College China

OBJECTIVES

The post holder contributes to the strategic planning and development of College services, management of resources, compliance with regulations and delivery of the College’s aims. Under the leadership of The Bursar: 

• • Operate a collegiate, outward-facing Non-Academic Support Services team focussed on continuous improvement.
• • Maintain strong business awareness and sense to meet the school’s expectation of operational management.
• • Provide facility management and logistical support services to internal and school community customers.
• • Manage and oversee day-to-day implementation and support of policy and procedures in Facilities, Information Technology, Services, Clinic functions and EHS. 
• • Lead on team development and performance management, staff training and succession planning.
• • Support the creation and delivery of an ambitious Non-Academic Strategic Development Plan.
• • Risk management and regulatory compliances in all related aspects.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• • Deputise for the Bursar as and when required. 
• • 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.
• • In conjunction with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), create long-term development goals and plans for school growth and vision.
• • Develop a comprehensive annual school development plan for the responsible functions to serve the school’s long-term strategy.

GOVERNANCE

• • Support the Bursar in ensuring the provision of effective and transparent reports and assurance to the Board to enable Members to carry out their responsibilities and be fully responsible for the pack preparation for Facility and Services Sub Committee meetings.
• • Contract review and management, ensuring full compliance with local regulations and risk management conducted in cases of uncertainty.
• • Evaluate the College’s position with regard 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 College’s position in terms of service-level agreements, in consultation with the Bursar and 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. 
• • Chair committees in the absence of the Bursar or as their most senior representative.

FACILITIES

• • Prepare facility maintenance, renovation and construction schedules and ensure documented and safe completion.
• • Ensure that well-costed plans exist and are regularly updated for medium and long-range capital planning and that the plans have been executed properly.  
• • Fully responsible for leading renovation projects, ensuring that the quality of finish aligns with the school's vision to create an environment that fosters learning and growth, and all projects are managed according to the WCC policy and guidance. 
• • Ensure comprehensive corrective and preventative maintenance is in place for all engineering systems and school facilities, with costs accounted for, and implemented on time, within budget and to the agreed quality.  
• • Develop and maintain a proactive programme of facilities management, delivering excellent standards of premises and grounds, conducive to a high-quality education and working environment for staff.
• • Oversee the contract management and delivery of cleaning, security, landscaping services, etc.
• • Ensure a culture of health and safety is prevalent throughout the College. 

OPERATIONS

• • Oversee the contract management and delivery of cleaning, security, catering, uniform and buses.
• • 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 appropriate fire-fighting capability is always in place.     
• • Ensure safeguarding processes and procedures are in place for all support and outsourced staff. 
• • Ensure adequate staffing of the School Clinic and the professional delivery of nursing services.
• • Ensure that the campus is equipped with the required level of first aid/medical resources.
• • Plan, prepare and execute pandemic prevention/mitigation measures.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

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

Health and Safety

• • Ensure statutory compliance in all areas of operations and all government inspections are passed successfully.  
• • Ensure that the school has appropriate arrangements in place, including policies, procedures, equipment, training and funding to ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations, including all statutory testing and inspections.
• •  Ensure effective oversight of the school’s health and safety committees to continuously enhance the health and safety standards for the school community.
• • Promote a positive health and safety culture throughout the school and be a champion for policies that promote a safe environment including health and safety policies, child protection policies, safe recruitment policies and workplace harassment policies. 
• • Maintain oversight of a comprehensive approach to risk management, including operational, reputational and health and safety risks.
• • Ensure that the school senior leaders are updated on any legislative changes to statutory requirements that require the attention of the school.   

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

     Bachelor's degree or above in Finance, Business Management, Personnel Management or related Business Field.

LANGUAGE

      Fluent in English, oral and written       

EXPERIENCE

• • Minimum of 10 years working experience in the field of business.
• • Management experience in operations, including at least 5 years of people management. 
• • Experience in managing multi-disciplinary teams.
• • Experience within the schools and education field. 
• • Understanding of high-quality education.
• • Evidence of Continuing Professional Development.

EXPERTISE

• • Excellent leadership ability and potential for growth, with demonstrable experience in leading teams to deliver quality customer-centred outcomes. 
• • A skilled negotiator.
• • Strategic and commercially astute. 
• • Project management skills.
• • Analytical, positive and constructive approach.
• • Proven cost management and large-scale budget leadership and/or accounting experience. 
• • Demonstrable evidence of managing change and knowledge of legal requirements.
• • Extensive experience in the use of computerised systems.
• • Team building & conflict resolution.
• • A track record of successful team leadership within and across multiple interconnected teams with a demonstrated ability to impact effective change within and across those teams.
• • Experience of working in contexts that are diverse in background, culture, language, gender and identity. 
• • Experience working in schools - and especially in international schools - while not essential, will be a welcome addition to your candidate profile.

Leadership Dispositions & Personal Attributes

• • Demonstrating practice that represents the five core values of Wellington.  
• • A visible, personable role model and leader to the staff and College community.
• • Innovative, creative problem-solver.
• • Strong emotional intelligence.
• • Strong initiative, integrity and sound judgment.
• • Passionate about quality with an eye for detail & desire to reflect and improve.
• • Culturally sensitive and a calm, clear thinker, able to maintain composure and effectively make decisions and manage priorities under pressure.
• • Highly motivated and engaging, able to bring energy, passion and conviction to work every day.
• • A strong sense of humour and a love of working collaboratively with others.
• • A team player willing to roll up your sleeves and get the work done.   
• • A highly visible and agile leader who can build up a trusting relationship with different stakeholders.  

Skills

• • Strong strategic abilities and administrative and organisational skills with the capacity to guide whole-organisational development while maintaining direct operational responsibilities.
• • A highly accomplished communicator (both verbally and in writing, in both formal and informal settings) able to work with and across multiple stakeholders to build understanding and value.
• • Strong interpersonal skills and a proven ability to operate effectively and efficiently in a diverse environment with a broad range of stakeholders. 
• • The right candidate will be able to listen with empathy and care, yet also have the strength of purpose and conviction to have challenging conversations and hold individuals and teams accountable.
• • An ability to work within regulatory frameworks and a fast learner able to quickly understand. 
• • Excellent leadership skills - able to manage, coach, mentor and supervise employees - as both individuals and in teams - through the lens of contextual and situational leadership. 
• • Highly developed skills in analysis with the ability to take complex problems and distil them into the strategic questions that need to be asked to move the school forward.