St Felix School - Head Of Operations

St Felix School - Head Of Operations

Head Of Operations Candidate Information Pack

WELCOME F R O M T H E H E A D

Welcome to Saint Felix School. Located close to the glorious seaside town of Southwold on the Suffolk coast, we are an independent co-educational day and boarding school for children aged from 2 –18 years old. Our aim is to develop well-rounded students with the skills and personality to make a success of their lives during and after their formative school years. Established over 120 years ago as an all-girls school, Saint Felix was a pioneer of its time, and this founding spirit lives on today. Fully co-educational since 2002, our pupils come from a variety of backgrounds. We joined the Inspired Learning Group family in 2021 on account of its shared vision, values and strong track record in providing world-class education. This partnership will enable Saint Felix to work with a network of likeminded establishments and in doing so provide resources and expertise that will unquestionably add value to our own offering and the educational experience of our pupils.

We are delighted to share more information on the Head Of Operations role, a key leadership position within the school. The successful incumbent will work closely with me to maintain compliance across all areas of school life whilst ensuring that we continue to operate to the highest standards and provide the very best service to the pupils and parents at this fantastic school. As Headmaster, I am incredibly proud of the achievements of our students and staff and I am excited to lead Saint Felix as we embark on a new chapter with the ILG family. James Harrison Headmaster

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Saint Felix, Southwold has been providing educational excellence for over 120 years to children from Suffolk, Norfolk and further afield. Our aim is to maximise the potential of each individual’s skills be they academic, practical, creative or social. We uphold traditional values within a modern environment to give every child the best possible start in life. Set in 75 acres of safe and secure grounds in an area of outstanding natural beauty, our pupils benefit from a broad curriculum and the extensive offer of more than 40 enrichment activities. The school’s facilities continue to develop too with recent additions including an indoor swimming pool and sports complex, a 250-seat theatre and a full equestrian cross- country course.

OUR LOCATION

Southwold is renowned as one of the UK’s favourite seaside towns. Miles of coastal, heaths and countryside walks surround the town along with nature reserves including RSPB Minsmere, while the bustling city of Norwich is less than one hour away. With its sandy beach and beach hut-lined promenade, Southwold offers a wonderful environment for holidays and weekends away, as well as a vibrant market town atmosphere. This picturesque seaside town is the perfect year-round destination. The town has a thriving arts scene including concerts, literary and art festivals, theatre productions and its own independent cinema as well as a bustling high street packed with independent shops, public houses and restaurants. Food and drink are an integral part of the Southwold experience.

The town centre is within easy walking distance of the school, offering a convenient base for parents visiting their children at Saint Felix, with an array of restaurants, hotels and holiday rental cottages. East Anglia is one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations and Southwold is close to many other attractions across the region. Visit The Suffolk Coast, Visit Suffolk or Visit Norfolk for more information.

ABOUT INSPIRED LEARNING GROUP (ILG) ILG believes, first and foremost, in putting children at the heart of everything we do. We endeavour to provide educational excellence within a culture of care to nurture each pupil the best we can. We want to offer a wide range of opportunities, both academic and extra-curricular, so that all our children are endowed with the spirit to aspire and become twenty first century citizens. The Inspired Learning Group (ILG) currently owns and operates 17 schools and nurseries across the UK . Employing more than 330 staff to look after our 1,300+ pupils, we are one of the largest independent school groups in the UK. ILG is very much an extended family; allowing us to share best practice and innovation between schools in order to raise standards of teaching and learning for all of our students. Each location has its own history and we encourage cultural individuality so that new ideas can grow naturally with the best ideas then implemented right across the group.

ILG schools may look reassuringly traditional in some ways but our move away from standardisation towards customisation is not just modern but quietly revolutionary. Amit Mehta, CEO of ILG, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Saint Felix School into the Inspired Learning Group and look forward to supporting the School as it continues to deliver a fantastic educational experience for students and staff. “Working closely together with the staff and families at Saint Felix, we are committed to continuing the School’s positive trajectory and hope that they share our excitement in joining our wonderful network of schools, pupils and staff, and benefiting from shared resources that will continue to drive future growth, and, above all, empower students to fulfil their potential and go on to lead happy and successful lives.”

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

As part of the next stage in our development, we are seeking a talented Head of Operations to run the operations and facilities aspects of our school. Our school is set in 75 glorious acres on the Suffolk coast, just minutes from the sea. Our facilities include a full equestrian cross-country course and a purpose-built 25m swimming and sports complex as part of our 165,000 sq ft of building space. You don’t need to be an expert in running the operations of a school, but you may have transferable experience of running a large estate, hotel or other operations where safety, customer service and efficiency are key. The Head of Operations is a new hands-on role and reports to James Harrison, our inspirational and passionate Headmaster. James has deep affection for his school and has significant ambition to develop the Southwold campus to meet the needs of the 21-century school. In this wide-ranging role, you would provide overall management of the school’s premises and facilities, including site and grounds maintenance, facilities, Health & Safety, security, cleaning, catering services and vehicle management. Under your leadership you will ensure that the school will be well presented, safe, clean and welcoming environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy / Planning • Contribute to the three-year plan, and annual site plan, that considers the state of the fabric of our buildings and grounds and the need for regular maintenance. • Mange risk assessment for the safe operation of the Operations team and those that study, work or visit the campus.

Domestic Services • Lead and manage the boarding, catering, cleaning and laundry service.

• Managing a 7 day a week on-site catering operations for our borders, day pupils, staff and visitors.

Maintenance • Plan and devise statement of works to ensure that maintenance programmes, are carried out as required in a safe and secure way, and plan for adverse, or unusual events, such as severe weather conditions • Ensuring the efficient operation of all utilities including heating, lighting, water, sewerage, refuse disposal, fire and escape of water management • Provide site supervision for all staff and contractors undertaking work on the site and to provide ‘sign off’ that works have been completed satisfactorily to the agreed standard Team Leadership • Manage, motivate the Operations team of 20 developing a work ethic that promotes a responsive service and responds to the needs of the school community

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Requirements • You will have at least two years’ experience leading an operations or facilities team covering a wide range of skills and trades, with demonstrable experience of bringing these different talents together as one team

• Strong interpersonal skills and excellent oral and written communication

• You will be a competent user of IT, with good knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint • An understanding of young people and the ability to communicate with them tactfully and with respect

• Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

• Full Driving Licence

Technical • Ideally, you will hold a recognised construction or property management qualification. If you do not have one, we will help you work towards gaining one, such as IWFM or NEBOSH • You will have sound project management and organisational skills, with experience of managing projects involving multiple suppliers and contractors

• Experience of managing budgets and physical resources

• Experience of setting and managing KPIs for supplier and contractor performance

• You will have significant understanding and experience of health and safety in the workplace

The above is an indication of the requirements of the post and is not meant to be inclusive or exhaustive. Any role that needs reasonably to be undertaken should also be undertaken whether or not included in the above. The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The post holder’s responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom he/she is responsible, or with whom he/she comes into contact will be to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection Policy Statement at all times. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the post- holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, he/she must report any concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead. This non-contractual job description is not necessarily a comprehensive definition of the post. It will be reviewed at least once a year (as part of the appraisal process) and it may be subject to modification or amendment at any time after consultation with the holder of the post.

APPLICATION P R O C E S S

Should you wish to apply for this position, please send a CV and covering statement outlining key matching experience and rationale for applying for the post.

Applications should be sent to our recruitment advisor, The Management Recruitment Group:

Hayley Mintern T: 07530 680 194 E: [email protected]

Deadline for submissions: Sunday 3rd October 2021.