St Andrew’s, Turi is seeking to appoint a Director Operations & Projects (DOP) who will provide strategic direction and leadership to the School’s operations and quality assurance in the deliver services across the whole School.
Reporting to the Director, this position is responsible for the management and development of management procedures and methodologies to enable the School achieve it objectives on efficiency of service delivery.
The role has a significant strategic element to it and the appointee will be expected to play a leading part in planning and implementation of all existing and future infrastructure plans/projects of the School.
The DOP will be a member of the School’s most senior committee, the School Executive Committee (SEC), which is responsible for the overall
direction and development of the School.
The DOP will also be a member of the Senior Management Teams of both the Senior and Preparatory Schools, attending meetings where appropriate, and will work closely with the two Heads as well as the Director of Finance & Strategy. S/he will line manage, motivate and develop a team of six full and part-time staff.
The DOP reports to the Director of St Andrew’s School who bears overall responsibility for the strategic development of the School as a whole and
oversees the work of the two Heads who run their respective Schools.
The appointment is seen as critical to the School’s success and the appointee will play a central role in the development and implementation of the School’s future development strategic plans and the Master Plan of the School
Responsibilities
The overarching responsibilities of the DOP include:
Map out, analyse and manage the improvement and streamlining of key Operations processes.
Lead as the operations expert in automation of required processes.
Spearhead the development, implementation, periodic testing, and continual improvement/simplification of the School’s Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
Lead in planning and implementing infrastructure plans/projects (current & future) aimed at achieving cost efficiencies.
Participate in the selection and the subsequent day to day management of the various outsourced service providers within the School including Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all service providers within the Operations function.
Advising the SEC and the Board of Governors about trends in the International School sector and contributing to the formulation of the School’s strategic plans
Develop and implement operational policies and guidelines to inform operational activities in the School.
Person Specification
Skills and Attributes
Proactive, sound judgement combined with the highest standards of personal integrity, energy, stamina, enthusiasm and a sense of humour
Ability to work dynamically and flexibly as part of a leadership team, to show initiative and imagination and the ability to inspire others.
The presence, intellect, tact and credibility to represent the School at all levels and to a variety of audiences, both internal and external
Vision, creative flair and commercial acumen combined with the ability to operate at a strategic level
Client focused and target driven
High levels of discretion and confidentiality
The ability to manage and prioritise a diverse workload, to meet deadlines, and to work calmly under pressure
Highly literate and numerate, excellent in the use of IT and in the development of operational systems
High work standards evidenced by a consistently thorough detailed and organised approach.
Duties
This is a wide-ranging and complex role requiring a clear empathy for and commitment to independent international education within a Christian context.
The DOP will be a key public face for St Andrew’s, responsible for the leadership of all matters related to Projects & Operations in both the
Preparatory and the Senior Schools in close liaison with the Director, the Heads and the Director of Finance & Strategy.
It is a critical leadership role, and the post-holder will take the lead in developing and maintaining excellent relationships with all
stakeholders.
The principal duties of the Director Operations & Projects are to:
Operations Transformation
Map out, analyse and manage the improvement and streamlining of Key Operations processes.
Lead as the operations process expert in automation of required processes.
Spearhead the development, implementation, periodic testing, and continual improvement/simplification of the School’s Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
Lead in strengthening and implementing existing infrastructure plans/ projects aimed at achieving cost efficiencies.
Participate in the selection and the subsequent day to day management of various outsourced service providers within the School including Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all service providers within the operations function.
Lead the identification of continuous improvement processes and opportunities within Operations and ensure implementation of the same in coordination with others including adequate retooling and resource allocation.
Develop and implement operational policies and guidelines to inform operational activities in the School.
Business Continuity Planning
Develop and manage Business continuity plans for recovery, decision making and communications, continuity of time critical processes to ensure continuity of operation;
Conduct or oversee contingency plan integration and operation within all areas of operations.
Ensure that plans and strategies are appropriate, cohesive and viable, and could be used to recover key functions within required time frames.
Facilities Management & Maintenance
Oversee the School’s insurance portfolio, ensuring adequate cover against risk exposure by liaising closely with finance and insurance service providers.
Develop and manage various maintenance programs and related activities.
Chair the Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) Committee and ensure compliance to all statutory H & S requirements at the school.
Maintain close oversight on the School’s maintenance teams, civil works contractors, to ensure high-quality status of the School’s facilities is achieved and maintained at all times.
Manage and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the operations function through improvements to each sub-unit as well as coordination and communication between various stakeholders.
Develop and optimally manage the operations budget by ensuring that all costs are properly tracked and approved in line with the operations and finance policy.
Drive initiatives in the Operations Function that contribute to long-term operational excellence.
Catering
Provide oversight of the catering operations of the School delivering the highest standard of customer service, within the School’s budgetary requirements.
Participate in the implementation of quality management plans, regulatory compliance strategies and risk management procedures.
Actively participate in regular meetings to review quality standards and improvements with the aim of maximizing student, staff and visitor satisfaction.
House Keeping
Oversee the work of housekeeping staff and ensure that school hostels, offices buildings and other facilities are kept clean and tidy.
Enforce staff compliance with established safety and sanitation policies.
Procurement & Logistics
Provide budgetary planning and support of inventory & fixed assets management activities.
Effectively & efficiently manage the overall transport & logistic functions of the School.
Project Management
Oversee the formulation of project plans to meet the objectives of each project while adhering to an approved budget and timeline.
Lead the project team and assigns tasks, sets deadlines, providing necessary resources and information to the team members
Medical Services
Oversee the efficient running of all medical services provided by the School doctor and team.
Oversee the delivery of timely and high-quality health care to all members of the St Andrew’s School Community .
Other Responsibilities
Supervise and coach immediate staff members and manage their performance, development and career growth plans.
Take reasonable care of own occupational health and safety and that of others as obliged by the School’s Safety Policy; and complying with requirements under the statutory health and safety provisions within the Country’s laws.
Identify and take action to mitigate potential risks within the work area
