School Operations Manager

Harrow International School Abu Dhabi; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Harrow International School Abu Dhabi, founded to provide an exceptional learning environment, seeks a School Operations Manager. You will oversee all campus operations, procurement, facilities, HSE, events, ESG, and shared services, reporting to the Head of Business Operations and collaborating with the Principal.

The role requires 3–5 years in operational roles in education or similar settings, a relevant degree, and strong leadership.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or relevant operational qualification; NEBOSH and IOSH preferred.
• Experience: 3–5 years in operational roles, ideally in education, facilities, or service-driven environments.
• Attributes: calm, organized, highly accountable; clear communicator; practical and audit-ready.

Responsibilities

• Staff Management: lead and appraise facilities, procurement, IT, and nursing teams; ensure KPI alignment.
• Purchasing & Contract: manage budgets, POs, vendor payments, and asset tagging.
• Health & Safety: implement H&S protocols, chair meetings, coordinate investigations.
• Events & Excursions: approve events; liaise with transport/third parties.
• Facilities Management: monitor RM budgets, maintenance, risk escalation.
• Compliance: renew licenses, maintain inspection records, onboarding for vendors.
• ESG & Energy: lead sustainability, waste reduction, coordinate with CO teams.
• Campus Development: contribute to strategic campus planning and CIP projects.
• Shared Services: coordinate transport, catering, and service providers.
• IT End User Support: oversee IT procurement and onboarding.

Skills

Vendor oversight

Contract oversight

Health & safety leadership

Budget & procurement control

Cross-functional problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree or relevant operational qualification

NEBOSH and IOSH preferred

Tools

Procurement software

MS Office

Job description

Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We hold ourselves to a high standard of effective practices in relation to child protection and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff to share this commitment.

All successful applicants must be willing to undergo enhanced child protection screening appropriate to the post, including various background checks including, receipt of high-quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks. No member of staff will be able to start until these checks are complete and this process takes, on average, a month.

Are you a strategic, solutions-focused operations professional ready to make a meaningful impact in education?

Harrow International School Abu Dhabi is seeking an experienced and competent School Operations Manager to join its founding school.

As part of our founding team, you will play a pivotal role in building a vibrant and inclusive community where the learning of every individual is at the heart of daily life. Guided by the Harrow values, our staff will create an environment in which every pupil is nurtured, challenged, and empowered to achieve their very best.

Job Purpose

The School Operations Manager oversees all operational services at campus level, ensuring smooth, compliant, and cost-effective delivery. Reporting directly to the Head of Business Operations and working closely with the Principal, the role covers key functions such as procurement, facilities, H&S, events, ESG, and shared services. The role also ensures regulatory readiness and contributes to school improvement plans through cross-functional coordination.

Key Accountabilities:

Staff Management

• Develop and maintain effective partnerships and engage in positive communication with all staff, senior leaders, HOBO and the Principal.
• Provide leadership for the Facilities Manager, Procurement assistant, IT assistant and Head nurse. This includes ensuring they adhere to their accountabilities and KPIs, supporting their professional development, conducting appraisals, and addressing performance issues.
• Adhere to the school’s policies and procedures and ensure all supervised staff do as well.

Purchasing and Contract Management

• Oversee operational budgets (R&M, FFE, licensing, utilities, IT), POs, and DoA compliance.
• Review procurement documentation and vendor payments; monitor advance payments and credit card use.
• Ensure deliveries are asset tagged per policy.
• QA/QC the vendor performance and elevate quality issues where required.

Health and Safety

• Lead implementation of Taaleem and regulatory H&S protocols, and site safety infrastructure.
• Chair HSE meeting.
• Complete and elevate incident reports per internal systems and regulatory portals and coordinate with Facilities and Principal for post-incident investigations.
• Lead government inspections and coordinate post-crisis H&S site checks.

Events and excursions

• Oversee school event and field trip approvals to ensure they follow Taaleem’s Events & Excursions Policy.
• Liaise with transport and third-party vendors; support with escalated trip-related issues.

Facilities Management

• Monitor R&M budgets and maintenance delivery in collaboration with Facilities Manager.
• Escalate site-level risks that threaten continuity of operations.
• Oversee CCTV usage for regulatory and internal policy compliance.

Compliance

• Ensure timely renewal of all key licenses (e.g., Civil Defence, Clinic, Trade).
• Maintain compliance records for inspections; report non-conformance to CO.
• Oversee onboarding documentation for ECAs, ASAs, and third-party vendors.
• Monitor adherence to Taaleem and local authority policies.

ESG and energy conservation

• Act as site ESG champion; lead sustainability, waste reduction, and recycling initiatives.
• Liaise with CO teams to upcycle outdated equipment and reduce utility usage in line with group targets.

Campus Development

• Contribute to the school’s strategic campus planning and monitor ongoing infrastructure needs.
• Oversee delivery of approved CIP projects; ensure all building modifications have proper authority approvals.

Shared Services

• Coordinate transport, catering, ASA, and uniform providers with support from CO teams.
• Approve space allocation for ECAs and shared services.
• Manage provider performance, changes, and communication to relevant stakeholders.
• Lead commission tracking for all other income with the support of the Shared Services Manager.

IT End User Support

• Oversee IT and software procurement against approved budgets.
• Support IT onboarding for new staff and resolve escalated operational IT issues.
• Monitor printing systems and coordinate asset usage with CO IT.

Who Are We Looking For

Education: Bachelor’s degree or relevant operational qualification; NEBOSH and IOSH preferred.

Experience: 3–5 years in operational roles, ideally in education, facilities, or service-driven environments.

• Vendor and contract oversight
• Health, safety, and compliance leadership
• Budget awareness and procurement control
• Cross-functional problem-solving and crisis response

Attributes:

• Calm, organized, and highly accountable
• Clear communicator and team enabler
• Practical, audit-ready, and solutions-focused
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, stakeholder-heavy school environment

Harrow Values

All staff are expected to conduct themselves in line with the School’s values which are: Courage, Honour, Humility and Fellowship. While the School’s values set out what matters most to us, the behaviours below are intended as a shared set of expectations to refer to, and standards to aspire to, in our dealings with others. They are the practical application of our values.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are values that are important to us at Taaleem. We believe in diversity of thought and actively welcome everyone regardless of their background to bring their valuable and relevant skills to our community.

Note: It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

This advertisement is posted on behalf of Harrow International School Abu Dhabi which is part of the group owned by Taaleem Holdings PJSC and independently operated under a licence to use the Harrow School brand. For further details of the relationship, please see the relationship statement on the harrowdubai.ae website. Accordingly, applicants should be aware that the employer will be part of Taaleem Holdings PJSC’s group and under its control and not Harrow School.