Operations and Compliance Manager

Stoke-on-Trent City Council; Stoke-on-Trent; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Generous holidays

Pension scheme (local government)

Annual leave purchase scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Flexible working options

Job summary

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is seeking an experienced health, safety and compliance leader to sit within the school operations team. You will lead day-to-day H&S on sites, manage risk assessments and advise school leadership on compliance with regulations, audits and safer premises management.

The role involves developing and enforcing policies, coordinating external inspections and ensuring training for staff on safety matters, with a focus on premises, safety, COSHH and business continuity.

Responsibilities

• Lead on day-to-day Health and Safety implementation as the primary on-site H&S lead.
• Manage operational risk assessments and ensure identified risks are mitigated and monitored.
• Write, review, update and maintain school risk assessments to align with regulatory requirements.
• Advise Headteacher on school-level risk assessments and ensure statutory compliance checks are recorded.
• Oversee COSHH registers, risk assessments and safe storage of hazardous materials.
• Assist senior leaders to ensure ISS compliance with premises, health and welfare, and maintain robust audit trails.
• Coordinate external audits, inspections and regulatory visits related to premises and safety.
• Support HR administration by maintaining recruitment compliance files and the Single Central Record.

Job description

Strategic Contribution

• Ensure operational, safety, and compliance perspectives are represented in school leadership decisions.
• Contribute to the development of the school's operational strategy and annual improvement priorities relating to premises, compliance, health and safety and business continuity.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Lead on day-to-day Health and Safety implementation, acting as the primary on-site H&S lead.
• Lead operational risk management within areas of responsibility, ensuring that identified risks are assessed, mitigated and monitored.
• Write, review, update, and rigorously maintain all school-level risk assessments (including general site safety, fire, COSHH, activities, and operational hazards) to ensure full alignment with regulatory requirements - linked to areas of responsibility
• Provide advice to the Headteacher on other school-level risk assessments
• Manage and record statutory compliance checks, including water testing (legionella monitoring), fire safety checks, and regular audits.
• Oversee COSHH registers, risk assessments, and the safe storage of hazardous materials.

Regulatory & Statutory Compliance (ISSs)

• Assist senior leaders to ensure physical and operational compliance across relevant parts of the Independent School Standards (ISSs), maintaining robust audit trails for premises, health, and welfare.
• Coordinate and support external audits, inspections and regulatory visits relating to premises, health and safety, compliance and operational matters.

Personnel, Policies & Training

• Support HR administration by maintaining and auditing recruitment compliance files and the Single Central Record

Policies

• Write, review, and update school policies and procedures related to areas of responsibility (including health and safety, premises, site security, COSHH, food safety, and associated operational guidelines), ensuring they align with regulatory changes and relevant standards.
• Monitor, log, and audit the practical implementation of operational and safety policies across the school site, and design and deliver relevant compliance and safety training to staff in relation to areas of responsibility
• Monitor, evaluate and report on the school's compliance position, advising the Headteacher and SLT on areas of risk and recommending corrective actions.

Premises, Facilities and Contractor Management

• Act as a designated key holder, providing out of hours and emergency access to the school site.
• Manage Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPMs) schedules and reactive maintenance.
• Arrange for general maintenance within specialist areas such as heating, lighting, and plumbing to ensure safe and effective operation.
• Responsible for regular health and safety checks of buildings, grounds, fixtures, fittings (including compliance with fire safety regulations), and equipment.
• Provide advice on annual long-term maintenance requirements to support a cost-effective maintenance programme.
• Act as the primary liaison for Trust and external contractors while on-site, arranging works to be carried out, overseeing projects, and ensuring work is completed to the required standard and within budget.
• Responsible for the regular checking and operation of core systems such as heating, cooling, lighting, and security (including CCTV and alarms).
• Purchase premises-related equipment and supplies within agreed budgets.

Catering, Food Safety & Logistics

• Ensure rigorous compliance with the safe storage of food, food labelling, and stock rotation protocols.

Staff Management

• Direct line management of site supervisors, cleaners, and premises staff.
• Manage cleaning rotas, standards, and school logistics (such as supporting smooth site operations during peak pupil transition times).

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is a unitary authority employing approximately 4,600 staff who deliver 700 services to more than 260,000 residents. Our city comprises of six towns: Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall. We are a city of strengths, with a proud heritage and bright future. We have undergone significant changes over the last few years. New ways of working have already transformed many service areas and we are determined to continue to develop more innovative approaches to ensure that we can maximise the benefits of transformation.

Our city

Although the 13th largest city in the UK, Stoke-on-Trent is rapidly outstripping a number of parts of the country with our economic growth and recovery.

Stoke-on-Trent is a city with a strong sense of civic pride - we've been voted the kindest city in the UK - and a place where you'll receive a hugely warm welcome. We have a rich and diverse culture, steeped in our prestigious industrial heritage as the celebrated 'world capital of ceramics'. But we don't just want to celebrate our proud past - we firmly believe that Stoke-on-Trent's best years are ahead of it. We are determined to raise aspirations and match them with high-quality education and health provision, as well as improved opportunities to secure fulfilling and well-paid work. Through uniting social and economic opportunities, we are maximising the full power of the city council as a secure and steadfast institution within the city.

When you work for Stoke-on-Trent City Council you'll be helping to improve the lives and wellbeing of our residents. We'll provide you with support, learning opportunities and flexible working options and some amazing benefits including; a competitive salary, generous holidays, an excellent defined local authority benefit pension scheme, annual leave purchase scheme, cycle to work schemes just to name a few. We also have access to lifestyle benefits which offer a wide range of discounts such as family days out, travel, retail and many more.

Our commitment to you

Vibrancy and diversity are two of Stoke-on-Trent's greatest assets. A city founded on creative endeavour should value and celebrate the multitude of voices, ideas and identities that shape its culture. We are committed to creating a culture which is truly inclusive, where all staff feel valued, listened to, supported and able to do their work to the best of their abilities at all times. And we must ensure that our decisions and policies nurture and empower communities across our city and do not inadvertently disadvantage groups and individuals that we want to help to thrive.

Our approach to Equality and Diversity is an invitation to all our communities to work with and for us so we can continue to improve how we deliver services residents need.

Our employee networks are inclusive, open forums for colleagues with similar lived experiences. They allow staff to meet, support and mentor each other, alongside being a voice for under-represented groups to advise and support the organisation when developing policies and services.