School Business Manager

Buckinghamshire Council; High Wycombe; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

A local education authority in High Wycombe seeks a School Business Manager to oversee the business functions of a special school, including finance, HR, and administration. The ideal candidate will have leadership experience, preferably within an educational setting, and strong communication skills for collaboration with the school's leadership team. This permanent role offers a competitive salary range and requires ability to ensure effective operations, allowing focus on educational outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience in a leadership or management position, preferably within a school.
• Knowledge of financial management and HR management.
• Ability to support compliance and administration.

Responsibilities

• Manage the strategy and operation of the business functions of the school.
• Oversee financial management, health and safety, and human resources.
• Support other leadership team members in focusing on teaching and learning.

Skills

Leadership experience

Financial management

HR management

Strong communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Job description

Location

High Wycombe

Overview

Salary: Range 9 – Range 10 DOE (£52,312-£66,333- FTE) (£48,389-£61,358- Actual)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 37 hours per week, 42 weeks per year (39 weeks + 3 weeks)

Location: Chiltern Wood School – Multi Site (Cressex , Downley, Studley Green)

Responsible to: Headteacher & Governors

Responsible for: HR, Finance, Admin and Facilities Staff

Closing date: 8th January 2026

Interviews: 13th January 2026

About us

Chiltern Wood School is a Special School currently supporting over 200 students ranging from ages 3 to 19 years. We are based across three sites in the High Wycombe area.

About the role

We are actively recruiting a School Business Manager (SBM) to join our team.

The SBM is responsible for managing the strategy and operation of the business functions of our school, including financial management, health and safety, human resources, compliance and administration.

For further information please see attached Job description.

About you

The successful candidate will advise on and implement the day-to-day resources that enables the school to operate effectively and efficiently, and that allows other members of the leadership team to focus on teaching and learning.

The ideal candidate will have previous experience in a leadership and / or management position, preferably within a school or educational setting. In addition, would have knowledge of both financial, including recovery planning and HR management to support the school.

This role will work collaboratively with the Senior Leadership Team as well as the Governing Body and will therefore have strong communication and interpersonal skills, to ensure that they are able to work effectively with all key stakeholders.

For further information please see attached Person specification.