SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGER

Lancashire County Council; Wheelton; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire County Council’s Highfield Community Primary School is seeking a proactive School Business Manager to lead financial, administrative, HR, premises and operational functions. You will work with the Headteacher, SLT, and Trust specialists to ensure efficient running and continuous improvement of the school.

Essential qualifications include 5 GCSEs including Maths and English; a professional qualification in business management or accountancy is desirable.

Qualifications

• 5 GCSE at minimum grade 4 or above (or equivalent) including Maths and English.
• Professional qualification in business management or accountancy or willingness to undertake qualification.
• Experience of a wide range of administrative functions, including managing a team of staff.
• Previous experience working as an office manager in an educational environment.

Responsibilities

• Financial management: Monitor and administer the school budget, undertake business and financial transactions (including orders, invoicing, banking, payroll, credit/charge cards, and reconciliations).
• HR & Payroll: Oversee HR administration, recruitment, safeguarding compliance, sickness absence management, and monthly payroll collations.
• Premises & Health and Safety: Act as onsite Health & Safety Officer, oversee contractors, raise repair orders, and manage premises compliance and risk assessments.

Education

5 GCSE at minimum grade 4 or above (or equivalent) including Maths and English

Professional qualification in business management or accountancy or willingness to undertake qualification

Job description

About the Role

Are you a proactive, highly organised, and adaptable professional looking to make a real difference in a vibrant primary school community? Highfield Community Primary School is seeking an exceptional School Business Manager to oversee and drive the delivery of our financial, administrative, HR, premises, and operational functions.

Working closely with the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team, and Trust specialists (including the CFO, COO, Trust HR Manager, and Trust Network Manager), you will play a central role in ensuring the efficient running and continuous improvement of our school.

Key Responsibilities

• Financial Management: Monitor and administer the school budget, undertake business and financial transactions (including orders, invoicing, banking, payroll, credit/charge cards, and reconciliations), manage procurement/contracts, and ensure robust financial controls.
• Human Resources & Payroll: Oversee HR administration, recruitment, safeguarding compliance (Single Central Record), sickness absence management, and monthly payroll collations.
• Premises & Health and Safety: Act as the onsite Health & Safety Officer, oversee contractors, raise repair orders, and manage premises compliance and risk assessments in collaboration with the Trust COO. School Office & Operations: Line-manage support staff, coordinate staff cover, manage the school MIS, act as Data Protection Officer (DPO), prepare statutory censuses (including Workforce Census), and assist the Headteacher with communications and PA support.

Our Commitments

Safeguarding: Protecting and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. An enhanced DBS check and safer recruitment checks will be required for the successful candidate.

Equal Opportunities: Achieving equality in employment and service delivery.

Customer Focus: Putting the needs and expectations of our school community at the heart of everything we do.

Please note that in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, an online search will be carried out as part of our due diligence on shortlisted candidates.

Location

Highfield Community Primary, PR6 0SP
Wright Street
Tel: [phone]
School website: https://highfieldcps.co.uk

Essential Qualifications

• 5 GCSE at minimum grade 4 or above (or equivalent) including Maths and English

Desirable Qualifications

• Professional qualification in business management or accountancy or willingness to undertake qualification

Essential Experience

• Experience of a wide range of administrative functions, including managing a team of staff
• Previous experience working as an office manager in an educational environment

For an informal discussion please contact: Mrs Rebecca Booth (Head of School), 01257 262783

Proposed Interview Date: 05/11/2026

An Equal Opportunities Employer welcoming applications from all sections of the community

Rehabilitation

The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a 'disclosure'. Information provided by you or the Disclosure and Barring Service will be dealt with in a confidential manner in accordance with the DBS's Code of Practice. You may view the Code of Practice on the DBS website at www.gov.uk/dbs or alternatively a copy is available on request. Lancashire County Council has a Handling of DBS Certificate Information Policy and a Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-offenders this is available from the recruiting manager to applicants who are asked to complete a DBS application.

The County Council is committed to equality of opportunity for all people in terms of recruitment, selection and employment, and is a Disability Confident employer, which means that all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria in the person specification will be interviewed. However, commitment to this standard is on an individual school basis and, therefore, if you are applying for a position within a school, you will need to check with the school whether they have made the decision to comply with this standard.

Please note that we can only consider applications from candidates who are legally entitled to work in the UK.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.