Operations Manager

Inspired Education Group; Lisboa; Presencial; EUR 52 000 - 66 000; Tempo integral

Resumo da oferta

Inspired Education Group is seeking an Operations Manager in Lisbon to lead campus operations and align with regional governance. The role reports to the Executive Head and collaborates with the Regional Operations Director to ensure financial discipline and maintenance excellence.

The ideal candidate will oversee budgets, procurement, security, campus continuity, and cross-functional coordination with academic teams to support a world-class learning environment.

Qualificações

• At least 5+ years of experience in operations management, facilities management, or corporate services, preferably within an educational or premium hospitality setting.
• Demonstrated leadership as a Senior Leadership Team member or managing a large operational department.
• Experience navigating a matrix organization with local and regional accountability.
• Strong background in Opex tracking, Capex budgeting, and cost-center discipline.

Responsabilidades

• Oversee expenditure budgets (Opex) and small Capex with governance and timely reallocation as needed.
• Fully responsible for all school maintenance operations, including planning and compliance.
• Ensure central procurement adherence, with approved purchases and invoice alignment.
• Define and enforce campus security, safety governance, and emergency response planning.
• Act as operational owner of the campus to ensure uninterrupted 24/7 operations and event support.
• Monitor and report on other income streams where applicable.

Conhecimentos

Operations management

Leadership

Budgeting & financial governance

Procurement

Vendor management

Crisis management

Communication

Formação académica

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Facilities Management, Hospitality, or related field

Ferramentas

ERP systems

Procurement platforms

Descrição da oferta de emprego

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Operations Manager

Location: Lisbon, PT

Date: 18 Sept 2026

Inspired Education is the leading global group of premium schools, with a portfolio of 125 premium private schools spanning 6 continents which utilise proven educational practices from every corner of the globe, ensuring over 95,000 students receive a world-class learning experience from Kindergarten to Year 13.

In 28 countries, Inspired schools are individually developed and anchored in the vibrant cultures of their respective locations. They collectively form an international family of schools that nurtures each student's academic and personal development in a progressive, dynamic, and innovative learning environment.

By joining our award-winning team of over 14,000 employees, you can work in state-of-the-art facilities alongside industry-renowned educators and leaders in some of the world's most desirable locations. We invest heavily in our team members who enjoy industry-leading professional development, exceptional career opportunities, and mobility across our group.

ROLE SUMMARY:

The Operations Manager is a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), reporting directly to theExecutive Head.

The role also maintains a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Regional Operations Director,ensuring alignment with regional operational standards, procurement governance, maintenanceframeworks and financial discipline.

The Operations Manager acts as the operational and financial custodian of the campus. Whileadditional responsibilities may be assigned locally, the areas defined below constitute the coreregional mandate and form the basis of accountability and performance evaluation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Expenditure Budget Oversight

Accountable for operational financial discipline at the school level, with full oversight over operational expenditure (Opex) and small capital expenditure (Capex):

• Monitoring: Oversee all Opex across cost centers.
• Planning: Ensure cost center holders plan expenditures and stay within approved budgets.
• Intervention: Act on overspend risks and coordinate in-year budget reallocations with the Executive Head when necessary.
• Capex: Monitor and control small and maintenance Capex budgets.

2. Maintenance

Fully responsible for all school maintenance operations:

• Leadership: Supervise the maintenance team and review their execution and performance.
• Planning: Develop termly, annual, preventive, and corrective maintenance plans.
• Ticket Management: Manage maintenance tickets, prioritize critical interventions, and ensure timely execution.
• Compliance: Ensure infrastructure reliability and compliance.

Note: Any intervention altering the school's aesthetics must be approved by the Capex Team prior to execution.

3. Procurement

Ensure budget alignment and policy adherence through the school's central procurement platform:

• Compliance: Enforce procurement policies and approval thresholds.
• Logistics: Coordinate goods arrival, confirmation, and school-level purchases.
• Purchases: Oversee periodic (e.g., stationery) and weekly supermarket/pharmacy purchases.
• Invoice Workflow: Ensure Purchase Requests (PRs) are validated before commitment and align with invoices to prevent finance delays.

4. Security & Safety

Holds full responsibility for campus security, safety governance, and compliance:

• Protocols: Define and enforce security procedures, entry/exit protocols, and safeguarding compliance.
• Emergency: Organize response structures and conduct fire, earthquake, and evacuation drills.
• Team Management: Manage the security team (insourced or outsourced), including staffing, shifts, and service levels.

5. Campus & Business Continuity

Acts as the operational owner of the physical campus to ensure uninterrupted operations:

• 24/7 Oversight: Coordinate immediate responses to critical incidents (e.g., burst pipes, electrical failures).
• Continuity: Ensure seamless school operations, particularly in boarding environments.
• Environment: Enforce cleanliness, safety, and tidiness across classrooms and common areas.
• Events: Provide operational support for school events in collaboration with academic teams.

6. Other Income (If Applicable)

If assigned by the Head of School, manages revenue streams excluding tuition (e.g., extracurriculars, trips, transport, late pick-up fees):

• Reporting: Compile and submit monthly charge information to the Finance team.
• Monitoring: Track revenue stream performance against the approved budget.

Directly responsible for all operational staff (maintenance, security, monitors, cleaning, etc.):

• HR Functions: Lead recruitment, workforce planning, and training.
• Performance: Conduct annual evaluations, manage underperformance, and handle disciplinary matters.
• Scheduling: Oversee shift planning and duty allocation to ensure continuous operational coverage.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL HAVE:

Experience & Background

• Proven Track Record: At least 5+ years of experience in operations management, facilities management, or corporate services, ideally within an educational institution, premium hospitality setting, or complex multi-stakeholder organization.
• Leadership Excellence: Demonstrated experience operating as a Senior Leadership Team (SLT) member or managing a large, diverse operational department.
• Matrix Reporting: Prior experience navigating a matrix organization—reporting locally to an executive leader while maintaining accountability to regional or corporate directors is highly desirable.
• Financial Acumen: Strong background in corporate finance governance, including direct accountability for Opex tracking, Capex budget management, and cost-center discipline.

Technical Skills & Qualifications

• Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Facilities Management, Hospitality, or a related field is preferred.
• Safety & Compliance: Certified knowledge of Health & Safety protocols, fire safety governance, risk assessments, and emergency response planning (e.g., NEBOSH, IOSH, or equivalent local certifications).
• Procurement Expertise: Familiarity with centralized ERP systems, digital procurement platforms, and automated workflow approval processes.
• Vendor Management: Sharp negotiation skills with a history of managing external Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for outsourced security, catering, or cleaning.

Core Competencies & Soft Skills

• Crisis Management: High emotional intelligence and resilience under pressure. Capable of leading 24/7 incident responses (e.g., utility failures) with logical, swift decision-making.
• People & Culture Champion: A strong, empathetic people manager who can inspire, train, and hold frontline operational teams (maintenance, cleaning, security) accountable to high-performance standards.
• Attention to Detail: An uncompromising eye for campus aesthetics, cleanliness, and overall tidiness. You treat the physical campus with true custodian pride.
• Communication & Collaboration: Fluent in English (and the local language if applicable) with exceptional written and verbal communication skills, capable of bridging the gap between local academic needs and regional corporate governance.
• Strategic Alignment: Ability to look beyond daily logistics to ensure all operational decisions directly safeguard business continuity and the school’s reputation.

SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT:

Inspired Education Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and other third parties to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practices and pre-employment background checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.