Employment and Career

School Business Manager

Educational Business Management specialist, providing expert finance, ICT, procurement and HR advice to school leaders, governors, and academy trusts.
Leader in strategic design, implementation and management of business, facilities, accessibility and ICT services for educational settings and charities.

Expert all-around business manager, including budget management, identifying efficiencies and implementing them cost-effectively. Excellent technical, financial and policy skills, delivering both core business and special projects. With particular experience in procurement, contract, and supplier management, forging strong and lasting relationships with third parties and providers. First-rate people skills, running inclusive, safer recruitment, as well as HR and payroll services. A talented team leader, supporting permanent and contract staff to grow in their roles both professionally and personally.

Core Competencies:

  • Procurement and Supplier Management
  • Recruitment and Employment
  • HR and Payroll Management
  • Schools Policies and Safeguarding
  • Financial Advice and Reporting
  • Financial Account Management
  • IT Procurement and Management
  • Process and Performance Improvement

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust, Somerset, UK

Schools Business Manager – Holy Trinity Church School, 04/2019 – 08/2021

Business management for the Multi Academy Trust in Holy Trinity Church School, advising school leaders, governors and the Trust on finance, procurement, HR, and IT for Holy Trinity Church School. This includes:

  • leading day-to-day accounting, monthly reporting, and bi-annual account adjustments;
  • procuring goods and services according to framework requirements;
  • overseeing contractors and suppliers, and
  • successfully delivering multiple school improvement projects annually.

HR responsibilities include; safer recruitment of teaching and support staff, writing inclusive job descriptions and adverts, shortlisting and interviewing candidates, handling job offers and appointments, checks and clearances, TUPE, and payroll management. Team leader for office administration and midday supervisor teams.

Key Achievements:
  • Procured and refurbished old laptops to provide managed school devices for remote learning within 2 days of lockdown for over 20 pupil premium families, and secured broadband provision for all households within the school community as required.
  • Established annual budget planning and approval process with headteachers, governors and Trust leaders.
  • Organised and implemented change of the school catering supplier, bringing contract staff in house to improve pay, conditions and team working, and sourcing better quality local food, increasing uptake of school meals by 30%.

Holy Trinity Church School, Yeovil, UK

Schools Network Manager, 09/2013 – 04/2019

Technical leadership and day-to-day management for the school’s ICT. Worked at Trust level with a team to deliver an Academy-wide IT harmonisation programme for over 20 schools implementing Office 365 across multiple sites; providing integrated IT services with their on-premise networks, Outlook, and SharePoint sites, and establishing a quality central support team, replacing variable or absent school-level support.

Provided technical expertise for ICT lessons; established, ran and supported popular after-school code and art clubs.

Key Achievements:
  • During a period of rapid growth, was seconded to the central Multi Academy Trust team to provide and develop Trust-wide ICT provision.
  • Used own expertise to provide savings on IT expenditure by moving IT services from contractors to in-house, including installation, configuration, and support for network servers and services.
  • Conducted value-for-money evaluation of current IT contracts, successfully proposing and implementing a move to centralised provision, delivering savings, improved communications and support, and enabled networking and sharing of best practices.

Martock Primary School, Somerset, UK

ICT technician; promoted to Network Manager, 07/2012 – 09/2013

Managed the ICT budget and provided strategic ICT guidance to the head teacher. Led technical support and management of the School’s IT infrastructure, including installation, configuration, support and administration of network servers and services. Provided in-class support for ICT lessons, and managed after-school and lunchtime coding clubs.

Key Achievements:
  • Established in-house ICT provision, enabling and educating the staff team to best utilise and implement computing across the school.
  • Provided savings of over 30% on ICT procurement and support services.

Additional experience as

Julius Naim Design & Consultancy (2010 – 2012) self-employed, Somerset.

ICT & Facilities Manager (1998 – 2010) Business Disability Forum, London.

Technical Proficiencies

Capita SIMS.net and FMS, ScholarPack MIS, Schoolzine, WisePay, PS Financials, ParentPay, Civica HR & Payroll, Strictly Education.

Azure, Office365, including implementing Teams for schools, remote learning and collaboration.

Wide-ranging ICT skills and experienced development, and design of accessible and usable systems.

Education and Credentials

Access to Art and Design Oaklands College, St Albans

Graphic Communications Processes, degree module Ryerson University, Toronto, CA     

Professional Accreditations:

Project management training and Facilitation training, Business Development Forum

Personal Achievements:

  • Specialist endurance ultra-runner: Multiday running and adventuring across the UK and abroad.
  • Social media expertise with merchandising, branding and design, and event management.
  • Developed, launched and an active committee member of an England Athletics affiliated international virtual running club.
  • Provided support for charities and initiatives with artwork, branding, IT advice and website design.