Executive Business Manager
Salford City Academy, Manchester, M30 7PQDeadline is tomorrow
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
14 June 2025 at 9am
Date listed
11 June 2025
Job details
Job role
- Other leadership roles
- Administration, HR, data and finance
- Other support roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £65,000 - £75,000 (based on experience and with opportunity for performance related pay incentives)
What skills and experience we're looking for
Your experience
You will bring:
- Proven experience in financial and operational leadership across multiple sites or schools
- Strategic planning and resource management expertise
- Confidence in influencing at senior levels, including Principals, Governors and Trust Executives
- A collaborative leadership style that motivates high performing teams.
- The highest regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of staff, children and young people.
What the school offers its staff
About United Learning Salford Cluster
United Learning is a group of schools which aims to provide excellent education to children and young people across the country. Our Salford Cluster includes The Albion Academy, The Lowry Academy, Salford City Academy and Irlam and Cadenhead. Each school is at a different stage of its improvement journey with distinct priorities and leadership.
We work collaboratively across the cluster to deliver the best possible education for our students. Support staff are delivered both within individual schools or as part of a shared cluster team, ensuring high quality consistent provision.
We offer:
- A competitive salary with performance related incentives
- Access to high quality professional development and leadership training.
- Eight In Service Education Training (INSET) days per year, including dedicated planning time
- Generous pension with 19% employer contributions
- A strong focus on staff wellbeing including a group wide wellbeing programme
- Opportunities to contribute to strategic development and share services across multiple schools
- Access to specialist resources and facilities through United Learning’s national network
A chance to make a tangible impact on the lives of young people in Salford
Further details about the role
Executive Business Manager Job Description
Job Title: Executive Business Manager
Directly reporting to: Regional Director
Indirectly reporting to: Director of Finance - Academies
Responsible for: School and Cluster based staff in the following functions:
Finance
Human resources (including oversight of SCR)
Office administration
Site/facilities management
Health and safety
Marketing and pupil numbers
Information Technology (including telephony)
Governance Support (including GDPR)
Overall Job Purpose:
To deliver a high quality and efficient business support service to all Academies in the Cluster, to ensure that day to day operational functions are effectively managed as well as providing strategic and visionary leadership.
The post-holder will provide overall leadership and some line management to the business support functions in each Academy; developing high performing support teams which are highly motivated and focussed on the education outcomes and strategic vision of each Academy and Cluster.
They will liaise with United Learning central services to ensure that these functions provide value added support and advice to the Cluster in a timely and professional way.
They will be a member of each Academy SLT, and where in place, the Cluster SLT and contribute fully to Academy Development Plans and the 5-year strategic planning cycle across the Cluster.
They will actively promote the values of United Learning, our Framework for Excellence and the distinct culture and ethos of each Academy. They will have the highest regard for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of staff, children and young people.
Key responsibilities in each functional area:
Leadership & Strategy
Negotiate and influence strategic decision making within each Academy’s Senior Management/Leadership Team and Governing Body.
Ensure that all resources are managed effectively and efficiently.
Present timely and fully costed proposals, recommendations or bids.
Plan and manage change in accordance with each Academy’s development/strategic plan.
Lead and manage the key support functions in each Academy.
Take a lead role in bringing new schools into the cluster in partnership with Central Office colleagues and the Cluster SLT.
Finance
Provide overall leadership to finance staff in each Academy, with support and advice from the Central Office Finance Business Partner, other specialists and senior managers within the central Finance and Strategic Planning teams; and in particular to:
Develop and monitor the 5 year long-term financial strategy in each Academy
Oversee the preparation of each Academy’s annual budget for central office in consultation with the SLT and LGB, in line with each Academy’s development plan but with an overview of emerging Cluster development plans.
Oversee the monthly management of forecasts against the agreed annual budgets and prepare management reports and analysis for the SLT and LGB as requested
Be responsible for the overall leadership of each Academy’s accounting function and the staff working in that function, ensuring efficient operation in line with agreed procedures, and maintaining those procedures by conducting at least an annual review.
Guaranteeing value for money through competitive tendering and effective supplier management, in cooperation with central office as necessary, and with regard to the additional purchasing power that can be achieved through collaboration and group procurement.
Ensuring that each Academy has access to available external funding and resources, including income generation through bid writing, lettings and other activities within the ethos of the Academies.
Human Resources
Support the development and monitoring of a long-term people strategy for each Academy and across the Cluster in consultation with the SLT and LGBs, taking strategic and professional advice from the HR Business Partner; other specialists and senior managers within the central People team as needed.
Develop staffing structures within each Academy and across the Cluster that support the efficient and optimum use of all staff (teaching and support), using the Curriculum–based Modeller and advice from the HR and Finance Business Partners.
Take overall leadership for the Academy and Cluster HR support service, ensuring its efficient operation according to agreed procedures including in particular:
o Ensuring that each Academy has an up to date and accurate Single Central Record and that this is reviewed and audited regularly to ensure it is “inspection ready” at all times. In addition, ensure that all annual staff returns are collated and retained as required, i.e. ICT acceptable usage policy, pecuniary interest declarations.
o Ensuring the SLT and LGB is rigorous in reviewing the HR data dashboards available to them and addressing areas of concern or continuous improvement, including staff survey outcomes.
o Ensuring that appropriate systems are in place for recording and storing confidential staff records and information in line with the Data Protection Act/GDPR.
o Actively engaging in group wide projects which impact on the retention and wellbeing of our staff, including the Annual Group staff survey, Well-Being Programme, United Rewards and other projects and initiatives included in the group People policies.
o Ensuring the Academies and Cluster are actively involved in CPD, talent spotting and succession planning to support the progression and retention of staff through robust CPD plans for all staff that maximise available funding i.e. apprenticeship CPD via the levy.
Office Administration
Provide overall leadership to Office Managers and administrative staff in each Academy to ensure the provision of efficient and professional administration and reception functions, and in particular to:
Ensure that appropriate processes and systems are in place for filing and record keeping, in line with statutory requirements, Safeguarding, GDPR, and the Data Protection Act
Site / Facilities Management
To provide overall leadership to Site Managers and staff in each Academy, as well as working with the Estates team in Central Office, to ensure that all areas of the Academy estates, asset management and facilities management are well led and maintained, including in particular:
Assisting with the preparation of maintenance and capital expenditure plans;
Ensuring the provision of appropriate cleaning and catering services, grounds maintenance and planned preventative maintenance to ensure compliance and well maintained buildings (whether run in school or by external providers);
Ensuring that all facilities management activities are efficiently and effectively managed across the cluster and the individual schools.
Overseeing contract management arrangements, particularly in PFI schools, to ensure that service delivery meets contractual obligations and provides value for money, working closely with providers and stakeholders to resolve issues and maintain high standards.
Health and Safety
To provide leadership to Health and Safety Leads in each Academy, as well as working with the Group Health and Safety Manager, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff and students and the implementation of the Group H&S policies, in particular by:
Carrying out periodic monitoring exercises/topic audits and investigating accidents/incidents of significance and communicate findings across the Cluster and to the Group Health and Safety Manager
Meet termly with the Cluster’s school H&S Coordinators, Heads and Site staff to evaluate needs, training requirements performance, and areas of concern and provide this information as necessary to the Group H&S Manager.
Marketing
To provide leadership to Marketing Leads in each Academy, as well as working with the central office Marketing team, to maximise stakeholder engagement and pupil and staffing recruitment, in particular by:
Ensuring that each Academy has an effective Marketing and Communications Plan, which retains both the United Learning brand and the distinctive local Academy brand.
Information Technology
To provide leadership in the Academy’s use of Information Technology to ensure effectiveness and efficiency across all functions of the business.
Participate fully in regular steering processes to ensure that the IT Service remains effective
Contribute to the strategic management and reshaping of the service as necessary (e.g. participating in recruitment to senior roles)
§ Provide operational management of the senior members of the IT Service, to ensure its response to day-to-day issues and requirements is suitable and agile
To work with the IT Service Manager to oversee the creation and delivery of an IT refresh strategy
To oversee adherence to the Trust’s data standards
Policies and compliance
Support the designated data protection leads in each Academy and ensure compliance with GDPR in all areas across the Academies.
Ensure that finance, HR, IT and estates policies are up to date (aligned to United Learning policies) and implemented across the Academies.
Other
The post holder is expected to split their working time between each Academy in the cluster, and to periodically attend meetings or training at other United Learning schools or locations, therefore an element of travel is required within the role
§This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive and the successful candidate is expected to be flexible and proactive in meeting the needs of each Academy. This is a newly created position within the Group Cluster Strategy, with scope for the post holder to shape the role and make it their own.
This post is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure and the post holder must be committed to safeguarding the welfare of children.
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
Apply for the job by following the link below.
CVs are not accepted.
Upload additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Salford City Academy
- School type
- Academy, Christian, ages 11 to 16
- Education phase
- Secondary
- School size
- 913 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Salford City Academy website
- Email address
- sca-hr@salfordcity-academy.org
School location
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