School Operations Manager

Job Description

Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. At Taaleem, we hold ourselves to a high standard of effective practices in relation to child protection and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be subject to various background checks including, receipt of high quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks.

Are you an experienced operations professional looking to make an impact in the education sector? Jumeira Baccalaureate School is seeking a School Operations Manager to lead and oversee all operational services at campus level, ensuring smooth, compliant, and cost-effective delivery.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Business Operations and working closely with the School Principal, you will manage key functions including:

Staff Management

• Develop and maintain effective partnerships and engage in positive communication with all staff, senior leaders, HOBO and the Principal.
• Provide leadership for the Facilities Manager, Procurement assistant, IT assistant and Head nurse. This includes ensuring they adhere to their accountabilities and KPIs, supporting their professional development, conducting appraisals, and addressing performance issues.
• Adhere to the school’s policies and procedures and ensure all supervised staff do as well.

Purchasing and Contract Management

• Oversee operational budgets (R&M, FFE, licensing, utilities, IT), POs, and DoA compliance.
• Review procurement documentation and vendor payments; monitor advance payments and credit card use.
• Ensure deliveries are asset tagged per policy.
• QA/QC the vendor performance and escalate quality issues where required.

Health and Safety

• Lead implementation of Taaleem and regulatory H&S protocols, and site safety infrastructure.
• Maintain H&S documentation (risk assessments, inspections, drill records, protocols etc.).
• Chair HSE meeting.
• Complete and escalate incident reports per internal systems and regulatory portals and coordinate with Facilities and Principal for post-incident investigations.
• Lead government inspections and coordinate post-crisis H&S site checks.

Events and excursions

• Oversee school event and field trip approvals to ensure they follow Taaleem’s Events & Excursions Policy.
• Liaise with transport and third-party vendors; support with escalated trip-related issues.

Facilities Management

• Monitor R&M budgets and maintenance delivery in collaboration with Facilities Manager.
• Escalate site-level risks that threaten continuity of operations.
• Oversee CCTV usage for regulatory and internal policy compliance.

Compliance

• Ensure timely renewal of all key licenses (e.g., Civil Defence, Clinic, Trade).
• Maintain compliance records for inspections; report non-conformance to CO.
• Oversee onboarding documentation for ECAs, ASAs, and third-party vendors.
• Monitor adherence to Taaleem and UAE authority policies.

ESG and energy conservation

• Act as site ESG champion; lead sustainability, waste reduction, and recycling initiatives.
• Liaise with CO teams to upcycle outdated equipment and reduce utility usage in line with group targets.

Campus Development

• Contribute to the school’s strategic campus planning and monitor ongoing infrastructure needs.
• Oversee delivery of approved CIP projects; ensure all building modifications have proper authority approvals.

Shared Services

• Coordinate transport, catering, ASA, and uniform providers with support from CO teams.
• Approve space allocation for ECAs and shared services.
• Manage provider performance, changes, and communication to relevant stakeholders.
• Lead commission tracking for all other income with the support of the Shared Services Manager.

IT end user support

• Oversee IT and software procurement against approved budgets.
• Support IT onboarding for new staff and resolve escalated operational IT issues.
• Monitor printing systems and coordinate asset usage with CO IT.

What We’re Looking For

Education: Bachelor’s degree or relevant operational qualification; NEBOSH and IOSH preferred.

Experience: 3–5 years in operational roles, ideally in education, facilities, or service-driven environments.

Competencies:

• Multi-service operations coordination
• Vendor and contract oversight
• Health, safety, and compliance leadership
• Budget awareness and procurement control
• Cross-functional problem-solving and crisis response

Attributes:

• Calm, organized, and highly accountable
• Clear communicator and team enabler
• Practical, audit-ready, and solutions-focused
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, stakeholder-heavy school environment

About the School

JBS is a truly international, IB World School providing a world-class education. We are committed to continuous improvement as individuals and as a school. We pride ourselves on having a highly supportive community of students, parents and staff who work together to maximise opportunities for all. A strong focus on professional development and world-class facilities enables our teachers to be outstanding practitioners and our students to thrive in a mature learning environment.

JBS prides itself on high academic standards, our confident and articulate students are encouraged to discover interests that extend beyond the classroom. Our school community has 85 different nationalities, enabling students to develop moral values, and display kindness, courage, respect, and integrity towards each other and throughout our diverse and multicultural environment.

Taaleem

Jumeira Baccalaureate School is part of the Taaleem group of schools, one of the largest and most respected educational providers in the UAE. Taaleem (which means “education” in Arabic) was established in 2004 and now serves over 9,000 students across 10 international schools and pre-schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

As part of the Taaleem family, we are proud to be part of an organization that prioritises excellence in education. Taaleem is also recognized as one of the Middle East’s leading providers of IB workshops for the PYP, MYP, DP, and CP programmes. Our focus is on inspiring students to identify and nurture their passions and talents, preparing them for a rapidly changing world.

Apply now via our careers page.

Taaleem reserves the right to close job advertisements early if an outstanding candidate is identified. Early applications are strongly encouraged.