School Business Manager (SBM)

SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGER

P07 (£62,634.00 - £64,815.00)| Full time | All year round | Permanent | Senior Leadership Team

A senior business leadership role at the heart of the school

The Urswick School is an 11–18 Church of England secondary school in Hackney serving approximately 750 students. We are seeking an exceptional School Business Manager to lead the professional business functions that underpin our educational mission.

This is a broad and influential role. Reporting directly to the Headteacher and working as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the School Business Manager will be the school’s senior professional lead for finance, human resources and business operations. The postholder will provide high-quality advice to the Headteacher and Governing Body and ensure that the school’s financial, human, physical and contractual resources are deployed effectively, lawfully and sustainably.

The role has a particular emphasis on strong financial stewardship, workforce management, procurement and contract control. It also encompasses premises and operational compliance, health and safety, risk and business continuity, data protection and GDPR, and the effective management of business systems and support services.

The portfolio

Finance & Resources – budget setting, multi-year forecasting, management accounts, financial controls, audit, payroll reconciliation, statutory returns and value for money.

HR & Workforce – establishment control, recruitment, contracts, payroll and pensions interface, absence and employee relations processes, workforce planning and HR compliance.

Procurement & Contracts – procurement strategy, tendering, due diligence, contract negotiation and monitoring, leases, supplier performance and a comprehensive contracts register.

Premises & Operations – estates, maintenance, health and safety, fire and statutory compliance, catering and outsourced services, capital works, risk and business continuity.

Governance, Compliance & GDPR – financial governance, risk register, insurance, policies, FOI, records management and day-to-day leadership of data protection compliance as Data Protection Lead.

Business Systems & Services – administrative and financial systems, ICT business contracts, assets, licences, purchasing, reprographics and the leadership of relevant support functions.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for a credible, commercially aware and solutions-focused professional who combines financial rigour with excellent judgement and people skills. You may already be a successful School Business Manager, or you may bring senior finance/business management experience from education, local government, the public sector or another complex regulated environment.

You will be comfortable moving between strategic advice and operational detail: presenting a three-year forecast to governors, scrutinising a contract, supporting an HR process, challenging poor value for money, improving a control system or ensuring a statutory requirement has been met.

Above all, you will understand that excellent business management is not separate from school improvement: it creates the conditions in which teachers can teach, students can thrive and leaders can make well-informed decisions.

About The Urswick School

Our ethos is captured in the words ‘Believe and Achieve’. We are a Christian school, but not just a school for Christians, and we serve a diverse inner-London community. We are committed to high expectations, inclusion and the careful stewardship of the resources entrusted to us.

The successful candidate will join the school at an important stage of its development and will have significant scope to strengthen systems, improve value for money and help shape the school’s long-term organisational sustainability.

The Urswick School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful applicant will be subject to the school’s safer recruitment procedures, including an enhanced DBS check and appropriate pre-employment checks.

Closing date: Friday, November 6th 2026

Interviews: Date to be confirmed upon shortlisting

Start Date: ASAP (dependent on current notice period)

The school is committed to safeguarding children and young people.

All post holders are subject to a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Clearance (DBS).

Application forms and complete job description are available on our school website: https://www.theurswickschool.co.uk.

• Completed application forms must be emailed to: [email protected]

Pay: £62,634.00-£64,815.00 per year

Benefits:

• Canteen
• Free parking
• On-site parking

Work Location: In person