The Head of Facilities and Operations is responsible for taking a strategic approach to managing the Domestic Services, Caretaking & Security and Transport departments.

As the Health & Safety Officer, he/she is also responsible for co-ordinating all aspects of health and safety management within the School, to ensure compliance with legislation. 

Other areas of responsibility include taking the lead on the School’s Environmental Sustainability strategy, site response to critical incidents and disaster recovery planning.

The Head of Facilities and Operations manages members of staff in the domestic services, caretaking and transport departments.

Specific Responsibilities:

Facilities Management

Line Manager to the Domestic Services Manager and responsible for:

• Ensuring that the School’s facilities are kept clean and tidy and have the highest quality of appearance at all times.
• Ensure that arrangements are in place for contract cleaning when required eg for windows.
• Ensuring inspections to identify unsightliness or damage within the facilities are undertaken and reported.
• Ensuring an efficient laundry service is provided for pupils and other school needs.
• Sourcing all furniture and soft furnishings for the premises.
• Ensuring that furniture and furnishings are smart and clean and fit for purpose.
• Managing the provision of fixed and loose furniture and soft furnishings in new and refurbished buildings.
• Ensure that facilities are prepared for lettings and events as required by the School such as meetings, Open Days and Speech Day.
• Having oversight of the residential properties, liaising with residents for arrivals, inspections and departures in conjunction with the Head of Estates.
• Responsible for waste handling arrangements including recycling and refuse contracts, ensuring that systems are compliant with statutory arrangements and meet the school’s environmental sustainability aims.
• Ensuring that arrangements are in place for pest control.
• Ensuring that both permanent and temporary school signage meets branding guidelines and provides effective directional guidance.

Caretaking & Security

Line Manager to the Senior Caretaker and responsible for:

• responsible for the security of the School, its staff, students and visitors, during the working day and out of hours. Dealing with breaches of security, and liaising with the police as necessary.
• Ensuring suitable CCTV and security alarms are in place.
• Obtaining the services of an external security presence where needed.
• Responsible for energy procurement through suitable long-term contracts where appropriate.  Manage site availability of oil and gas to meet school needs.

Transport

Line Manager to the Transport Manager and responsible for:

• Maintaining and developing all aspects of the transport arrangements including the School transport service.
• Ensuring that an effective booking system is in place for the use of minibuses and coaches.
• Ensuring that staff driving school minibuses have undertaken appropriate driver assessment and health assessment where necessary.   
• Ensuring that all school vehicles are serviced, maintained, insured and have MOTs where required.
• Ensuring plans are put in place to mitigate against transport disruption.

Health & Safety

• Management of health and safety within the School including undertaking the role of Health and Safety Officer.
• Ensuring that the Health & Safety policy is reviewed on at least an annual basis and updated to reflect legislative changes.
• Co-ordinating and assisting with implementing the Health & Safety policy across all areas of the School’s activities including ensuring departmental and trip procedures and risk assessments comply with legislation/regulations/best practice.
• Maintaining a register of key risk assessments and on at least an annual basis, ensuring that the mitigating controls relating to all the highest risk areas are operational.
• Ensuring that health & safety training is undertaken by staff as required including manual handling, COSSHH, working at heights.  Liaising with the heads of high risk departments to ensure that specific departmental training requirements are met eg science.
• Co-ordinating visits from the appointed Health & Safety Consultant and ensure high risk areas are audited on a periodic basis and recommendations are implemented on a timely basis.
• Ensuring the School meets its requirements for Accident recording and reporting and First Aid.
• Co-ordinating meetings of any Health & Safety Committees ensuring that minutes are taken and distributed.

Insurance, Emergency Response and Critical Incidents

• Working closely with the Bursar, ensure that suitable insurance arrangements are put in place and claims made where required (other than for pupil insurances).
• Ensuring that the operational elements of the School’s Emergency Response Plan are suitable and up to date and take the site lead on Emergency Response situations.
• Ensuring that suitable Disaster Recovery Plans are in place to minimise the disruption from any critical incidents and take the site lead on site-based Disaster Recovery situations.
• Ensuring suitable plans are in place for adverse weather events such as snow and lead the responding teams.

Environmental Sustainability

• In conjunction with the Bursar, take the lead on developing and implementing the School’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy.
• Chairing the Environmental Sustainability Management Committee, ensuring that representatives from across the school are involved. 
• Through the committee, develop short-, medium- and longer-term plans to reduce the School’s carbon footprint, working closely with the Head of Estates to incorporate building developments.
• Ensuring reporting requirements are met e.g. ESOS and SECR reporting.
• Preparing reports on progress with the environmental strategy for Governors, SLT, staff, parents and pupils.

Financial Management

• Preparing budget requirements for all areas of responsibility.
• Ensuring that effective financial procedures are in place and followed to manage expenditure within budgets.
• Ensuring that effective procurement procedures are followed, securing value for money in all procurement exercises.

Staff Management

• Ensuring the effective recruitment, management, development and retention of staff in all areas of responsibility.
• Ensuring the staff appraisal process is followed and that staff development and wellbeing is a priority for all teams.

Other

• Member of the Bursar’s Management Team.
• Attending meetings and School events as requested by the Bursar and deputising for the Bursar on all facilities matters.
• Attending meetings of the School Governors if required.
• Undertaking any other reasonable tasks as requested by the Bursar.

Child Protection

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. The post-holder is responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young persons with whom s/he comes into contact and must adhere to and ensure compliance with the School’s child protection policies at all times.  If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post-holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the School s/he must report any concerns to the School’s Designated Safeguarding Lead.