Operations Manager - Rugby School Japan

Rugby School Japan

Rugby School Japan launched in Kashiwanoha (“Oak Leaf”) Smart City, Chiba Prefecture (Greater Tokyo), in September 2023 to champion a new era of British international education in Japan. It is Rugby’s second international sister school. The School is a co-educational day and boarding school based on a campus within walking distance of a baseball stadium, football pitch, lake and running track in Kashiwanoha Park.

Rugby School Japan shares Rugby’s ethos of ‘the whole person, the whole point’: the School believes in taking education beyond the classroom and nurturing the whole person – in mind, body and spirit – to give pupils a holistic sense of self and to enable them to achieve in all areas of life. Rugby School Japan aims to become a benchmark for British education worldwide.

The Location

Rugby School Japan is located on a 4-hectare city campus in Kashiwanoha, Chiba Prefecture (Greater Tokyo). On one of the Chiba University campus sites, the School is fitted with all the state-of-the-art facilities expected from a world class educational facility including professional-standard sports facilities, a black-box theatre, a dance studio with Harlequin flooring, and more. Thirty minutes by train from Central Tokyo, Kashiwanoha is being designed to become a smart micro city, leading by example and championing sustainability.

The Role

To provide the overall operational management for all aspects of Domestic Operations, including Health and Safety and Security, HR, IT, catering, administration, premises management, lettings, security and operations support at the RSJ campus.

To manage operational staff (both directly employed and outsourced) ensuring that resources are used effectively at RSJ To develop high quality systems and services throughout the school offering support where required.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES/ACCOUNTABILITIES

Domestic Operations

• Lead and manage the School’s cleaning operations via the outsourced provider..

• Manage the School’s catering provision through the outsourced provider, ensuring they meet service levels agreed within budget.

• To manage the school minibus.

• To prepare budgets and be responsible for cost management of all domestic operations.

Health and Safety & Security

• To ensure the School is up to date and compliant in all areas of Health and Safety and Fire Safety, including to the School’s management.

• To manage the outsourced security function, ensuring the provision of appropriate and cost effective security services all year round.

• Ensure that accurate and meaningful statistical analyses of accident and security incidents and other important health and safety and security matters are produced regularly, and that appropriate recommendations are made to address issues highlighted by this and other management information.

Compliance and Risk Management

• To liaise and work with the Operations team on all matters relating to compliance in Operations and Health and Safety, to ensure the school complies with all relevant regulations which come under the COBIS inspection regime and National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools or other regulatory requirements.

• To ensure procedures, processes, records and all necessary documentation are in place so that the School meets the requirements of any inspections by the above mentioned or other approved regulatory bodies in Operations and Health and Safety. Periodically this will require an audit of such arrangements to be carried out by the incumbent or Compliance Officer.

• Keep up to date the Risk Management Register and Higher Risks Grid which is presented to the Governing Body’s Audit and Risk Committee and the Governing Body at each of their meetings.

• Keep up to date the School’s Critical Incident Plan and Lockdown procedures. To ensure Critical Incident and Lockdown exercises are practised regularly.

Premises Management, Security, Safety & Lettings

• To manage the outsourced premises team in managing all aspects of premises and security, including building maintenance, development of facilities, the Asset Register

• To ensure that RSJ complies with all aspects of Japanese Health and Safety legislation at all times, and that all breaches of Health and Safety are recorded and followed up

• To manage the outsourced maintenance team to ensure the RSJ campus is maintained to a high level at all times.

• To ensure appropriate reporting, monitoring and control systems are put in place relating to RSJ’s internal building fabric and furniture, including the production and maintenance of an Asset Register

• To be responsible for the management of security, during the school term and in holidays, as well as during any community use/lettings

• To manage the outsourced cleaning staff/contract, ensuring that all cleaning duties are efficiently and thoroughly covered

• To oversee the lettings provision of RSJ, ensuring that access is appropriate, that facilities are used safely and that no damages are incurred; to be the point of contact for individuals/groups letting areas of the premises and ensure that staff coverage during lettings is adequate

• To support the leadership team in developing the strategic approach for lettings and community links

Other

Carry out other reasonable tasks as directed by the Principal

• Staff Management & Teamwork：To manage all designated staff to ensure they are motivated, have high levels of commitment and productivity and perform well in their roles

• HR & Legal：Line manage school administrators in order to complete HR tasks. Maintain the Single Central Register ensuring that is kept current and accurate and in accordance with legal requirements.

• Finance：To liaise with the Director of Operations regarding the effective management of budgets.

• Administration & Reception：To line manage the receptionist and administrators in all aspects of their responsibilities.

• IT：To manage the service and contract for all IT provision within the school

• Catering：To manage the Catering Manager/ Catering contract, as applicable, in managing all aspects of catering service

• Event Administration：Provide event administration support for school events.

Experience of working with both outsourcing companies and internal teams

Skills

• Experience of people and project management.
• Experience of working with a range of internal and external stakeholders and partners.
• Understanding of procedures and processes, within operational departments in an educational setting.
• Proven ability in the use of software packages and a good level of computer literacy.
• Experience of managing budgets.

Knowledge

• Knowledge and experience of management systems.
• Knowledge and experience of managing procurement, contracts for services, health and safety etc.
• Genuine passion for and a belief in the potential of every student.