DescriptionEmployerLocation
School Business Manager – Dual Site
Location: Hanley School, Bucknall (Stoke-on-Trent) & Summerfields School, Wilmslow (Cheshire East)
Contract: 12-Month Fixed Term Contract
Hours: 40 hours per week
Salary: £52,000 – £55,000 per annum
About Us
Aurora Hanley School is proud to be rated Outstanding by Ofsted, delivering innovative education and care for up to 90 young people aged 6–19 with complex needs, including Autism and associated conditions.
Aurora Summerfields School, opened in April 2023, is already making a significant impact. With capacity for 50 students, it provides specialist education for children and young people aged 5–19 with Autism spectrum conditions. We are proud to have achieved Outstanding ratings in Behaviour & Attitudes and Personal Development in our most recent Ofsted inspection.
The Role
This is a senior leadership opportunity across two specialist schools, where you will play a pivotal role in shaping operational excellence and supporting outstanding outcomes for students. Both schools have Administration Teams that will work under your management and guidance.
As School Business Manager, you will lead and develop all support services across both sites, including:
1. Finance
2. Human Resources
3. Administration
4. Facilities & Estates
5. ICT
6. Health & Safety
7. Housekeeping & Catering
You will ensure these services operate efficiently, compliantly, and in alignment with the schools' strategic priorities—creating safe, effective, and high-quality environments for learning and wellbeing.
Working as part of the Senior Leadership Team, you will:
8. Lead strategic and operational planning for support services
9. Manage budgets with full accountability, driving value and performance
10. Ensure compliance with regulatory, safeguarding, and health & safety requirements
11. Oversee financial performance, reporting, and resource allocation
12. Inspire and manage multi-disciplinary teams across both sites
13. Drive continuous improvement and operational excellence
This is a varied and dynamic role, and you will be expected to contribute to the wider leadership and success of both schools.
About You
You are an experienced and confident leader with a strong background in business management—ideally within education or a similar regulated environment.
You will bring:
14. Proven leadership experience across multiple operational functions
15. Strong financial acumen, including budget setting, monitoring, and performance analysis (including EBITDA)
16. Sound knowledge of safeguarding, compliance, and health & safety legislation
17. Understanding of education funding, inspection frameworks, and regulatory requirements
18. Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
19. The ability to work autonomously, make sound decisions, and solve complex problems
Desirable:
A recognised management or professional qualification (e.g. Management Diploma or Finance qualification)
Experience leading HR processes and procedures
Why Join Us?
This is an opportunity to make a genuine impact across two specialist settings, working with passionate teams committed to transforming the lives of young people.
How to apply?
Please complete an online application form in full, remembering to include all employment and education details.
Successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment safeguarding checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check.
The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Aurora Group is therefore permitted to ask job applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.
The Aurora Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children and young adults in our care and is a disability confident and equal opportunities employer.
This advert could be taken down at any point in time without prior notice if the position is filled.
Please note that candidates that are shortlisted might be subject to an online search.
Safeguarding Statement
Aurora Hanley School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.We particularly welcome applications from under represented groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.