School Business Manager
- Tabby Summerfield
- Lead Practice Director
Buckinghamshire | Onsite | September start | 3–6 month contract
Competitive day rate (umbrella) | Interviewing this week
Panoramic Associates is supporting an Academy Trust with their search for an experienced Interim School Business Manager to join a special school in Buckinghamshire. This is a key senior operational post, supporting the Principal and leadership team by ensuring the school’s business functions run efficiently, compliantly and sustainably.
You’ll take day-to-day lead across finance oversight (budget monitoring/forecasting and reporting), HR operations (recruitment/induction/employee relations in liaison with central HR), health & safety / estates and facilities compliance, procurement and contract management, GDPR/data protection, and academy administration systems. You’ll also contribute to governance support, including preparing reports and attending relevant meetings as needed.
Please note: the trust has a dedicated CFO and Finance Manager, so you’ll be involved in accounts and reporting, but won’t hold sole end-to-end finance responsibility.
Key responsibilities:
- Provide operational leadership across the school’s business functions and advise the Principal/leadership team
- Budget monitoring, forecasting and reporting (with central finance), plus oversight of day-to-day finance activity
- Lead operational HR processes with central HR support, including safer recruitment and induction
- Own academy-level compliance: SCR / safer recruitment records, GDPR, policies and statutory requirements
- Oversee estates/site, H&S and risk management, including contractors, inspections and record-keeping
- Procurement, contracts and supplier management to secure best value
- Line-manage the school’s admin function and coordinate wider support teams via relevant managers
Criteria:
- Proven SBM (or equivalent senior school operations) experience – ideally within an academy
- Strong grounding in budgeting/reporting, HR processes, H&S/compliance, and SCR/KCSIE
- Confident producing clear written reports and working with senior stakeholders/governance
- Calm, pragmatic, and able to stabilise and improve systems quickly in an interim post
- Special school/SEND experience is helpful, but not essential
Contract details
- Start: September 2026 (or as close as possible)
- Length: 3–6 months
- Location: Onsite, Buckinghamshire
- Rate: Competitive day rate (umbrella)
- Interviews: This week
