Back to advert
Download job pack (PDF)

Job description & person specification

Operations Manager

Creating stories that change the world.

London Screen Academy
Department
Extended Leadership Team
Salary
ST33-ST40: £56,939 - £63,517
Contract
Permanent · 37.5 hours a week, all year
Location
Highbury, London
Closing date
Monday, 9 November 2026
Start date
February 2027
01

Role purpose

To lead the day-to-day operation of London Screen Academy, reporting to the Director for People and Operations with day-to-day accountability to the Principal: the site, health and safety, IT and the kitstore, contracted services, external bookings, events, and the administrative systems and processes behind them, so that the school is safe, well run and ready for learning every day.

02

Why this role matters

LSA is a working creative space as much as a school. Studios, edit suites, camera kit, a busy network and a steady flow of events and bookings all depend on operations that work quietly in the background. When they don't, lessons stop, productions stall and risks go unnoticed.

This is a new senior role, created as we reshape how LSA's operations are led. It gives the school one person who owns the whole operational picture, accountable day to day to the Principal. A strong candidate will enjoy leading people, coordinating complex activity and managing contracts as much as the practical detail, and will take pride in a school that simply works.

03

Core responsibilities

Operational leadership

Owning LSA's operation and making sure it serves learning.

  • Lead the day-to-day operation of the school, reporting to the Director for People and Operations with strong day-to-day accountability to the Principal
  • Own the academy's operational calendar and priorities, agreeing them with the Principal and SLT and meeting the Principal regularly
  • Lead administrative systems and service standards, so that the school's processes are consistent, clear and reliable
  • Oversee and monitor the helpdesk covering premises, IT and the kitstore, making sure requests are responded to promptly, and report on helpdesk metrics
  • Improve operational processes and workflows, simplifying them where they are slow or unclear
  • Track operational actions, risks and deadlines, and make sure they are followed through
  • Develop and review operational policies, making sure they are clear, workable and followed
  • Coordinate effectively with Trust HR, finance and other central support
  • Provide clear operational reporting and assurance on operations, health and safety and risk to the Principal, SLT and governors

Site and facilities

Making sure the building works for a specialist creative school, every day.

  • Oversee the maintenance, repair and presentation of the site and grounds, including accessibility provision
  • Plan and run a planned preventative maintenance schedule, and respond promptly to reactive repairs and day-to-day premises requests
  • Contribute site information to Day One Trust's estates planning and insurance renewals

Health, safety and security

Being LSA's lead on keeping people safe on site.

  • Act as the school's designated health and safety lead, coordinating the academy's compliance with statutory requirements and Trust policy
  • Keep the Health and Safety policy up to date, and coordinate the risk assessment programme, including fire risk assessments, commissioning or working with competent specialists where required
  • Make sure fire safety equipment, alarms, drills and emergency procedures are tested by competent people, recorded and current
  • Coordinate regular site audits, and make sure the actions from them are recorded and completed
  • Coordinate site security and access control arrangements, working with the DSLs on anything that touches safeguarding
  • Maintain LSA's critical incident and business continuity plans

IT and kitstore

Keeping the technology and kit staff and students rely on available, secure and fit for purpose.

  • Lead the Specialist Technical Services team through the IT/AV Manager, making sure the network, devices, AV and technical kit support teaching and production
  • Plan the replacement of IT and kit, and make sure asset and equipment loan registers are accurate
  • Implement and monitor cyber security and data protection requirements locally, working with our IT partner and Trust leads, in line with LSA's policies
  • Make sure there are workable plans for technology failure, so teaching can continue

Contracted services

Getting quality and value from the services LSA buys in.

  • Manage the cleaning, catering and security contracts, holding providers to agreed service levels
  • Monitor quality through regular reviews and feedback from staff and students, and resolve problems quickly
  • Manage all other contractors on site, checking quality, value and DBS and safety compliance
  • Lead retendering of these contracts with Day One Trust, in line with the Trust's financial regulations

Events and external bookings

Making LSA's building work harder and its major events run smoothly, without getting in the way of the school.

  • Coordinate major events, productions, open evenings and other complex activity, working with the teams who lead them
  • Oversee visitor, contractor and room-booking processes across the academy
  • Manage external bookings and lettings of the building, studios and spaces
  • Set clear terms, pricing and safety requirements for hirers, and make sure every booking is properly staffed
  • Balance income with the needs of the school timetable, exams and events

Operational spend and value for money

Spending well, with Day One Trust, and looking after what we own.

  • Manage operational spend on the site, IT, kit and contracted services within the budget agreed with Day One Trust, and flag pressures early
  • Run procurement in line with the Trust's financial regulations, getting quotes and tenders where required
  • Look for savings and income, including from lettings, where these fit LSA's priorities

Line management

Leading two teams well.

  • Line manage the IT/AV Manager and the Estates Team, including appraisals, training and workload
  • Make sure both teams' work is planned, safe and clearly recorded, and that they work well together
04

Team and relationships

The team

The Operations Manager is line managed by the Director for People and Operations, with strong day-to-day accountability to the Principal, who agrees the academy's operational priorities with them and meets them regularly. The Director for People and Operations provides professional oversight, performance management and coordination across Day One Trust. The Operations Manager leads the Estates Team and the Specialist Technical Services (STS) team, which covers IT and the kitstore, manages LSA's cleaning, catering and security contracts, runs external bookings of the building, and coordinates major events with the teams who lead them. Finance is managed by Day One Trust, and the Operations Manager works closely with Trust HR, the Trust's finance team and other central support on operational matters and spend.

Key relationships

The Director for People and Operations (line manager); the Principal (day-to-day accountability and operational priorities); the HR Officer; SLT and the DSLs on site security and safeguarding; the Head of Department: Technical and curriculum leads on studio, kit and technology needs; the Admissions and Outreach team on events; Day One Trust's HR, finance and estates colleagues and other central support on budgets, insurance and compliance; our IT partner; contractors and service providers; and external hirers.

Line management

Line manages the IT/AV Manager, who leads the Specialist Technical Services (STS) team, and the members of the Estates Team, setting clear priorities, carrying out appraisals and making sure both teams' work is safe, well planned and well recorded. Also manages the cleaning, catering and security contractors against their agreed service levels.

05

Person specification

We assess every application fairly against these criteria. Each one shows how we’ll look for evidence of it.

Essential· 10

  • Has senior experience leading facilities, premises or operations, ideally in a school or similar public setting

    Relevant roles, scope and duration set out on application; probed at interview.

    ApplicationInterview

  • Holds, or will work towards, a recognised health and safety qualification (such as IOSH Managing Safely or a NEBOSH certificate)

    Qualification, or a clear commitment to gaining one, stated on application.

    Application

  • Has sound knowledge of health, safety and fire legislation, and applies it proportionately

    Scenario-based interview question; tested in the in-tray task.

    InterviewTask

  • Has managed outsourced services such as cleaning, catering or security, including service levels, performance and retendering

    Examples of contracts managed on application; explored at interview, including a contract that was not working.

    ApplicationInterview

  • Leads and develops teams with different specialisms, setting clear expectations and giving honest feedback

    Explored at interview; corroborated by references.

    InterviewReferences

  • Understands IT infrastructure well enough to set priorities and hold technical staff and providers to account

    Explored at interview; a technology failure is included in the in-tray task.

    InterviewTask

  • Manages budgets and procurement carefully, and can show value for money

    Examples of budgets held and procurement led, with outcomes, on application and at interview.

    ApplicationInterview

  • Is highly organised, plans ahead and stays calm when things go wrong

    In-tray task with competing priorities (for example a contractor failure, a booking clashing with an exam and a network outage on the same morning).

    InterviewTask

  • Understands that operations serve learning, and wants to help a creative school do its best work

    Explored through interview questions on motivation and on balancing operational and educational needs.

    Interview

  • Is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and understands the responsibilities this places on all staff and on safer recruitment. The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check and safer recruitment checks

    Commitment set out on application; explored at interview, including safeguarding scenarios relevant to site, visitors and contractors; checks confirmed through references and pre-employment checks.

    ApplicationInterviewReferences

Desirable· 1

  • Has experience of planning and coordinating complex events, productions or other activity involving many teams

    Examples of events or activity coordinated, set out on application and explored at interview.

    ApplicationInterview
06

Applying to LSA

We are committed to diversifying the screen industries, and increasing the diversity of our own team is an important step towards that. We especially welcome applicants from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, who are currently under-represented in our team. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, of any sexual or gender identity, neurodivergent applicants, adults of any age or religious belief, and we encourage applications from disabled people.

Want to know more before you apply? Contact Hannah Suleyman at hannah.suleyman@lsa.ac.uk for an informal chat. It’s optional and isn’t part of the selection process.

Closing date
Monday, 9 November 2026
Assessment day
w/c 23rd November
Apply now