Administrator - School Systems (Aldar Education)

Role Overview

Administrator - School Systems at Aldar Education, supporting schools across the UAE.

Company Overview

Aldar Education is a family of world-class, child-centered, and innovative schools based in the UAE. The organization educates over 25,000 students across a group of owned and managed schools. Aldar Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Role Purpose

The School Systems Administrator implements, administers, supports, troubleshoots, and maintains Aldar Education's student information systems and related school systems across the organization. The role continuously strives to exceed internal and external customer expectations while embodying Aldar Education's core values, vision, and ethos, and assists the department in implementing process and policy to ensure high quality and successful outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Implementation and Configuration

• Support the implementation, configuration, and maintenance of student information systems and related enterprise applications.
• Support the implementation of new educational technologies, system enhancements, integrations, and digital transformation initiatives across the organization.
• Support the installation, configuration, and maintenance of cloud-hosted and on-premises applications as required.
• Assist in the implementation and support of APIs, middleware integrations, and data exchange processes between educational and business systems.
• Assist with system testing, validation, and user acceptance activities for new releases, upgrades, and implementations.

System Administration

• Serve as part of a three-person administrator squad for iSAMS and PowerSchool.
• Administer iSAMS and related educational systems for Aldar Education schools, including Charter and IB curriculum schools.
• Configure and maintain academic, attendance, pastoral, assessment, and administrative modules within iSAMS.
• Support system administration activities, including user access, permissions, and compliance with Aldar Education policies and standards.
• Create, manage, and maintain user accounts, roles, security groups, and access permissions in accordance with data governance requirements.
• Align with Infrastructure and Applications teams to implement and maintain single sign-on, authentication services, and identity management processes.
• Support and maintain third-party applications and integrations, including Destiny Follett and other approved educational technology platforms, as required.

Monitoring, Maintenance, and Troubleshooting

• Support the integrity, availability, security, and performance of educational systems through proactive monitoring, maintenance, troubleshooting, and issue resolution.
• Troubleshoot application issues.
• Prioritize and resolve service desk tickets and support requests in accordance with agreed service levels.
• Support data recovery processes and business continuity activities where required.

Data Management and Reporting

• Support data management processes and maintain data quality across integrated platforms including iSAMS, Salesforce, MuleSoft, Live Aldar, CPOMS, and other enterprise systems.
• Support the development of automated reports, centralized dashboards, and cross-platform reporting solutions.
• Support report card configuration and distribution processes through Live Aldar in collaboration with relevant teams.
• Support and maintain reporting, analytics, dashboards, and business intelligence solutions to support operational and educational decision-making.

Support and Training

• Deliver functional and technical support to schools and central teams, ensuring timely resolution of incidents, service requests, and operational issues.
• Create, maintain, and deliver training, user documentation, and knowledge transfer materials to support system adoption and effective use.
• Support in delivering training and support to school staff on system usage, data entry, reporting, data security, and best practices.

Process Improvement and Special Projects

• Support process improvement and automation initiatives that increase efficiency, reduce manual effort, and maximize the use of native system functionality.
• Support AI-driven integrations and automation initiatives across iSAMS and related enterprise systems.
• Support annual academic year rollover activities, ensuring successful system transitions and data continuity across all schools.
• Maintain technical documentation, system procedures, configuration records, and operational guidelines.
• Develop an in-depth understanding of educational systems and business processes to provide effective support.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by management.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or similar.
• At least three years of experience managing education systems.
• Must have experience managing school information systems such as iSAMS, Engage, PowerSchool, or equivalent.
• Experience setting up and implementing new software in schools is advantageous.

Skills & Competencies

• Working knowledge of school information systems.
• Strong communication skills.
• Strong customer service skills.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and take initiative to solve problems.
• Work in a highly collaborative and effective manner, both independently and in cross-functional teams.
• Skilled in multi-tasking and handling pressure.
• Proven track record of proactive initiative planning and implementation.

Additional Information

Aldar Education offers an attractive remuneration package including medical cover, flights, housing, and free child school places. The organization places special emphasis on professional development, coaching, and training. Successful candidates have access to a wide network of professionals and opportunities to lead and contribute to training others as well as developing themselves. Aldar Education is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment and encourages UAE Nationals to apply. Offers of appointment are subject to satisfactory references and police clearance.