Head - Operations - Aldar Education

Role Overview

Head - Operations at Aldar Education, Abu Dhabi. This senior leadership role supports a cluster of schools within the Aldar Education group, driving operational excellence and ensuring consistent, systematic, safe school operations across multiple institutions.

Company Overview

Aldar Education is a family of world-class, child-centered, and innovative schools based in the UAE. Since its inception in 2007 with 250 students, the group has grown to more than 25 owned and managed premium and super-premium schools and academies in partnership with prestigious institutions including Rugby School, King's College Wimbledon, and Cranleigh. Aldar Education now serves over 38,000 students through 5,000 educators from more than 100 nationalities, delivering world-class education across a broad range of curricula and learning pathways from nursery through K12. The group contributes to the UAE's vision for a sustainable, knowledge-based economy through premium education.

Role Purpose

The Head - Operations leads strategic and functional operational management across an assigned cluster of schools, ensuring operational excellence, regulatory compliance, financial performance, and continuous improvement. The role directly supports principals and school-based operational leads to deliver safe, efficient, and customer-focused operations aligned with Aldar Education's strategic priorities and quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Operations

• Provide strategic and functional leadership across the cluster, driving operational excellence through strong leadership, clear communication, innovation and robust processes.
• Lead and be accountable for day-to-day operational management of the designated base school, partnering with the Principal and leadership team to deliver safe, compliant, efficient and customer-focused operations.
• Act as the senior operational lead for the cluster, ensuring consistency, standardisation and alignment with Aldar Education's strategic priorities and quality standards.
• Support principals and school-based operational leads in implementing the agreed business strategy for both the school and cluster.
• Lead the operational elements of school and cluster business and improvement plans, ensuring effective delivery against agreed strategic objectives.

General Operations & Projects

• Develop and implement policies, systems, processes, and student safeguarding measures relevant to the cluster in conjunction with HQ teams to ensure business continuity and service deliverables.
• Initiate and identify good practices within the cluster and ensure these are implemented throughout the group to streamline operations, processes and policies and secure efficiencies.
• Lead the effective delivery of key projects such as new builds and major expansions, supporting project stakeholders, sharing knowledge and implementing good practice during pre-ops and project execution.
• Be contactable outside normal school hours and available to attend site to support operations teams when required in line with Aldar Education Critical Incident Response Protocols.
• Actively integrate AI, automation and digital tools into day-to-day operations to streamline processes, improve efficiency and enhance service delivery.

Leadership & Team Development

• Oversee the performance of operations, administration, and support service staff to ensure high standards of service are maintained throughout the cluster and provide a collegial, efficient and effective service culture.
• Continuously review school support services operating models and staffing levels to ensure the cluster is suitably resourced to deliver key objectives whilst maintaining school financial and operational performance.
• Oversee recruitment, professional development, appraisal, and training programs of all operations, administration, and support service staff, ensuring team members undergo individual development plans to build a high-performance team.
• Develop and strengthen school-based operational teams through effective leadership, performance management, coaching and professional development.

Finance, Commercial & Procurement

• Support the principal and school-based operational leads in developing and monitoring all relevant budgets and expenditure, particularly operational costs, ensuring the department receives best value and service at all times.
• Drive financial and operational performance, optimising Opex and Capex, resources, cost efficiencies and return on investment across the base school and cluster.
• Continually review opportunities for shared resources, costs and services across the cluster to ensure schools benefit from improved access to service teams and physical resources such as support staff and transport.
• Support school-based operational leads in reviewing and preparing all relevant information including scope of work, purchase requisitions and specifications to initiate tenders and develop weighted pre-determined evaluation criteria.
• Assist school-based operational leads and Procurement in the technical evaluation of tender documents submitted.
• Ensure Delegation of Authority processes and procedures are followed at all times.

Compliance & Regulatory Management

• Ensure continuous compliance with internal policies, regulatory requirements and authority standards, including the effective management and closure of audit and inspection findings.
• Provide strategic guidance to Principals, school-based operational leads and HQ functions on operations, financial management, risk, safety, sustainability, audit and regulatory compliance.
• Ensure that assigned cluster is fully compliant with local government authority regulations to safeguard against fines resulting from non-renewal of contracts at school level.
• Understand the effects and implications of government policies, legislation and directives, developing effective strategies for current initiatives and long-term educational trends and developments.

Audit & Investigation

• Ensure all internal and external audits are effectively managed and that actions arising from such audits are completed in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Conduct operational investigations as required following an incident for the purpose of improvement to key processes or policies to ensure school operations remain efficient.

Health, Safety & Environment

• Champion a proactive culture of health, safety, sustainability and operational risk management across the base school and cluster.
• Lead and support a culture of 'no hurt, no harm' through pro-active and pragmatic risk-based decision making.
• Promote and demonstrate a supportive and business-focused approach to the management of risk, with a solution-based mentality.
• Act as the responsible person for HSE effectiveness and ensure the cluster complies with current health and safety legislation and guidelines as issued by Aldar Education HQ, advising the cluster team accordingly.
• Professionally offer challenge and fact-led opinion on decision making in relation to risk mitigation, for the benefit of the wider Aldar group.
• Drive a positive and proactive safe, healthy and environmental culture throughout cluster teams and act as a champion for safety, health and sustainability.
• Support each school within the cluster in establishing specific health, safety and environmental-related aims and objectives and ensuring delivery within required timelines.
• Ensure adherence to all relevant service guidelines and policies, developing and challenging where necessary.
• Drive and support the use of centrally deployed safety-related systems to ensure compliance regarding incident and visitor management.
• Ensure all health, safety and environmental-related inspections and audits are completed in line with the Aldar Education safety management system, using a supportive and coaching approach to help remove barriers and promote improvements through teamwork.

Capital Deployment

• Lead capital deployment and operational requirements associated with growth, expansion and key development projects across the cluster.

Digital Transformation

• Champion the use of AI, automation and digital solutions to simplify processes, strengthen decision-making and drive operational efficiency across the base school and cluster.

Enrolments & Customer Satisfaction

• Work collaboratively with relevant HQ teams to support cluster enrolments and develop impactful strategies at school level to support the drive for both new students and retention.
• Work collaboratively with relevant HQ and school-based teams to support the admissions process, identifying and addressing operational gaps and ensuring alignment with required processes and compliance standards.
• Support enrolment target drive through consistent customer service experience via NPS process, FOH efficiency and competitor landscape knowledge.
• Demonstrate sufficient cluster knowledge to promote cross-selling practices within the cluster to support and drive enrolment targets and customer experience.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree (BSc) in a business-related subject and NEBOSH; or related industry qualification of graduate level for the assigned functional area(s).
• At least 5 years' experience in a senior level position within an education or service-oriented industry.

Skills & Competencies

• Fluent English communication skills, written and oral.
• Attention to detail with diligent follow-up and ability to execute in a timely manner.
• Skilled in multi-tasking and handling pressure.
• Organizational ability of self and others.
• Forethought and forward planning, particularly as it relates to local government compliance matters.
• Capable of influencing people and talented in networking with cultural sensitivity.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Strong and consistent supervisory skills.
• Commercial acumen.
• Initiate effort and energy beyond the typical workday where tasks require additional commitment.
• AI and digital literacy, with the ability to effectively leverage emerging technologies to improve operational efficiency and decision-making.

Additional Information

Aldar Education offers an attractive remuneration package including a range of benefits. The organization places special emphasis on professional development, coaching, and training for both students and staff. Successful candidates will have access to a wide network of professionals and opportunities to both lead and contribute to training others as well as develop themselves.

Aldar Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and