PERMANENT Administrative Officer, School Operations Suggested Salary Scale NJC Points 29-32

JOB DESCRIPTION

REPORTS TO: Principal / Vice Principal

RESPONSIBLE FOR:

The Administrative Officer, School Operations will lead provision of a high-quality HR Administration function within the school supported by the school administration team. The postholder will provide operational advice and guidance to support Senior Leadership in their strategic planning decisions. The postholder will manage a team of administration staff who will be responsible for the delivery of a comprehensive whole-school administration function. The postholder may also hold line management responsibilities for non-class based non-teaching staff, such as Building Supervisors or school employed Cleaners, as designated by the Principal.

JOB PURPOSE

The post of Administrative Officer, School Operations is a senior school‑based administrative role, accountable to the Principal / Vice Principal. The primary purpose of the role is to lead and manage the school’s administrative function, ensuring the effective coordination, delivery, and continuous improvement of administration, HR coordination, and financial administration within the school.

The postholder will play a key role in supporting senior leadership decision‑making by providing accurate, timely, and insightful administrative information, analysis, and data informed insight, drawing on Education Authority (EA) policies, frameworks, and delegated authority arrangements. The role will support senior leadership in the implementation of the School Development Plan and wider strategic priorities by ensuring robust systems, processes, and governance are in place across school operations.

The postholder will line manage the school administration team, with responsibility to oversee the delivery of a high‑quality, consistent, and compliant whole‑school administrative service, aligned to the school’s vision, strategic objectives, and statutory obligations.

The postholder will not replace or duplicate EA corporate functions, but will act as the principal interface between the school and EA on administrative, HR coordination, school finance, and governance matters.

The postholder will not hold authority for matters reserved to the EA under scheme of delegation, but will support local implementation, compliance, and assurance within school.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Human Resources Administration and Coordination Function

The postholder will lead and coordinate the delivery of a high-quality HR administration and coordination function within the school, ensuring that HR-related processes are effectively implemented in line with EA policies, procedures, and delegated authority arrangements. The focus of the role is to support compliance, consistency, and effective local implementation, rather than the determination of HR policy or EA-reserved decision-making.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Provide administrative, procedural, and data-led support to the Principal, Vice Principal, and SLT to facilitate the effective and consistent application of EA HR policies, procedures, and frameworks within the school.

• Act as the primary point of contact and interface between the school and EA on HR administration matters, ensuring timely communication, escalation where required, and adherence to agreed processes.

• Act as the key administrative liaison with the DE Teachers’ Pay Team, ensuring the accurate and timely provision of information relating to staffing, appointments, and salary costings.

• Coordinate and oversee the administration of recruitment activity, in line with EA guidance and delegated authority arrangements, liaising with EA to support timely, compliant appointments.

• In consultation with the Principal, coordinate and monitor staff attendance processes, including the implementation of attendance management procedures and the administration of appropriate cover arrangements, escalating cases as required in accordance with EA policy.

• Coordinate the administration of family friendly working requests, leave requests, and other contractual arrangements in line with EA policy and procedural guidance.

• Maintain accurate, confidential, and up-to-date staff records and HR systems, ensuring compliance with data protection and information governance requirements.

• Prepare and provide HR-related reports, data, and analysis as required to support management oversight, assurance, and decision-making within the school.

• Coordinate induction processes for newly appointed staff, ensuring that required documentation, information, and onboarding arrangements are in place.

• Support SLT to identify and coordinate access to staff development and training opportunities delivered by EA or other approved providers, and maintain records of training, qualifications, and professional development.

• Support the Principal in reviewing staffing structures and, where required, assist with the preparation or revision of job descriptions in line with EA frameworks and guidance.

• Be available, at the discretion of the Principal, to provide administrative support to recruitment and selection processes, including attendance at interviews.

• Approve timesheets for non-teaching staff within delegated authority arrangements.

• Ensure the accurate provision of required staffing and employment information to EA and DE, including data relating to workforce planning and financial forecasting.

• Support the consistent and compliant administration of HR-related processes across the school and identify opportunities for continuous improvement in administrative practice.

The postholder will ensure that all HR activities are undertaken in accordance with EA policies, delegated authority arrangements, and statutory requirements, and will escalate matters appropriately where decisions or actions fall outside local delegation.

School Finance

The postholder will lead and coordinate the delivery of effective financial administration and governance support within the school, ensuring that all financial activity is managed in accordance with the EA Financial Memorandum, scheme of delegation, and relevant statutory and regulatory requirements.

The role will focus on supporting school leadership with financial management, monitoring, reporting, and assurance processes, and on providing high-quality financial information to inform decision-making by the Principal, Senior Leadership Team, and Board of Governors. The postholder will not hold accountability for budget setting or approval beyond delegated authority.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Support the Principal in the implementation and operation of EA financial policies, procedures, and controls, ensuring compliance with delegated authority arrangements and governance requirements.

• Prepare, monitor, and maintain financial records to support the effective administration of delegated and earmarked budgets, providing regular and accurate financial information to the Principal to inform oversight and decision-making.

• Prepare draft financial reports, forecasts, and analyses in connection with the administration of the school’s budget to support the Principal and the Board of Governors in discharging their financial responsibilities.

• Provide administrative and reporting support to the Finance Committee of the Board of Governors, including the preparation of papers, financial updates, and supporting information as required.

• Assist in the preparation of the annual budget plans for delegated and earmarked funds, ensuring accuracy, appropriate analysis, and timely submission for consideration and approval by the Principal and Governors.

• Monitor expenditure against approved budgets, identifying trends, emerging pressures, or variances, and escalating potential areas of concern to the Principal in a timely manner.

• Ensure that all purchasing and procurement activity is administered in accordance with EA financial regulations, including the use of approved systems and processes.

• Approve expenditure, purchases, and iProcurement orders within agreed delegated limits, as authorised by the Principal.

• Coordinate the identification, acquisition, and recording of capital items (e.g. furniture and fittings), ensuring compliance with EA asset management and control requirements.

• Support the calculation and allocation of internal budgets for resources and reprographics, in liaison with the administration team and subject to overall budget controls.

• Maintain oversight of the personnel-related administrative aspects of the delegated staffing budget, ensuring that contractual and salary information is accurate and kept up to date, and that relevant data is provided to EA to support workforce and financial planning.

• Support internal and external financial audits and inspections by coordinating the provision of financial information, documentation, and evidence as required.

• Promote and support the principles of propriety, regularity, and value for money in the administration of all financial activities within the school.

All financial activity will be undertaken within the limits of delegated authority, with accountability for financial decision-making and approval remaining with the Principal and Board of Governors in line with EA governance arrangements.

Operational Administration

The postholder will establish, develop and monitor robust administration processes to effectively support school operation, this will include:

• Contribute to quality assurance processes by monitoring and reviewing the Schools administrative support requirements and provide recommendations for achieving optimum use of existing and future resources

• Review, monitor and implement administrative systems as appropriate

• Facilitate reporting protocols that are required by the EA

• Maximise the application of a range of appropriate software packages to provide data analysis and organisational/and wider system insight

• Work in partnership with ICT colleagues to develop and maintain digital solutions for the administrative management of HR

• Enhance the development of the school by building on effective partnerships across other Special Schools/Specialist Provisions/Schools

• Collaborate with colleagues across Special Schools, in particular other Administrative Officers, to share learning, maximise the use of resources and help achieve synergy

• Prepare information for and present reports to SLT as appropriate

• Support school leadership in responding to queries and complaints, in line with relevant schemes and policies

• Contribute to the establishment, maintenance and review of effective data systems to enable the collation and robust analysis of current provision and projected need

• Establish and maintain appropriate systems, processes and procedures to ensure the effective and accurate management of complex, confidential and sensitive data

• Advise on effective record management processes and compliance with GDPR

• Support with the provision of response to FOI requests, Parliamentary Questions, Assembly Questions, Minister’s cases and other correspondence cases within set deadlines

• Advise and contribute to strategic reviews and developments aimed at improving administrative service delivery or school improvement as appropriate

Staff Management and Supervision

• Manage a small team of officers and undertake all duties associated with line management

• Monitor ongoing administrative needs and identify and implement new processes to support the school with its current needs and future challenges

• Plan the work of the administration team within school to enable and improve operational objectives

General Administration

The postholder, with the support of the administration team, will be responsible for providing an efficient and effective administrative support structure for the whole school. This will include, but not limited to:

• Arranging for the registration and admission of new pupils including the administration of travel and uniform grant forms and ensuring the validity of claims.

• Manage the collation of accurate pupil information regarding additional learning and medical needs

• Authority to approve parental transport forms and school meals forms

• Acting as personal secretary to the Principal

• Acting as administrative support to the Board of Governors and its committees.

• Acting as secretary to the SLT.

• Arranging for administrative cover to service other meetings as required.

Other Duties

• Represent the school on working groups or meetings as appropriate

• Seek opportunities to continuously improve the quality and value of service provision

• Contribute to ongoing programmes of transformation • Undertake such training as may be required for the role.

• Maintaining confidentiality in all aspects of the job.

The postholder will undertake any additional duties as assigned by the Principal and agreed by the post holder.

In all areas of the post, the postholder will be required to maintain effective liaison with external agencies including DE and EA.

This job description will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), the post-holder is expected to promote good relations, equality of opportunity and pay due regard for equality legislation at all times.

To view the summary of terms and conditions for this post, click here.

JE Ref: 022/26 (date eval’d 09.06.26)

PERSON SPECIFICATION

NOTES TO JOB APPLICANTS

1. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how, and to what extent you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria, where relevant.

2. You must demonstrate how you meet the criteria by the closing date for applications, unless the criteria state otherwise.

3. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is outlined in the table below.

4. Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form.

5. Please note that the Selection Panel reserves the right to shortlist only those applicants that it believes most strongly meet the criteria for the role.

6. In the event of an excessive number of applications, the Selection Panel also reserves the right to apply any desirable criteria as outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting, in which case these will be applied in the order listed. It is important therefore that you also clearly demonstrate on your application form on how you meet any desirable criteria.

Section 1 - Essential Criteria

The following are essential criteria which will initially be measured at the shortlisting stage and which may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage.

Factor

Essential Criteria

Method of Assessment

Qualifications/ Experience

Applicants must meet either (a) or (b)

(a) Hold a Degree (Level 6 or above) or equivalent or higher qualification

AND

Have at least 3 years' experience in successfully managing, coordinating and improving the delivery of effective administrative function within an organisation, working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders to support operational delivery and management decisions.

OR

(b) Have at least 5 years' experience in successfully managing, coordinating and improving the delivery of an effective administrative function within an organisation, working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders to support operational delivery and management decisions.

Applicants must also demonstrate:

Experience of supporting the application and administration of HR policies, procedures and processes, including appropriate referral or escalation where specialist advice or management decisions are required.

Experience of financial administration, including supporting budget monitoring and financial reporting.

Experience of supervising or managing staff and coordinating workloads to support effective service delivery.

Shortlisting by Application Form

Knowledge

Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of organisational policies, procedures and controls consistently in the administration of Human Resources, finance and information management.

Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of appropriate referral and escalation arrangements for matters requiring specialist advice or management decisions.

Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of data protection, information governance and records management requirements, including the appropriate management of confidential and sensitive information.

Shortlisting by Application Form

Other

Willingness to occasionally work outside of normal working hours.

Have access to a suitable vehicle (appropriately maintained and insured for Education Authority business) that will enable them to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner and thus meet this essential criterion

OR

be able to provide sufficient information on the application form that will satisfy the employer that he/she has access to an appropriate alternative form of transport that will enable them to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner and thus meet this essential criterion.

Shortlisting by Application Form

Section 2 - Essential Criteria

The following are additional essential criteria which will be measured during the interview/selection stage.

Factor

Essential Criteria

Method of Assessment

Skills/ Abilities

Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage conflicting priorities and demands.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.

Ability to effectively lead, manage and develop a team to ensure the delivery of a high performing and effective administrative function.

Ability to gather, analyse and interpret information from a variety of sources to support operational and strategic management decisions.

Ability to analyse, interpret and support the implementation of organisational policies and procedures.

Ability to monitor and interpret financial information, identify significant pressures or variances and provide accurate information to support management decision making.

Ability to use Microsoft Office applications and information management systems effectively to produce reports and recommendations to support operational and strategic management decisions.

Interview

Values Orientation

Evidence of how your experience and approach to work reflect Sperrinview's ethos and values. You will find information about the school’s values/ethos on our school website https://www.sperrinviewspecialschool.co.uk/our-school/vision-and-introduction/

Interview

Section 3 - Desirable Criteria

Some or all of the desirable criteria may be applied by the Selection Panel in order to determine a manageable pool of candidates. Desirable criteria will be applied in the order listed. You should make it clear on your application form how, and to what extent you meet the desirable criteria, as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted.

Factor

Desirable Criteria

Method of Assessment

Qualifications/ Experience

Experience of supporting wider organisational change, workforce planning or service improvement initiatives.

Hold a further relevant qualification or a professional qualification relevant to the requirements of the role.

Shortlisting by Application Form

Our Values

Through the selection process we will also seek evidence that the personal values of candidates align with those of the EA. This will include evidence of commitment to equality and excellence in service delivery. These reflect our aim which is to meet the needs of all our children and young people equally, removing barriers to learning and ensuring equality of access to excellent education services so that every child can develop to his or her full potential.

DISCLOSURE OF CRIMINAL BACKGROUND

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 defines working directly with children or young people or in specified places as ‘regulated activity’.

In the event that you are recommended for appointed to a post that involves ‘regulated activity’, the Education Authority will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure of Criminal Background. Please note that you WILL be expected to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate. Details of how to make payment will be sent to you at the pre-employment stage.

Further information can be accessed on https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/accessni-criminal-record-checks or http://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/articles/about-accessni

APPLICANT GUIDANCE NOTES

To view the applicant guidance notes, please click here.

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The Education Authority is an Equal Opportunities Employer