Head - Operations - Aldar Education

Job Description Aldar Education is seeking a Head - Operations to support our schools in Abu Dhabi. This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled professional to join the highly successful Aldar family of schools and to help shape the future of Abu Dhabi’s leading school group. .

Since its inception in 2007 with just 250 students, Aldar Education has grown into a highly sought-after education provider, with more than 25 owned and managed premium and super-premium schools and academies- in partnership with some of the world’s most prestigious institutions including Rugby School, King’s College Wimbledon, and Cranleigh. The Group now serves over 38,000 students through 5,000 educators from more than 100 nationalities to deliver world-class education across a broad range of curricula and learning pathways from nursery through to K12.

At Aldar Education, our impact goes far beyond the classroom: we are proud to contribute to the UAE’s vision for a sustainable, knowledge-based economy through premium education. With this in mind, we hire educators and industry professionals who not only embody our values and cultural ethos but also bring a genuine passion for education—qualities central to our mission of shaping the leaders of tomorrow.

If you are passionate about excellence and ready to make a meaningful impact, we invite you to apply and be part of our journey.

As a senior Operations lead across their relevant cluster, the incumbent will be responsible for leading, implementing and supporting initiatives within their group of schools, as required by HQ departmental senior leads, to ensure a group-led approach for a consistent, systematic, safe school operation. In addition, the role will ensure that schools are compliant with related internal & external directives and regulations.

As a cluster lead, directly supporting a group of principals and school-based operational leads, the role will be fully responsible to effectively oversee the effectiveness of all operations and external service-related activities within their cluster and ensure compliance with Aldar Education policy, procedures, risk, safety, sustainability, audit, and regulatory directives.

The incumbent will continuously strive to exceed internal & external customer expectations, capitalising the economic profit and return on capital investment, while embracing the Aldar Education core values. To embody the values, vision and ethos of Aldar Education and assist the department in ensuring high quality and successful outcomes..

This is an exciting opportunity to join the highly successful Aldar family of schools and to help shape the future of Abu Dhabi’s leading school group.

Responsibilities Main Duties:

• To provide strategic and functional leadership across the cluster, driving operational excellence through strong leadership, clear communication, innovation and robust processes.
• To lead and be accountable for the 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.
• To act as the senior operational lead for the cluster, ensuring consistency, standardisation and alignment with Aldar Education’s strategic priorities and quality standards.
• To drive financial and operational performance, optimising Opex and Capex, resources, cost efficiencies and return on investment across the base school and cluster.
• To lead the effective delivery of operations, administration and support services across the cluster, ensuring consistently high standards.
• To provide strategic guidance to Principals, school-based operational leads and HQ functions on operations, financial management, risk, safety, sustainability, audit and regulatory compliance.
• To ensure continuous compliance with internal policies, regulatory requirements and authority standards, including the effective management and closure of audit and inspection findings.
• To lead capital deployment and operational requirements associated with growth, expansion and key development projects across the cluster.
• To develop and strengthen school-based operational teams through effective leadership, performance management, coaching and professional development.
• To lead the operational elements of school and cluster business/improvement plans, ensuring effective delivery against agreed strategic objectives.
• To champion a proactive culture of health, safety, sustainability and operational risk management across the base school and cluster.
• To 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.

Specific Duties: General Operations

• To support the principals and school-based operational leads in implementing the agreed business strategy for both the school and cluster.
• Development and implementation of policies, systems, processes, and student safeguarding measures relevant to their cluster and in conjunction with HQ teams to ensure business continuity and service deliverables.
• Initiate and identify good practices within their cluster and ensure these are implemented throughout the group in order to streamline operations, processes and policies and secure efficiencies.
• Lead in 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 of normal school hours, available to attend site to support the operations teams when required in line with the Aldar Education Critical Incident Response Protocols.
• To actively integrate AI, automation and digital tools into day-to-day operations to streamline processes, improve efficiency and enhance service delivery.

Leadership & Management

• Oversee the performance of the 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 ensuring school financial and operational performance is maintained.
• Oversee the recruitment, professional development, appraisal, and training programs of all operations, administration, and support service staff, ensuring that members of the team undergo an individual development plan to help the school and cluster in building a high-performance team.

Finance, Commercial & Procurement

• To support the principal and school-based operational leads in developing & monitoring all relevant budgets and expenditure, particularly operational costs, ensuring the department receives best value and service at all times.
• Continually reviewing opportunities for shared resource, cost and/or services across the cluster they hold responsibility for to ensure that the schools benefit from improved access to service teams and physical resources (i.e., support staff, transport etc).
• Support the school-based operational leads in reviewing & preparing all relevant information (e.g., scope of work, purchase requisition/specifications) to initiate tenders and develop weighted pre-determined evaluation criteria & assist school-based operational leads & Procurement in the technical evaluation of the tender documents submitted.
• Ensure Delegation of Authority processes and procedures are followed at all times.

Relationship & Stakeholder Management

• Embrace and encourage the ethos and standards of excellence as defined in the Aldar Education core values.
• Ensure that assigned cluster is fully compliant with local government authority regulations to safeguard against fines of any nature as a result of non-renewal of contracts at school level.
• 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.
• Understand the effects and implications of government policies, legislation and directives, developing effective strategies for current initiatives and long-term educational trends and developments.

Health, Safety & Environment

• To lead and support a culture of ‘no hurt, no harm’ through pro-active and pragmatic risk-based decision making.
• To promote and demonstrate a supportive and business focused approach to the management of risk, with a solution- based mentality.
• To act as the responsible person for HSE effectiveness and ensure their cluster complies with current health & safety legislation and/or guidelines as issued by Aldar Education HQ, advising the cluster team accordingly.
• Professionally offering challenge and fact led opinion on decision making in relation to risk mitigation, for the benefit of the wider Aldar group.
• To drive a positive and proactive safe, healthy and environmental culture throughout their cluster teams and act as a champion for safety, health and sustainability.
• To support each school within their cluster in establishing specific health, safety and environmental related aims and objectives and ensuring that they are delivered within the required timelines.
• To ensure adherence to all relevant service guidelines and policies, developing and challenging where necessary.
• To drive and support the use of centrally deployed safety related systems to ensure compliance in regard to 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 nature, helping to remove barriers, and promoting improvements in standards through teamwork.

Enrolments and Customer Satisfaction

• To work collaboratively with the relevant HQ teams to support cluster enrolments. Ensure impactful strategies are developed and implemented at school level to support the drive for both new students and retention.
• To work collaboratively with the 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 is supported by a consistent customer service experience through 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 the customer experience.

Qualifications Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors (BSc) in business related subject and NEBOSH; or
• Related industry qualification, of graduate level, for the assigned functional area(s)

Minimum Experience:

• At least 5 years’ experience in a senior level position within an education or service-oriented industry.

Job Specific Knowledge & Skills:

• Fluent English communication skills, written and oral.
• Attention to detail with diligent follow up, and able 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 this 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 the