Executive Brief and Role Specification. Malek Fahd Islamic School Business Manager

Transcription

1 Executive Brief and Role Specification Malek Fahd Islamic School Business Manager January 2018

2 About Malek Fahd Islamic School Malek Fahd Islamic School (MFIS) is an independent, co-educational Islamic school with custody of learning outcomes for K-12 Muslim students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The school is in Western Sydney and is a member of the Association of Independent Schools NSW (AISNSW). The School s website is at: The AISNSW website is at: With over 2,400 students and approximately 260 staff (of which approximately 45 staff are non-academic) residing across its campuses at Greenacre, Beaumont Hills and Hoxton Park, Malek Fahd Islamic School has built a reputation over nearly 30 years for educational excellence. A strong, and newly formed, Parents Advisory Group works closely with, and is represented on, the Board. This presents a significant leadership and governance opportunity. Malek Fahd Islamic School aims to develop each child intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially, religiously, morally, aesthetically and vocationally in an Islamic environment so that the children are happy and successful citizens of Australia. Malek Fahd has a wonderful community feel. There is a clear focus on citizenship and socio-educational activities, underpinned by the School s promotion of values such as respect, tolerance and fair go. Activities include International Women s Day, Harmony Day, Australia s Biggest Morning Tea, Pink Ribbon Day, Canteen, Jump Rope for Heart, ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day assemblies. Students take part in environmental activities such as Clean Up Australia Day, Stream Watch and tree planting, and fund-raise for multiple Australian not-for-profit organisations. The Student Representative Council, in each of the three campuses, is proactive in promoting awareness of those who are in need. The School has reviewed its current leadership structure, particularly in the area of Learning Support, Wellbeing and Sports, to further meet the needs of our students. These initiatives, including Heads of Wellbeing, Welfare Coordinators, Year Advisors and Cocurricular Sporting Coordinators will be implemented for To widen the curriculum on offer we have introduced new subjects into Years 9 and Year 11. To further understand the academic capacity of each child, we have introduced the annual testing of all students in Years 2, 4, 6 and 8. The data gathered will be used to advance student learning. The appointment of additional Learning Support Teachers and Teacher Aides will further assist the educational needs of our Secondary and Primary students. To further assist literacy development, from 2018, English will be streamed in Years 7 and 8 and Arabic will be streamed from Years 1 to 10 at the Greenacre Campus. The School has commenced the process of technology upgrade at each Campus, including new hardware in current computer laps, fit-out of an additional computer lab, ipads, inter-campus visual conferencing and an upgrade of the internet service. The School is expanding. To accommodate our student numbers for 2019 there will need to be further buildings at the Beaumont Hills and Hoxton Park Campuses. This process will commence during To meet the need of our parents, applications have been lodged for the development of Before and After School and Holiday Care services on our campuses. The School, too, is focused, on developing Preschools at each of Campuses. Plans will commence early in 2018 for these additional facilities. The School has an ongoing and rigorous commitment to delivering outstanding learning outcomes and results, which in turn drive strong student recruitment and forward enrolments. There is a waiting list for Kindergarten and Year 7, and enrolments are growing across all campuses. In the 2017 NSW Higher School Certificate Results, Malek Fahd Islamic School was ranked 69th, up from 76th in 2016, with 40% of students receiving an ATAR of 90 or more. The School was ranked 18th in the State in Mathematics. Students gained 79 Band 6 s and 121 Band 5 s. Many students received a score of

3 89, being one mark short of Band 6. All Extension 2 Mathematics students received a notional Band 6. Every Compression student in Year 11 achieved Band 6 results for Mathematics and Biology. Malek Fahd was highly ranked in a feature in The Weekend Australian newspaper on 1 st October, The NAPLAN Assessment ranked the School 50th out of all secondary schools in NSW, based upon the nationally accepted My School rankings system. The My School rankings system is managed by the Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority (ACARA), an authority of both the State and Federal Governments. The 2016 Annual Report is at: The School Board comprises professionals from a variety of corporate backgrounds, two of whom are alumni. Profiles of the Chair and Members of the School Board are at: The value proposition Malek Fahd Islamic School s current Board comprises members with senior executive, corporate, community, and educational leadership experience. The Board is committed to ensuring the School is well run and highly successful in meeting its goals. The Business Manager is supported fully by the Board and Principal in a joint endeavour to build on the School s successes and to drive its future as the school of choice for Muslim children in Western Sydney. The combined, extensive experience and educational leadership of the Board and the Principal means that the Business Manager will operate within a professional and transparent environment, to manage the School s dual purposes of delivering excellence in learning, and nurturing children in their spiritual and personal growth. Together with the School community, Malek Fahd s current Board has invested significantly in the School s great future by making changes to the governance framework. The Business Manager will be joining a reinvigorated school community and inspiring leadership team. Explaining the opportunity The incumbent is a Certified Practising Accountant who commenced in the position of Business Manager in May 2017 with a successful 18-year career in publishing, media and K-12 education and will be leaving Malek Fahd in early Demonstrating his professional and personal commitment to the role, he has been commuting daily from the South Coast but with a change to his family situation, has accepted a new role closer to home. In the period since joining the School s senior executive in May 2017 in the new position of Business Manager, the incumbent has made a major contribution to the School by implementing many new and improved procedures and practices and assisted the School to resolve matters it faced as a legacy of the former Board which was wholly replaced in early It is anticipated that the new Business Manager will commence by Term 2, 2018, and he/she will build upon the achievements of 2017 by working with the Principal and the Board to secure the School s long-term future.

4 The person Education Tertiary qualifications in accounting or finance are essential. Registration in accounting as a CPA or CA (or equivalent) is highly desirable. Other postgraduate qualifications in school leadership, law, and/or business management will be highly regarded. Completion of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Program would be favourably viewed, as would Board Secretariat experience. The Business Manager will have demonstrated working familiarity with Australian Securities law, and the Corporations Act with respect to governance practices. The Business Manager will understand the key obligations of the Act with respect to their duties. The Business Manager will also be familiar with the Australian Charities Act. Experience and competencies The Business Manager has responsibility for leading the financial and operational planning and reporting necessary to align objectives, the vision of the School Board and Principal, liaison with external agencies, and adherence to policy. He/She will evidence their competency in managing a complex organisation, reporting to the Senior Executive, managing teams, and building and fostering relationships with external stakeholders. A strong understanding and demonstrated experience managing information systems, strategic business transformation, enterprise system implementation, and procuring, negotiating contractual arrangements and managing telecommunications and technology providers is essential. The Business Manager will evidence their competency in empowering teams to investigate, evaluate, perform to the best of their ability, develop professionally, and build trust across a multi-site organisation. To this end, the Business Manager will possess excellent communication, negotiation, and leadership and management skills. Attributes The Business Manager is a person who can demonstrate their ability to work closely with a Principal and Board to apply sound finance and procurement procedures and enterprise systems to build the trust of the School s key stakeholder groups. The Business Manager is a commercially-oriented finance professional with years or more experience with the integrity and energy necessary to engage government and education agencies, the school community and staff, and importantly the School Board and Principal. With four direct reports, and leading a further 45 staff within the administrative and business services team, the Business Manager will demonstrate strong people leadership skill, emotional intelligence, an appreciation of cross-cultural management, and can show how he/she inspires, motivates and develops others for exceptional service delivery and continuous improvement. The Business Manager is also committed to supporting the moral and spiritual foundation of the School. He/She will appreciate and understand the Islamic ethos and values of Malek Fahd Islamic School.

5 The position The position of Business Manager is a full-time position based at the Greenacre Campus, with regular, weekly travel to the School s other campuses, and to School events and activities, as required. Reporting The Business Manager reports to the Principal of Malek Fahd Islamic School. The Principal, Mr Bruce Rixon, commenced in January The Business Manager reports indirectly to the School Board, in consultation with the Principal, through comprehensive reporting on matters related to governance, compliance, financial management, and preparation and management of Board papers and records. The School Board comprises: 1. Dr John Bennett, Chair 2. Dr John Edwards, Deputy Chair 3. Miriam Silva 4. Rodin Genoff 5. Ruby Fattouh 6. Yasin Mohammed 7. Fayez Moussa 8. Ayda Succarie Additional attendees at all Board Meetings include: 9. Bruce Rixon, Principal 10. Business Manager, who also fulfils the role of Board Secretary The School Board is profiled at Position purpose The Business Manager is a member of the Senior Executive Team and is responsible to the Principal and reports to the Board in all matters of administration, human resources, industrial matters, facilities management, information technology, governance, development, alumni engagement and marketing, and financial control of the school, including annual budget, fees collection, rebates, and payment of accounts. With strong ties to the community of Western Sydney, the Business Manager delivers considerable impact by continuing to strengthen the School s financial position in order to achieve the vision set by the Board and Principal for the School, whilst assuring the Principal and Board of strong compliance with reporting and governance responsibilities. The Business Manager will engage with Malek Fahd Islamic School s broad group of stakeholders, such as the local community, parent and student bodies, regulatory and statutory bodies, Board Members, academic and professional staff, alumni and philanthropic supporters.

6 Key responsibilities Leadership and management 1. The role requires a elevated level of managerial expertise, including a significant level of leadership, the ability to consult, delegate, analyse and plan in specific contexts within the School community. 2. The Business Manager represents the School to the wider business world and needs to ensure the administration of the School in all business matters is compliant with all relevant legislation and regulations. 3. There are four positions reporting directly to the Business Manager. He/She will oversee and guide the activities of these people and their staff, delegating functions and tasks as appropriate. a. Administration Manager b. Finance Manager c. Compliance Officer, and d. Information Technology Manager. 4. The Business Manager will: attend staff and executive meetings as required; be involved in school events within and outside of school hours as required; and attend Board Meetings and Board Committee meetings in an ex-officio role. 5. The Business Manager will work with his/her staff and other key positions on staff to review and evaluate the programs and activities for which he/she is responsible with a view to refining and improving services. 6. The Business Manager will undertake other appropriate duties as required. Finance and budgeting 7. In areas of budget preparation, and in financial planning, the Business Manager liaises with the Principal, Board and Finance Committee. The Business Manager takes advice from the Accounts Manager, liaises with the auditors, manages the relationship with the bank, and provides information to the Finance Committee and the Board to ensure fiscal accountability is maintained. 8. The Business Manager will effectively manage the School s finances so that the short and long-term goals of the School can be realized. 9. The Business Manager will establish inventory systems and registers, and manage all procurement, 3 rd party contractual arrangements, tenders, requests for quotations, and provide the Principal and Board with benchmarking/competitive quotes and ongoing assessment on the performance of providers. Board, governance, and policy 10. The Business Manager will provide considered advice to the Board and its Committees in relation to his/her areas of responsibility and provide support to the Board s and Committees activities. The Business Manager will attend Board Meetings, prepare the Board Package, take Board Minutes, and create, manage, and retain all other Board and Committee records and other documentation, as required. 11. The Business Manager will oversee those policies and practices of the Board and the School related to good governance to ensure Malek Fahd Islamic School is compliant with all requirements.

7 12. The Business Manager will manage and oversee all professional staff to ensure proper administrative records are kept; supplies and equipment are properly maintained and suitable; and third-party contracts operate properly. Shared services 13. Information and communications technology (ICT): a. In areas related to ICT, the Business Manager liaises with the Principal, the Board, the Education Committee, the Information and Communications Technology Committee, and the Risk Audit and Compliance Committee to ensure that the ICT infrastructure and services support the educational and operational programs of the School in effective and efficient ways that are compliant with legislation, regulation and best practice. b. A strong understanding of and demonstrated experience leading and implementing strategic ICT systems is essential. The Business Manager will have overseen strategic business transformation, enterprise system implementation, and managed IT&T procurement, and negotiation of contractual arrangements with telecommunications and technology providers. c. The Business Manager ensures the School s ICT facilities and services support the educational, administrative, financial and operational and communication needs of the School in ways that are compliant with legislation, regulation and best practice. 14. Administration: The Business Manager will oversee all administrative functions including: office management; property maintenance and project management; establishing and overseeing the operation of third party contacts; procurement; human resources and industrial agreements. 15. Development and marketing: a. The Business Manager effectively oversees the management of the development, alumni engagement and marketing functions. b. The Business Manager manages agency relationships and contractual arrangements, and oversees staff assigned to development and marketing activities. c. The Business Manager reports to the Principal and Board on the results of Development and Marketing activities. These may comprise Development (such as fund raising, alumni engagement, philanthropy, bequests, establishing and managing Foundations), and Marketing Communications (such as external and media relations, digital marketing and communications, website, marketing and branding campaigns, student recruitment activities, branded promotional items, digital and printed collateral/brochures, and school events). 16. Infrastructure and facility maintenance: The Business Manager ensures that the School s existing buildings and other facilities are properly maintained and that the acquisition or development of new facilities are properly planned, and project managed.

8 17. Human Resources: a. The Business Manager effectively oversees the management and ongoing development of the School s Human Resources policies and practices by liaising with Commonwealth and State authorities and other agencies in relation to the School s industrial agreements, award interpretation and negotiation; and by ensuring the smooth operation of these policies and practices on a day to day basis. b. The Business Manager ensures each staff member under his/her direct or indirect supervision undertakes an effective professional development program and is supported by involvement in an effective performance appraisal program. c. The Business Manager assesses the performance of all professional staff against agreed key performance indicators, contracts, and ongoing appraisal. Compliance, risk management, and regulatory agencies 18. The Business Manager will oversee and manage liaison with government regulatory agencies and banking organisations. This will include maintenance and risk management of effective systems of internal control for effective, timely, and accurate reporting. 19. The Business Manager liaises with government regulatory and banking organisations, including providing statistical, financial and other reports to regulatory bodies such as the State Department of Education, the Commonwealth Department of Education, NESA, the Block Grant Authority, Australian Tax Office, the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission, and the Association of Independent Schools NSW.