School Operations Associate

Nova Pioneer is looking for a rockstar School Operations Associate for our Tatu International School. The associate will be in charge of helping with the day-to-day operations of our campuses to ensure that they run smoothly. This is an opportunity to be a part of an innovative network of schools that is developing generations of innovators and leaders who shape the African Century.

Disclaimer: Nova Pioneer does not charge any fee to process your application.

About Nova Pioneer
Imagine a world in which every young person across Africa attends a school that truly sets them up for success in the 21st century. A school that cares about individual students and allows them to explore the world around them. A school that focuses more on developing skills than on memorizing content. At Nova Pioneer, we have done more than just imagine this future, we are bringing it to life. Nova Pioneer is a pan-African, independent network of schools offering high quality, accessible education from pre-primary through secondary school. Nova Pioneer uses a unique, inquiry-based learning approach that encourages students to ask "why" instead of telling them the "what". It allows them to form their own thinking through exploration, investigation, and collaboration. Learn more about our learning approach here. Nova Pioneer currently has 17 schools in South Africa and Kenya with a vision to launch 100 schools and reach tens of thousands of students across the African continent in the next decade. To learn more visit

About The Role
The School Operations Associate is responsible for assisting/directing the planning, development and implementation of duties and projects related to School Academic Systems, Sports Activities, Transport, Meal Services, Educational Technology, Library, IT Services, Facilities Management, Procurement and Finance and Administration.

Promoting Nova's Values and Beliefs

• Fully embrace Nova's values and beliefs
• Promote Nova's values and beliefs to students, staff, other faculty, parents, and members of the outside community

Key responsibilities for the role include:

• Day-to-Day Operations

• Drive operational excellence in daily school operations

• Ensure smooth campus operations, including evening, weekend, and holiday activities
• Liaise with school leadership, academic team, and operations team for seamless operations
• Support various aspects of school operations (Library, Student Support Services, Kitchen operations, Sports Activities, etc.)
• Plan, assign, and direct contract/casual staff, including cleaning and security

• Appraise staff performance, recommend any rewards and discipline steps for contract/casual staff, and address complaints and resolve problems

• Project Implementation

• Assist with the implementation of initiatives by the Operations team

• Support project execution related to school goals, including renovation, construction, new policies/systems, etc

• Space Allocation & Management

• Lead allocation and management of school spaces/facilities

• Ensure stakeholders are informed of any changes or issues in good time

• Secure and prepare spaces/equipment/facilities for school events at least 7 days prior

• Uniform Management

• Act as a point person between Procurement and school leaders for uniform changes

• Support the execution of new uniform designs
• Ensure updated uniform brochures are available for parents and included in parent newsletters

Health, Safety, and Compliance

• Contribute actively to the success of the school's Health & Safety Committee
• Ensure compliance with all national and county government regulations (permits, licenses, certificates, etc)
• Maintain well-filed and accessible school registration documents
• Conduct daily facilities and spaces walkthroughs, providing daily reports with photos
• Conduct weekly and bi-weekly facilities and infrastructure walkthroughs, providing detailed reports
• Ensure timely identification and actioning of all repair and maintenance needs, while providing regular updates to stakeholders
• Complete and communicate the safety drill calendar and procedures, document drill reports, and implement feedback

Assets and Resource Management

• Maintain the school asset register and ensure monthly reviews by the School Leader.
• Manage school assets through their life cycle, from acquisition to disposal
• Sensitise teammates and students on responsible resource use, e.g. water and electricity.
• Address teammate needs (repair of furniture, fittings, restrooms) within 48 hours, closing out issues within 5 days

Financial Management

• Track the school's OPEX budgets and expenditures, ensuring compliance and maximising savings
• Serve as the school's Procurement Launch point person, preparing the budget, leading procurement in liaison with the Procurement team, receiving and tracking deliveries, attending relevant meetings, and providing regular updates
• Receive, review, and store Procurement Launch & mid-year supplies and deliveries
• Prepare resource-efficient budgets for major school events (Big Events), obtain approvals, and share post-event reports
• Prepare annual special billing revenues budgets and lead post-reviews
• Liaise with the Dean of Students/Associate Dean of Students and vendors for the timely processing of invoices and payments
• Share Purchase Requests (PRs) with the School Leader twice a week, ensuring clear item narration and timely PR processing
• Maintain positive relations with vendors, consultants, and suppliers, ensuring good communication and customer experience

Leadership and Professionalism

• Maintain professional grooming and dress code, modelling high expectations
• Volunteer for tasks, displaying courtesy, friendliness, and respect to stakeholders
• Bring a solutions-driven mindset to all engagements
• Project warmth, positivity, and optimism in interactions
• Respond to written communication within 24 hours
• Ensure meeting preparedness by diarising meetings, arriving early, providing updates, meeting timelines, and contributing thoughtful input
• Collect, analyse, and present data at least three times a term for data-driven planning
• Prepare timely, concise, and accurate written communication
• Take responsibility for tasks, seeing them through to completion with a plan, realistic timelines, and budgets
• Maintain an organised Google Drive folder for role-specific documents, accessible by the School Leader, line coach, and school team

About You
Skills and Qualifications required:

• A Diploma/ Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Management or Economics
• A minimum of 4 years of related work experience, preferably in business operations, project management, marketing, event management and/or finance operations
• At least 1-2 years spent in a leadership/ supervisory role demonstrating progressive responsibility
• Superior problem-solving and planning skills
• Highly developed organisational, communication and presentation skills
• Good competence in Microsoft packages, such as Microsoft Excel
• Superior interpersonal skills as demonstrated by the ability to form professional relationships at all levels of the organisation and with appropriate external stakeholders

How To Apply
Does working at Nova Pioneer excite you? If so, then apply Now

To apply, please complete the form on the right-hand side of this page. We cannot process applications that are emailed to us.

Please note: You are encouraged to attach your resume in PDF format to protect formatting.

All applications will be reviewed and applicants notified of next steps within a week after this closing date. There are a series of stages in the Nova Pioneer interview process and candidates will be moved forward in the process depending on their success in the previous stage. The process is as follows:

• Phone interview: a short conversation to understand your skills and experience a little better
• Practical demonstration of what you can do: you will complete a written task or a demonstration related to the role you are applying for. Teachers participate in a half-day selection day at one of our campuses as well as deliver a lesson to a class
• In-person interviews: at this point you will visit one of our schools to meet the team and participate in a series of in-person interviews
• Final interview: you'll have a final conversation with the hiring manager before decisions are made

WORKING AT NOVA PIONEER

Nova Pioneer is a place where our people experience tremendous growth, fast We invest heavily in the growth of our people because it leads to greater mastery in both us and our students. "Novaneers" work harder and work longer hours than at most schools but as a result, the growth they experience is extraordinary. We offer consistent and ongoing professional development and provide clear career pathways that ensure that our people are always achieving their personal and professional best. Nova Pioneer has a highly energetic, entrepreneurial environment where our people get to bring their creative and innovative ideas to life. We look for people who are flexible and who are able to adapt and respond quickly to adversity with a positive, can-do attitude (there are no problems, only solutions). We welcome challenges and roll with the punches because it makes us, and our students, better. There is no problem too big for us We work hard but we also have a lot of fun together. We bring infectious energy and enthusiasm to everything we do because joy fuels the hardest work and learning. Read more about our culture principles here

Nova Pioneer will never request an application fee from candidates. If you are contacted with a request to pay a fee from someone claiming to be a Nova Pioneer Talent or Recruitment representative, please do not pay them and report it to us immediately on or
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