Operations Manager

About This Role

Repton Dubai is seeking to appoint an outstanding Operations Manager to join the team.

About Cognita: Cognita is a global leader in independent education. Founded in 2004, we are a growing community of 100+ schools in 16 countries - in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East - serving more than 85,000 students. Each of our schools are proudly unique, however our collective purpose is to create an environment where everyone can, ‘Thrive in a rapidly evolving world’.

About Repton School Dubai: Repton Dubai was founded in 2007 and is a ‘world class’ international school in the heart of Dubai. One of the few genuinely international schools in the Gulf Region, Repton Dubai combines the reputation and academic rigour of the UK curriculum, from infants and junior school up to IGCSE level in Year 11 and then embraces the challenges and opportunities of the International Diploma or IB in the Sixth Form, whilst also offering A levels.

Set in a stunning campus in Nad Al Sheba, and almost uniquely in Dubai, also offering a dynamic boarding experience, Repton pupils from ages 3-18 benefit from facilities, resources and a classroom and sporting experience, that is the envy of their peers.

The department is proud of the outstanding results achieved in recent years for both IGCSE and IB. The successful candidate will join a hard-working, driven and experienced team of dedicated teachers, all working in collaboration to make our subject highly engaging and our young people experts. At Repton we have state of the art facilities, and we have embraced technological advances to allow students and teachers to be creative and successful in the modern world, this is a great opportunity to join a highly effective team.

Our mission is ‘the rigorous pursuit of excellence, inside and outside the classroom, combined with a passionate concern for the wellbeing of each individual’

Purpose As Operations Manager, you will lead and manage school teams, facilities, and day-to-day operations to ensure smooth, cost‑efficient delivery and full compliance with group and local regulatory policies. A core responsibility is leading on Health & Safety — developing and enforcing H&S strategy, risk management, incident response, and staff training — while also leading campus expansion and facility improvements, event management, and ESG initiatives.

Key Accountabilities: Facility Management

Provide operational oversight of all facility and maintenance services

Manage maintenance budgets & delivery in collaboration with the relevant third party contractors & school teams

Effective management of day-to-day operations, including events & functions ensuring compliance with all regulations & policies

Supervise the quality of work for all other employees to ensure that all tasks are performed correctly, efficiently and effectively; (custodians, technician, groundskeepers etc) and external contractors.

Support in the development of long term strategic planning for asset replacement

Work with internal and external stakeholder to improve efficiency in operational efficiency and reduce environmental impact

Stakeholder Management

Advise school leadership in driving efficiencies and operational effectiveness

Build and maintain positive working relationships with staff, senior leaders, Head of Operations and the Principal.

Manage vendor relationships, including setting,measuring and enforcing SLAs

Implementation & management of policies & procedures across all services

Contract Management

Participate and support in POQ & tender processes

Contract administration & third-party document control

Oversee external vendor performance, changes, and communication to relevant stakeholders.

Support the groups service & contracts manager with commission tracking for all other income

Compliance

Oversee onboarding documentation for third party contractors

Compliance with all group & relevant governing body; Health & Safety, Data Protection, KHDA and Safeguarding policies & procedures

Projects & Campus improvement

Support with the planning and delivery of strategic campus improvement and expansion projects

Ensure project modifications receive required approvals and meet specification, budegt & timleine requirements

ESG

Support the ESG team in implementing sustainability initiatives across the schools

Promote environmental and social responsibility within school operations

Person Specification Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree or relevant operational qualification; NEBOSH and IOSH preferred

Experience: 3+ years in operational roles, ideally in education, facilities, or service-driven environments

Key Relationships Internal:

Senior Leadership team

School employess

External:

Government bodies

Third party contractors

Parents

Capabilities and Qualities: Health, safety, and compliance leadership

Budget awareness and procurement control

Cross-functional problem-solving and crisis response

Strong administration skills (accurate and attention to detail)

A high level of confidentiality (tact and diplomacy)

Strong communication skills; written, verbal and non-verbal

Excellent interpersonal and customer-facing skills

Self starter with a strong sense of logic, analytical and organisational skills

A flexible team player

To support your application, please include your current, up-to-date CV.

The school reserves the right to interview and appoint strong candidates before the official closing date, and therefore we would encourage candidates to apply early in the process.

Cognita is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and expects the same from its employees. All new staff will be subject to detailed and enhanced pre-employment clearance, including identity checks, criminal background checks for all countries lived in, qualification checks, employment checks to include an exploration of any gaps in employment, and satisfactory reference checks for all employment in the last 5 years.