Business and Estates Manager

You will play a key role in supporting the effective and forward-looking management of the school’s operational and physical environment, helping to ensure that the estate, facilities and resources are aligned with the School’s strategic priorities and continuing growth.

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, and working closely with the Facilities Manager and senior colleagues, you will contribute to the planning and delivery of estates and operational delivery, ensuring the school is well prepared to meet both current needs and future demand. This will include translating pupil numbers into practical estates planning, ensuring that capacity, infrastructure, and facilities evolve in a timely and considered way.

You will provide a vital link between the strategic planning and day to day delivery, supporting the coordination of projects, the management of resources, and the smooth operation of the school sites. The role requires a proactive and organised approach, with the ability to anticipate requirements, manage competing priorities and ensure plans are progressed well in advance – particularly where longer term development or statutory approvals are required.

This is a role for someone who takes pride in enabling the organisation to run effectively and to grow sustainably, with strong attention to detail, a solutions-focused mindset and the ability to build positive working relationships across the organisation.

You will work collaboratively with colleagues across academic and operational teams, as well as with external partners, to ensure that estates and operational plans are delivered efficiently and to a high standard.

The successful candidate will combine strong organisational and planning skills with sound judgement, clear communication and a willingness to take ownership of their work. They will be proactive, reliable and adaptable, contributing positively to the life of the school and supporting its ambition to provide an outstanding environment for pupils and staff.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the effective management, compliance, and strategic development of the school’s estates and operational functions;
• Work in close partnership with the Facilities Manager, with complementary responsibilities across estates management – the Facilities Manager leading operational delivery, and the Business and Estates Manager providing strategic coordination, compliance oversight, governance, and reporting;
• Ensure robust systems, processes, and reporting frameworks are in place to support safe, compliant, and efficient use of facilities;
• Contribute to strategic planning, income generation, and governance;
• Act as a key point of coordination between internal teams, senior leadership, and external providers to ensure effective communication and delivery of estates-related activities.

Estate Compliance s Assurance

• Develop and maintain a robust compliance and assurance framework;
• Ensure adherence to all statutory and regulatory requirements, including health and safety, fire safety,
• water hygiene, asbestos, and related obligations;
• Prepare reports for senior leadership and governor meetings, including compliance updates, and risk summaries;
• Support audit readiness and continuous improvement of compliance processes;
• Develop and maintain a register of approved suppliers and contractors, ensuring compliance with financial regulations, internal controls, and value for money;
• Support the development and maintenance of estates-related policies, procedures, and documentation, ensuring they remain up to date and compliant with current regulations.

Asset Management s Lifecycle Planning

• Build, own, and maintain the school’s asset register, ensuring accuracy and completeness;
• Support lifecycle planning for estates assets to inform maintenance priorities and long-term capital investment decisions;
• Work with stakeholders to align asset management with financial and strategic planning.

Estates Strategy s Planned Maintenance

• Support the development and implementation of a structured estates strategy;
• Translate pupil number projections into both immediate and long-term estates planning, ensuring sufficient capacity is secured through early action, including where lead times such as planning approval are required;
• Assist with forward planning of maintenance programmes and capital works;
• Contribute to prioritisation of projects across sites in line with operational and strategic needs;
• Support the development of sustainability initiatives, including monitoring energy use, and contributing to long-term sustainability goals;
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, processes, and reporting across estates and operational activities;
• Support the development and maintenance of business continuity and emergency planning arrangements related to estates and facilities;
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators relating to estates, compliance, and operational efficiency, reporting on performance and identifying areas for improvement.

Commercial Lettings s Income Generation

• Coordinate and develop commercial lettings activity across school facilities;
• Ensure effective utilisation of estate resources aligned with income generation objectives;
• Support the development of pricing, scheduling, and operational arrangements for lettings.

Project Coordination

• Support the coordination and delivery of larger-scale estates and capital projects;
• Assist in tracking project progress, managing documentation, and liaising with contractors and stakeholders;
• Ensure projects align with compliance, budget and strategic priorities.

Risk s Incident Management

• Own and maintain the accident reporting framework and processes;
• Ensure accidents are recorded, investigated, and reported appropriately;
• Maintain the operational risk register, ensuring risks are identified, monitored and mitigated.

Person Specification

You will bring strong organisational and planning capability, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver effectively in a busy and varied environment. Experience in an estates, facilities, operations or business support role is highly desirable, along with an understanding of how physical infrastructure supports operational needs.

You will be proactive and forward looking, with the ability to anticipate requirements and translate plans into practical delivery. Experience of supporting projects, coordinating resources or working within a multi-site environment would be advantageous, as would an appreciation of longer-term planning cycles, including capital development and statutory processes.

You will demonstrate sound judgement, attention to detail and a solutions focused mindset. Strong communication skills are essential, with the ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues, contractors and external partners. You will be comfortable working both independently, and as part of a team, taking ownership of your work and seeing tasks through to completion.

Reliability, adaptability and a willingness to take initiative are key to success in this role, as is the ability to remain calm and effective under pressure. A professional approach, integrity and discretion are essential.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated and capable individual to make a meaningful contribution to the effective management and development of the organisation’s estate and operations, supporting both its day to day delivery and its longer term ambitions.

Essential Experience

• Experience working in an estates, operations or business support role within a complex organisation.
• Demonstrable experience of coordinating projects or workstreams, ensuring delivery to agreed timescales.
• Experience of working across multiple sites or supporting a varied operational environment.
• Experience of planning, prioritising and managing competing workloads effectively.
• Experience of liaising with a range of stakeholders, including external contactors or service providers.
• Experience of supporting or contributing to forward planning, particularly where demand or capacity requirements need to be anticipated.
• Experience of maintaining accurate records, tracking activity, and ensuring appropriate documentation is in place.
• Awareness of statutory processes (e.g. planning permission, compliance requirements).

Desirable Experience

• Experience of supporting development projects.
• Exposure to capital projects, refurbishments or infrastructure improvements.
• Experience of supporting lettings or commercial use of facilities.

Terms of Appointment

The appointment is from September 2026.

• The role is based in Glasgow, Scotland.
• Job Title is ‘Business and Estates Manager’
• Salary is £62,105
• Contract type is permanent
• Pension contribution is 5%
• Access to salary sacrifice car scheme .

How to apply

The Glasgow Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and all appointments are subject to membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme.

The Glasgow Academy is committed to providing equality of opportunity and ensuring that no job applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender and transgender status, race and ethnicity, religion and belief, marriage or civil partnership status or sexual orientation.

The Glasgow Academy is a War Memorial School with a long history of employing ex-serving personnel, reservists and spouses of serving personnel. We look favourably on applications from those mentioned above; we understand the extra burdens placed on these individuals and as an organisation are fully committed to supporting them and their families.

It is a legal requirement that all employees must demonstrate that they are entitled to live and work in the UK. You will be required to produce documentary proof e.g. passport and work permit, where applicable, to demonstrate your eligibility to work if selected for interview.

www.theglasgowacademy.org.uk

The Glasgow Academicals' War Memorial Trust is an educational charity registered in Scotland, Charity No SC O15638

Submission of application

Candidates should apply for this role by submitting a CV and an intention letter to: The HR Department, The Glasgow Academy, Colebrooke Street, Glasgow G12 8HE or by email to: hr@tga.org.uk

The closing date for applications is noon on 24th July 2026.

GDPR personal data notice

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Due diligence

Due diligence will be carried out as part of the application process, which may include searches carried out via internet search engines and any public social media accounts.