Business Manager

School Overview

At The Montessori School Kingsley, we espouse and implement pure Montessori principles. We are nestled on the hill in leafy Kingsley, surrounded by native bushland and overlooking Lake Goollelal. We are Australia’s longest-running Montessori school and we cater to children aged 3 to 18 in mixed-age classrooms; from pre-primary education to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (a globally recognised tertiary entrance qualification).

Our School

The Role

We are seeking a full-time Business Manager to be responsible, through the Co-Principals, for the business and financial management of the School by providing expertise in a wide variety of financial, administrative and management functions, for an immediate start.

This role offers a salary range of $90,000 to $105,000 per year, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will have demonstrated:

  • Tertiary qualification in a related discipline, along with an accounting qualification or working towards (CA, CPA).
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a flexible and collaborative manner with The School Board, staff and families.
  • Proven experience in the business and financial management of a small organisation.
  • Use and knowledge of school accounting systems is highly desirable and strong Microsoft Word and Advanced Excel skills.
  • Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines and reporting requirements.
  • Proven ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise discretion, and navigate sensitive situations.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Management

  • Full responsibility for the financial management of the School including compliance, reporting, budgeting, and maintenance of financial records:
  • Deliver timely and accurate expert advice and leadership in financial accountability.
  • Preparation and monitoring of realistic budgets, including cost centre reporting regularly against actual results achieved.
  • Providing timely periodic financial reports with insightful analysis of results. Highlighting any emerging risks that need to be addressed.
  • Identifying and contributing to the continuous improvement of policies, procedures, and practices.
  • Management and monitoring of the emerging cash needs of the school.
  • Ensuring all day-to-day finance activities are performed such as Accounts payable, Accounts receivable, Payroll, Banking, Asset Management, Taxes, and all other operational finance functions as required.
  • Performing monthly end-of-period closing procedures, including reporting to the School Board.
  • Management of the annual audit processes including preparing for audit and ensuring the school is ready for audit.
  • Ensuring compliance with all statutory and legal reporting requirements, such as BAS, Super, PAYG, FBT, etc.
  • Management and development of the Administration/ Finance team within the school.
  • Assist and/or prepare reports and statistics to ABS and other external body reporting requirements.
  • Operational management of insurance policies (data collection/provision, insurance claims and other day-to-day operational matters) and other school-related matters, such as student census and other reporting requirements.
  • Preparation of grant applications.

Facilities & IT Management

  • Ensure optimal functioning of school facilities and IT infrastructure to support educational outcomes.

Strategic Leadership & Planning

  • Advise the leadership team in strategic and master planning, fostering sustainable growth and development.
  • Operational Oversight: Manage day-to-day business activities, aligning resources and systems for efficiency and service quality.

Project Leadership

  • Drive initiatives that support the School’s strategic goals, enhancing our educational impact.
  • This position involves working in an environment with over 200 students. The appointment of the successful applicant will be subject to satisfactory employment screening for child-related employment in accordance with the law.

Position Description

Here is the Business Manager Position Description.

Interested Applicants

To apply, please submit a cover letter and a resume, including three professional referees to the Co-Principals at: [email protected]

[email protected]

The closing date for this position is Friday, 10 January 2025.

Please note that applications will be reviewed upon receipt and the School reserves the right to appoint a successful applicant prior to the close of applications or re-open the recruitment process after the closing date, if necessary. Only applicants proceeding to the interview stage will be contacted.