Position Overview
The Beira United Office Manager reports to the Director of Administration and functions primarily as the school business supervisor handling financial and legal tasks, maintenance and security, as well as other varied relational and organizational responsibilities. The Office Manager works closely with the school’s administration team (Director, Director of Instruction and Director of Administration) to establish and maintain a highly professional office and school environment, providing support as needed. The Office Manager serves constituents of the school (board, administration team, parents, maintenance staff, guards, gardener, accountant, and government officials) and is to become highly familiar with all policies related to school business recorded in manuals for the board and director, as well as financial and discount agreements with parents. The Office Manager acts as a primary point of contact for the school regarding school fee payments, financial queries and complaints, government and human resource issues, professionally and warmly interacting with all parents, teachers, staff, visitors and the community at large, often in a fast-paced, relationally intensive school office environment.
Personal Qualities
Service and others-oriented, teachable, gracious with all persons (staff, teachers, parents, government officials, accountant), joyful, administratively excellent, thorough, punctual, flexible, collegial, articulate, and enthusiastic
Overarching Responsibilities
Duties include but are not limited to:
- Board Support: Assisting the Financial Board Committee in the preparation of monthly financial statements to be presented to the Board.
- Administration Support: Assisting the Admin Team in the implementation and oversight of financial policies and procedures, and in carrying out local operations in a manner consistent with the Beira Unitedethos.
- School Office Support: Oversee the general office duties and activities of the Secretary.
- Maintenance and Security Support: Have weekly meetings with the maintenance manager, security staff (day and night guards) and gardener, to oversee and facilitate activities, and lend support as needed.
- Finance: Receiving all school fee payments and other income, and write receipts; managing the Petty Cash; managing banking tasks, accounts receivable and payable; preparing reports for board meetings; and any other financial functions as needed. Serve as the go-between the school and external accountant, and facilitate accounting activities; drawing up monthly parent statements and salary slips, etc.; managing M-Pesa account, POS payments, internet bank transfers; etc.
- Legal: Securing compliance with government and municipal requirements, and insurance (Workers’ Compensation, etc.); visiting Government departments for various reasons (payments, collection of information, etc.).
- Human Resources: Processing new employees (background checks and documentation, health certificates, police clearance, etc.), documenting employee sick and personal days; and forwarding information to accountant; part-time or temporary workers; etc.
- Inventories: Logging and tracking curriculum inventory for all grades/subjects, as well as school-wide equipment and supplies;
- Safety: Planning and documenting monthly emergency drills; weekly physical inspection of school grounds; responsible for all class room and other areas’ keys; ensuring dogs are looked after (food, water, clean environment, health checks, yearly immunization, etc.).
Minimum Requirements
- Diploma or certificate, in a financial and / or administrative field of study
- Previous office administration experience
- Flexible with changing tasks and comfortable working in a variety of roles
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
- Strong interpersonal (including conflict resolution) and time management skills
- Solid business acumen, management, and problem-solving skills
- Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office, Google Apps,
- Basic math, bookkeeping and data entry
- Knowledge of QuickBooks a plus
- Highly organized and detail-oriented
- Free and clear results on medical and police clearance background check
- Introductory knowledge of Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy from the following essays: “Three Instruments of Education”[1] and “Children as ‘Persons’”[2].
Hours
January 1st through December 31st, 07:00 to 16:00 Monday through Friday (except school holidays), with 1-hour lunch during this time, and occasional Saturday, early morning and/or evening hours according to required school events and per the current year Instructional Calendar; leave days as indicated by government, usually taken during January/December.
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[1] Chapter VI, An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason
[1] This article by Charlotte Mason originally appeared in Parents’ Review, 1911. Both essays are published in Essex Cholmondley’s, The Story of Charlotte Mason, 1960 (now out of print but available online).
Contact Us
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Mr. Manuel Mário: +258 85 221 2349
Email: maricakruger@gmail.com