We're hiring
School Business Professional
A senior role at the heart of Swiss Gardens: leading our finance, HR, premises and administration, and working alongside our Senior Leadership Team and Governing Board.
Salary
Grade 9: £38,398 to £40,327 FTE
Actual salary for 30 hours a week, term time: £25,653.73 to £27,621.32, depending on experience and qualifications
Working pattern
Term time only, 4 days a week
0.8 FTE · permanent · flexible working, including some home working, can be discussed
Closing date
Monday 23 November 2026
by 9am
Interviews
Thursday 26 November 2026
About the role
Thank you for your interest.
Are you a whizz with numbers? Love a spreadsheet? And take pride in keeping things organised and running smoothly?
Then we might just have the perfect opportunity for you!
We're looking for a friendly, enthusiastic and organised School Business Professional to join our team. If you enjoy a varied role, are confident with numbers and love being part of a team, we'd love to hear from you!
Never worked in a school before? No problem! You might come from a finance, accounting, HR or business administration background and have a wealth of transferable skills and experience to bring to the role. We're more interested in what you can bring to our team than where you've worked before!
We believe in finding the right person and making the role work for them, so we're happy to discuss flexible working patterns with the successful candidate, including opportunities for some home working.
Great people make great schools – could you be the missing piece of our team?
At Swiss Gardens, we are committed to providing a welcoming, safe and stimulating environment in which we can nurture the achievements of every child. The School Business Professional plays a vital role in supporting that work.
You'll support our Senior Leadership Team and Governing Board on the most effective use of resources, and lead the day-to-day management of finance, human resources, premises and administration. We are very proud of our school community and would be delighted to welcome your application.
Leadership and strategy
- A member of the Senior Leadership Team, helping deliver the school improvement plan
- Reporting to the Governing Board on funding, budgets, forecasts and the year-end position
- Supporting the administrative team and support staff development
Finance
- Running the finance function in line with the West Sussex Scheme for Financing Schools and SFVS
- Setting the annual budget and a three-year forecast with school leaders
- Month-end, year-end, financial returns, audits, procurement and contracts
Human resources
- Leading HR and liaising with WSCC Payroll
- Recruitment, right-to-work and DBS checks, and the Single Central Record
- Absence management, training records and the School Workforce Census
Premises and health and safety
- Health and safety, fire safety and security compliance
- Overseeing the Premises Manager, maintenance, contractors and lettings
- Supporting the Premises Development Plan
Administration and data
- Acting as the school's Data Protection Officer
- Licences and permissions
- Supporting the office and front of house
Safeguarding
- Making sure recruitment, contractors, site security, visitors and records all support the school's safeguarding
What we're looking for
- A levels (grade C or above) or equivalent, or experience at that level
- Good working knowledge of finance software, and Excel to a high standard
- Experience supervising, mentoring or training others
- Experience presenting financial information to different audiences
- Strong organisation, attention to detail and the ability to work strategically
- Willingness to attend some evening meetings, including Governing Board meetings
It would be great if you have
- A school business qualification such as CSBM, DSBM or ADSBM
- Knowledge of local authority and school financial regulations
This is a summary. The full person specification is in the job pack.
How to apply
We'd love to hear from you.
Closing date: Monday 23 November 2026, 9am · Interviews: Thursday 26 November 2026
Download the Support Staff Application form from the West Sussex job listing. Tell us why you’re applying and the skills and experience you’d bring (the key skills are in the job description), then email the form to office@sgprimary.co.uk by 9am on Monday 23 November. Please don’t use the “Apply online” button on that listing: the school handles applications directly. Questions? Call 01273 453176. You’re very welcome to visit before applying.
Why Swiss Gardens
A strong, happy, caring school community.
Safer recruitment
Keeping children safe comes first.
Swiss Gardens Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to an appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check along with other relevant employment checks, including satisfactory references.
We welcome applications from everyone. If you need any adjustments to apply or attend an interview, please let us know.
Thinking of applying? Come and see us.
We're always happy to show you around before you apply, or to answer any questions about the role.