Job Description

Job Introduction

Westminster School requires an experienced and capable IT Operations Manager for a 12 month fixed-term contract. The primary purpose of this role is to provide effective day-to-day leadership and management of the School's IT department and its operational workload.


This is a hands-on management role requiring strong leadership, technical understanding, and excellent organisational skills within a busy educational environment. Bringing this role at this critical time will enable the Deputy Director of Digital Strategy to dedicate focused time to a mission critical project.


The successful candidate will combine technical acumen with strong leadership, communication, and organisational skills, ensuring Westminster School's IT operations continue to run smoothly and securely during a critical period of change and development.


Main Responsibilities

The IT Operations Manager will be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the IT department, managing the IT team, prioritising support requests and ongoing tasks, and overseeing operational IT service delivery during this focused documentation period.


The role is to provide support to allow the Deputy Director of IT to focus on a mission critical project involving the comprehensive documentation of current IT systems, network infrastructure, processes, and configurations; and ensure the current bespoke architecture is ready for the next academic year (and as a direct response to a recent cyber review).


The School is also embarking on the delivery of a new building at Chapter House in Vincent Square, as we expand to include our new Pre-prep at Westminster Under School and plan to be fully co-ed by 2030, and the roll out of iPad controls.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead, manage, mentor, and support the existing Westminster School IT team. Oversee the management of the IT helpdesk queue and workload, in consultation with the Helpdesk Manager, ensuring timely and effective resolution of support requests from staff and pupils. Prioritise incoming IT issues and projects based on urgency and impact, in consultation with the Director and Deputy Director of Digital Strategy. Oversee the operational maintenance and monitoring of the School's IT infrastructure, including servers, network equipment, and end-user devices. Ensure IT systems are stable, secure, and performing optimally. Manage relationships with key IT vendors and external support providers as necessary for operational issues. Oversee the implementation of routine IT tasks (e.g., backups, user account management, system checks). Serve as a point of escalation for complex technical issues. Facilitate communication within the IT team and between the IT department and the wider school community. Provide regular updates to the Director of Digital Strategy on team activities, workload status, and any critical operational issues. Champion adherence to existing IT policies and procedures. Assist with minor IT project management tasks that require immediate attention, without impacting the Deputy Director's documentation focus. Enable smooth roll out of Chapter House infrastructure in conjunction with the contractors.



The Ideal Candidate

Please refer to the below (attached) person specification.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Westminster School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.


About The School

Working at Westminster

Westminster School is a busy, purposeful and vibrant place to be and an excellent workplace. The community is made up of 750 pupils, 120 teaching staff and 108 support staff.


Westminster School is friendly and welcoming, and all newcomers quickly become part of the rhythm of life here.


There is a real sense of community here as, being a boarding school many members of staff and pupils live on site and the School's premises are very much treated as a home away from home. School life starts before breakfast and continues way beyond the working day; as a result, there is always a lively atmosphere in and around School and always someone to share a tea and biscuit with in the Common Room. Support staff as much as teaching staff are encouraged to embrace the School's day-to-day activities, whether that be attending an evening concert or a morning service in the Abbey.


At Westminster we will always select the best candidate for every position. We do know, however, that we can only truly choose the best person on every occasion if a broad and diverse pool of candidates see the job advertised and are encouraged to apply.


As such, we continue to work on how our job roles are encountered, and particularly welcome applications from groups who have traditionally been underrepresented here.


Westminster School is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. We hope you are encouraged to apply.

The School

Westminster School is an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 13-18 and girls aged 16-18, with a long history, a distinctive ethos, and a unique sense of place in the very heart of London. Pupils achieve exceptional examination results and entrance to some of the top universities in the world. It is a busy, passionate and purposeful place where independent and deep thinking is enjoyed, encouraged and respected by all, and where holistic excellence is nurtured and valued.


While the School is one of the foremost centres of academic excellence in the country, its commitment to academic life does not make it a hothouse for passing examinations. Pupils' success at examinations and entry to leading universities is instead a result of their enjoyment of academic enquiry, debate and search for explanation, well beyond published syllabuses. Pupils are intellectually, socially, ethically and politically engaged and our aim is to ensure that their enthusiasm for learning is developed further, allowing them to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to them in the future. At Westminster, pupils have the freedom to lead on projects outside of the classroom and embrace a whole range of extra-curricular activities and interests. A host of pupil-led societies take place every week at the School, often with expert guest speakers, and pupils can choose to study an additional language, play an instrument or two, volunteer in local primary schools, row along the Thames, take part in plays and musicals, and much more.


The School's ethos resides in the enduring values of the liberal tradition reflected in the 1560 Charter of Westminster's Elizabethan foundation, where it is stated that: 'the youth which is growing to manhood, as tender shoots in the wood of our state, shall be liberally instructed in good books to the greater honour of the state'. Whilst academic and cultural attainments are highly prized at Westminster, the School is fully committed also to each pupil's spiritual, moral, emotional and physical development and wellbeing - with a particular emphasis on drawing out individual talent wherever it lies - and to prepare young people for fulfilled private and public lives.


From September 2028, the School will welcome both girls and boys at 13+ entry, offering a Westminster education to all. By 2026, Westminster Under School will have opened its brand new pre-prep for girls and boys at 4+ and girls will have joined boys in Years 3 and 7, at the 7+ and 11+ entry points. By 2030, all year groups at Westminster School and Westminster Under School, from ages four to 18, will be fully co-educational, reflecting the School's dedication to inclusivity and excellence.


Package Description

Required for:

as soon as possible

Location:

Deans Yard - Westminster School

Contract:

full-time, temporary - 12 month fixed-term contract

Salary:

65,000 - 70,000 per annum, dependent on experience

Benefits include:

Free school meals when on-site Generous School pension scheme Free access to the School's leisure facilities, including a fitness gym (restricted hours). Cycle to Work Scheme and season ticket loans following completion of our standard probation period Private medical insurance (opt in). Discretionary Christmas shutdown period.

The deadline for applications is 09:00 on Friday 12th September 2025. Interviews will take place, in-person, shortly after the closing date.