Head of Administration & Facilities

Location: Chennai

Client: A Leading International School

A leading international school in Chennai is looking to appoint an experienced Head of Administration & Facilities to oversee administration, facilities, infrastructure, safety, compliance, transport, vendor management, and support operations across multiple campuses.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day administration and facilities operations across campuses.
• Develop and maintain administrative systems, processes, manuals, asset registers, and service processes.
• Oversee campus security, visitor management, access control, CCTV, and safeguarding requirements.
• Lead health, safety, fire safety, emergency preparedness, and risk management initiatives.
• Oversee school health services, nurses, first-aid facilities, and emergency healthcare arrangements.
• Manage buildings, infrastructure, utilities, housekeeping, maintenance, and campus services.
• Ensure statutory, regulatory, licensing, and compliance requirements are met and renewed on time.
• Oversee cafeteria operations, food safety, hygiene, and service quality.
• Manage school transport operations, contractors, routes, and student safety requirements.
• Lead vendor selection, contract negotiations, SLAs, performance monitoring, and renewals.
• Prepare and monitor administrative budgets, capital expenditure, insurance, and cost controls.
• Oversee construction, renovation, expansion, and infrastructure development projects.
• Support examinations, school events, admissions, inspections, and other academic activities.
• Drive sustainability initiatives related to energy, water, waste management, and resource conservation.
• Lead, develop, and manage the administration and support teams.
• Prepare regular operational, safety, compliance, transport, and budget reports for school leadership

Educational Qualifications

• Graduate / Postgraduate in any discipline.
• Certification in Facilities Management, Fire & Safety, or Project Management would be an advantage.

Experience

• 10 years of administrative experience for graduates or 7 years for postgraduates.
• At least 5 years of experience leading teams and managing outsourced contractors.
• Experience in an educational institution would be preferred.
• Experience managing multiple campuses would be an advantage.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Strong experience in administration, facilities, infrastructure, and support operations.
• Good understanding of statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to schools.
• Strong vendor, contractor, budget, procurement, and cost-control skills.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, organisational, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to remain calm and take charge during emergencies.
• Strong leadership and team management capabilities.
• Working knowledge of computers and Google Workspace.
• Fluent in English and Tamil.
• Highly organised, proactive, practical, and service-oriented.

Additional Requirement

• The role involves responsibility across multiple campuses and may require travel between campuses.
• Availability outside regular school hours may be required during emergencies, examinations, school events, inspections, and scheduled maintenance.