The Information Systems Team Leader is responsible for the administration and maintenance of the school's information and communications systems and school website. The systems architecture is a complex one, involving a combination of off-the-shelf packages and bespoke systems, which have been developed in-house.
The duties focus largely on the administration of the school information management system, website and parent communications, though you will also provide support in other areas where required. This is a leadership role and as such, carries line management responsibilities of support staff.
The position will suit candidates with strong IT skills and proven success in similar information systems support or data administration roles. It will be of particular interest to those who are able to demonstrate that they can learn new systems quickly, have a passion for maintaining the quality of data and can evidence an ability to learn and understand the structure of complex database systems.
PLEASE NOTE: The normal working hours for the role will be 8:30am-4:30pm Monday to Friday, though you may be called on to cover for absent colleagues outside of these times (up to 6:00pm). The Information Systems Team Leader works approximately 34 weeks per year (term time), plus an additional 8 weeks outside of term time (according to the needs of the school and as directed by the Director of Operations).
Specific Responsibilities
Below are examples of some of the duties which are currently included:
Management Information System: Administering the input and import of academic data, maintaining contact information, uploading academic timetables, creating and maintaining standard and bespoke reports for statistical analysis, user account administration, application and training and assisting with implementation of new functionality.
Website: Maintaining the school's bespoke website across its public, parent and staff pages using the content management system (Drupal). The school has full control over the content of the site and the Information Systems Team Leader is heavily involved in the upkeep of the site, using the content management system as well as in the development and testing of new functionality. Additional duties will include uploading the online events calendar, administering updates to contact details, user account administration, proofreading and publishing new content, administering daily/weekly email feeds and responding to webmaster email enquiries.
Parent Communication: Frequent, informative, professional and efficient communication with current parents is key to the smooth running of their children's day-to-day activities. The password-protected Parent Portal area of the school website provides secure access to information which has been filtered as relevant to each family. The Information Systems Team Leader will direct the work of the Office Administrator in administering this process of parent communication.
SchoolCloud Systems: In addition to the main MIS, the school also uses a number of other systems, the majority of which are cloud-based and automatically link to the MIS. The Information Systems Team Leader will administer the use of these systems, overseeing the work of support staff to keep these systems up to date.
New Developments: Supporting the Director of Operations in the review, analysis and implementation of new systems, solutions and processes, including testing, writing user guides and training.
Reporting: On a termly basis, the Information Systems Team Leader is responsible for reporting on progress in their department to Senior Managers and Governors.
Person Specification
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:
- Comparable work experience in a relevant, similar position, preferably within an education setting or the ability to demonstrate the required competencies to fulfil the duties of the role as outlined
- Very strong organisational skills: exceptional ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritise
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, with an ability to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders including staff and parents
- Excellent attention to detail and accuracy, with high numeracy and literacy skills
- Excellent data management, data entry and record-keeping skills
- Strong IT skills, in particular proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) and familiarity with databases such as school management software systems and website content management systems or the willingness to acquire them with the support of the school
- Strong logic and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify issues and propose effective solutions
- The ability to learn quickly and a willingness to adapt, be flexible and happy to be deployed across the school
- A capacity to work in a team in a collaborative approach, working with colleagues and contributing to a positive team environment
- Proactive and able to work efficiently and independently with minimal supervision
- Strong customer-service skills, demonstrating a friendly and approachable manner with a strong focus on providing an excellent standard of service
- The willingness to undertake any training funded by the school
To apply for the role of Information Systems Team Leader, please send a covering letter together with a copy of your CV in MS Word.