Secondary School Office Manager

Role Description JOB TITLE Secondary School Office Manager DEPARTMENT Secondary School Office LOCATION Shanghai LINE MANAGEMENT Head of Secondary School (functional day-to-day) / Head of School Office (standards & whole-school alignment – dotted line) OBJECTIVES The Secondary School Office Manager leads and coordinates the day-to-day running of the Secondary School Office and secretarial function , ensuring consistently high standards of service, communication, administration and event delivery across Years 7–13.

The role provides high-trust administrative support to the Head of Secondary School and Secondary SMT , drives accountability, follow-through and quality assurance across the Secondary secretarial team, and ensures that Secondary School operations and events are delivered to Wellington standards . Working closely with the Head of Secondary School and Head of School Office , the postholder strengthens consistency of processes, templates, parent-facing communications and event readiness across the whole College.

In addition, the postholder holds day-to-day operational ownership for a designated Key Stage within Secondary ( Years 7–9 OR Years 10–11 OR Years 12-13 ), acting as the primary administrative and operational partner to the relevant Key Stage leaders, ensuring consistent implementation of routines, communication standards, data accuracy, and event delivery aligned to Wellington standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Lead the Secondary School Office service (front-of-house & daily operations) Run the Secondary School Office day-to-day, ensuring a calm, organised, welcoming and professional service for pupils, parents, staff and visitors. Set and model standards for email/phone/in-person communication; ensure timely responses and high-quality written English/Chinese as required. Plan rotas and cover arrangements across the Secondary secretarial team to maintain operational readiness during term time, peak periods and staff absence. Anticipate pressure points (exam seasons, reporting cycles, admissions peaks, events calendar) and proactively allocate resources. Monitor delivery and deadlines; spot issues early and put corrective actions in place.
2. Line management & development of the Secondary secretarial team Line manage Secondary School Secretaries: priorities, workload, deadlines, standards, performance expectations and professional conduct. Coach and develop secretaries to improve consistency, judgement, stakeholder management and “Wellington standard” outputs. Conduct regular check-ins; support onboarding and probation; identify training needs and coordinate delivery (e.g., iSAMS, EDU365, We. Chat, minute-taking, event administration). Establish clear team ways-of-working and service level expectations (turnaround times, tone, escalation pathways, document control). Coordinate secretary cover planning (including school holidays where relevant) with the Head of Secondary School / Secondary SMT and the Head of School Office as required.
3. Executive support to Head of Secondary School and Secondary SMT Provide high-quality administrative and organisational support to the Head of Secondary and SMT, including diary coordination, meeting scheduling, agenda preparation, minutes/action logs, and follow-up. Ensure SMT actions are tracked and progressed; chase completion and escalate blockers appropriately. Support SMT communications and documentation (briefings, bulletins, parent communications, presentations) with strong attention to detail and brand tone.
4. Key Stage Operational Ownership (designated Key Stage) Act as the primary School Office lead for the designated Key Stage, coordinating administrative workflows, deadlines and stakeholder communication. Build strong working routines with the Key Stage Lead / Heads of Year / Teachers , ensuring smooth execution of key calendar points (reporting, exams/mocks as applicable, parent meetings, trips, student leadership, transition points). Ensure consistent handling of Key Stage-specific processes such as: Parent communication routing and follow-up (including We. Chat groups where used) Documentation control and accurate records (iSAMS and related platforms where relevant) Meeting coordination, minutes and action tracking for Key Stage meetings where required Attendance/absence-related administrative support (as applicable within the school model) Identify recurring issues (bottlenecks, communication gaps, inconsistent practice) and implement practical improvements aligned with whole-school SOPs.