Following the appointment of senior staff to leadership roles in other schools, and in line with long-standing plans to expand the Sixth Form from September 2026, Winchester College is looking to restructure its management and administration teams, to provide additional capacity and support for key leadership roles.
The school therefore offers an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and experienced professional to join a well-established, experienced and collaborative support team. The successful candidate will provide personal, executive and confidential support to the Second Master (Senior Deputy Headmaster) in overseeing the day-to-day running of the school. The successful candidate will have a combined role of Personal Assistant and School Events Coordinator, and will be expected to work proactively, supportively and collaboratively with and for the Second Master and other senior colleagues.
The post holder will have well established experience as a PA or EA at executive level and proficient in supporting departmental operations, they will be able to work confidently and quickly under pressure with a large degree of autonomy. The role of School Operations Co-ordinator derives largely from the delegated responsibility of the Second Master, and will include:
This is a visible and vital coordination and management role within the school, so accordingly requires someone who is extremely personable and proactive. The ability to work independently and as a part of a team is essential, as are flexibility and the maintenance of confidentiality and discretion at all times.
The primary role of the Co-ordinator is to support the Second Master in the day-to-day running of the College operations. The Co-ordinator will have delegated responsibility in several areas with regard to the efficient operation of the school. This notably consists of the duties set out below, and also includes resolution of enquiries from parents, pupils and staff. The ability to triage correspondence, responding as appropriate, but seeking guidance and bringing key issues to the attention of the Second Master is essential.
The post holder will have an eye for detail, strong interpersonal skills, a friendly and approachable demeanour, and a careful and accurate written style. An ability to work independently isa pre-requisite, as are problem-solving skills and good judgement on how to act, advise and prepare material for relevant colleagues, including for those in senior leadership and executive positions.
The Co-ordinator will act as a conduit to the Second Master (2M), maintaining and coordinating his diary and being a central point of reference with respect to making appointments and advising on availability.
In addition they will:
This will include responding to early/special leave requests for pupils, ensuring regular and useful correspondence with relevant parties, and logging decisions made by the school and by families.
The Co-ordinator has delegated responsibility for the planning and good running of large-scale and whole-school events, under the direction of the Second Master. The events will include prize-giving (Commend"à) assemblies and Medal Speaking, Founder Obit, Morning Hills, Ad Portas, Cathedral Services, Whole-School Photos, Remembrance Sunday, Amicabilis Concordia, D"ïmum and Ex Port"çs, plus other occasional events.
Indicative tasks are:
The Co-ordinator will have oversight of central recording of rewards and sanctions and other pupil details, to ensure timely notification of pupils, housemasters, porters et al., following up on absenteeism as appropriate. Primarily this will involve:
Other duties will include:
This list of duties is not exhaustive and the post-holder may be asked to undertake any other such activities as the Headmaster or others acting on their behalf may require.
The Education Visits Coordinator (EVC) oversees all aspects of the planning and running of educational trips, whether Local Area Visits or more significant travel, reporting directly to the Second Master. The role is key in ensuring that off-site visits continue to develop and enrich pupilsexperience.
For the right candidate, and subject to any flexible working arrangement, the School Operations Co-ordinator may also work closely with the EVC to provide advice, guidance and support to trip leaders and staff during and outside term time, including coordination of travel details and liaison with the school (external) travel counsellors.
Essential
Desirable
Knowledge
· Highly proficient in the use of Microsoft packages including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, Forms, OneNote
· Familiarity with school information management systems such as iSAMS, SOCS, Evolve
· Familiarity with the routines of a boarding school
Skills
· High facility for managing routine and operational business on behalf of the line manager (2M), including preparing and sending correspondence, and taking responsibility for some items under 2M purview
· PA skills (running diary and advising line manager, responding to correspondence on request, organising meetings, hosting visitors, answering telephone and emails)
· Secretarial and administrative skills (issuing and circulating agendas, taking minutes, managing follow up actions)
· Ability to learn new systems and processes quickly
· Excellent numeracy and literacy skills, including ability to process and present data quickly and clearly
· Ability to work with a high level of accuracy and fluency, with a keen eye for detail
· Ability to be proactive, anticipate issues and to take initiative in solving problems and queries
· Ability to prioritise a busy and varied workload to meet strict deadlines with minimal supervision
· Evidence of continuous professional development
· A good memory for people
· First Aid trained
· Touch typing skills
Experience & qualifications
· Minimum of 5 GCSEs at Grades A*-C (or equivalent) including English and Maths
· Proven track record of successful support to a senior manager
· Experience of operational management of a department or organisation and an understanding of business administration functions (finance, marketing, HR)
· A level and degree qualification
· Previous experience in an education setting
Attributes & personal characteristics
· Personable and approachable
· Ability to keep confidentiality and to work independently and autonomously as appropriate, managing own workstream
· Excellent team working and interpersonal skills
· Confident communication with people of all ages and seniority
· Organised and tidy; well-presented
· Willingness to work flexibly at busiest times, to help the wider team
· Willingness to be involved in the wider life of the school, engaging with pupils and staff in other contexts (such as at house lunch)
Flexible start date for the right candidate with preference for commencement at the beginning of the next academic year, 1st September 2025.
Normal working hours during term time will be 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, with one hour unpaid lunch break, and 8:30 am to 12:30 pm on alternate Saturdays. During school holidays, an average of 20 hours per week is expected, worked flexibly and by agreement with the Second Master.
The position is therefore rated as a 52-week role, at a full-time equivalent annual salary of £45,000, commensurate with qualifications and experience. Salary is paid monthly, in arrears, to a nominated back account in 12 equal payments.
The school is fully committed to the induction, training and development of all our staff, with staff supported to grow and reach their full potential.
We deliver a range of training, run by both our own staff and external providers, varying from highly practical First Aid courses to seminars and learning lunches on many aspects of teaching and learning.
There is an annual cycle of appraisal offering the opportunity to reflect on professional practice and development opportunities.
The school also offers a wide range of apprenticeships supporting staff development and progression.
On employment, employees will be auto-enrolled into the College pension scheme according to legislative thresholds. Those who are not eligible for auto-enrolment may still elect to join the College pension scheme.
Initially, when joining the College pension scheme, employees will become a member of the College Group Personal Pension Plan (GPP). For this Plan, known as Tier 1, the employee contributes 4% and the employer 3%.
After 9 month membership of the Tier 1 plan, employees may opt to join Tier 2, which is also a GPP, where the employee contributes 5% and the employer 9%.
Employees in Tier 1 automatically qualify for a Life Cover of 2 times salary. On entry to Tier 2, Life Cover changes to 4 times salary.
The College leave year runs from 1 September to 31 August. This position will be entitled to the statutory holiday requirements. These are presently 28 days (including Bank Holidays). Any Public Bank Holiday occurring during term time is deemed to be a normal working day. All leave must be taken by prior arrangement with the postholder line-manager and must be taken outside of the school term times.
Subject to the discretion of the school Bursar, a gift may also be given of extra time off during the Christmas period.
The first six months of employment will be a probationary period. Regular reviews with line managers take place over the probationary period with the opportunity to discuss progress, identify any areas for action and ensure that there is appropriate guidance and support in place to enable successful completion of the probationary period.
During the probationary period, the notice required by either party to terminate employment will be one month.
Once employment is confirmed, the notice period will be three months.
As Winchester College is an educational establishment, a condition of employment will be that the successful candidate must consent to the school obtaining an Enhanced Level Disclosure Check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This will reveal all spent and unspent convictions, warnings, cautions and bind-overs. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on the school website.
Safeguarding is one of the primary responsibilities of this role. The jobholder is responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, and will need to adhere to and ensure compliance with the schools Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times. The postholder should be conversant with the responsibilities and procedures detailed in this policy and with the Department for Education Keeping Children Safe in Education. If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the postholder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, they must report any concerns to the school Designated Safeguarding Lead, or in their absence, the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads.
The appointment will be dependent upon the receipt of a successful medical check and satisfactory references. The College will usually seek references from shortlisted candidates before interview and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications. At least one referee must be the current or most recent employer. Where applicants are not currently working with children but have done so in the past, one referee must be the person by whom they were most recently employed when working with children.
Only applications completed on the school website will be accepted. Please attach a full CV with your application.
Please note that applications will be dealt with as they arrive. Winchester College reserves the right to appoint before the deadline passes.
Closing date for applications: Midnight on 2nd July 2025.
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the recruitment process, please email recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk.
We embrace diversity and inclusion in the workplace and are committed to promoting a fair and supportive environment for all our employees. We are keen to welcome applications from all applicants that feel that they meet the requirements of the role, regardless of their background and culture.
Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Act 2018. The school is the Data Controller of this data under the Act and is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office. Its registration number is Z5751669.
If you have any queries or comments about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school, please contact the Bursar and his team by emailing: dataprotection@wincoll.ac.uk or by writing to: Data Protection, The Bursary, Winchester College, College Street, Winchester, SO23 9NA.
Winchester College was a pioneering institution when it was founded in 1382 and continues to be a global leader in education today. Renowned for its intellectual excellence and impressive academic record, Winchester is sought after for its combination of superb teaching, outstanding pastoral care, and an exceptional breadth of sports and other activities.
Winchester currently has 735 pupils from Junior Part (Year 9) to Sixth Book (Years 12 and 13). The majority of these pupils are boarders, with around day pupils (boys and girls) in each year in Sixth Book. The first girl boarders will join in 2026.
At all levels Winchester encourages pupils to look beyond the curriculum. We are famous for Div, our unique programme of cultural studies which promotes independence and flexibility of mind and offers an excellent preparation for university study. In these lessons, pupils engage in wide-ranging inquiry across disciplinary lines, from English Literature to Ancient History to the History of Science.
Pupils in the Sixth Form study linear A-level courses and will ordinarily study three A-level subjects and Div, with the option of Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). Linear A-levels are complemented by the flexibility of both Div and the EPQ where pupils are able to explore their cross-curricular research interests more deeply.
Music has been central to life at Winchester ever since its foundation, and the school is unique in having maintained its Choral Foundation to the present day. The Music Department is now one of the leading departments in the country and offers outstanding opportunities to all.
Sport is a major part of Winchester life, supported by the recent opening of a state-of-the-art Sports Centre. There are many fixtures against other schools and excellent facilities allow all pupils to enjoy and participate in a variety ofsports and enable the most talented and driven pupils to train and compete at the highest level.
Much energy is also invested in the Combined Cadet Force, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Community Service, and in links with local primary and secondary maintained schools. This commitment provides pupils with many opportunities to work for the benefit of others, inside and outside the classroom, developing the knowledge and skills, and the rights and responsibilities, which will enable them to grow into valuable and productive members of society.
Pupils eat all meals in their boarding houses, talking with their Housemaster/mistress, and interacting with friends, visitors and teachers. We believe that conversational ability, developed both inside and outside the community, equips pupils to talk to anyone, about anything, in practically any situation. This unparalleled combination attracts pupils from across the world, making Winchester a truly international and diverse community which celebrates every pupil individuality, passions and potential.
Winchester College is committed to maintaining the Founder original intention of offering an outstanding education to any pupil who would benefit from it, regardless of their financial circumstances, and many of the pupils in the College are being helped financially through the school with substantial bursaries.
Winchester College is committed to providing a respectful and inclusive workplace and a fair and supportive environment for all. We attract staff with a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, and we work hard to recruit from the widest possible pool of talent, believing that this is for the benefit of our pupils and every member of our community.
Sustainability: You can learn more about our goal of creating a more sustainable school here.