Operations Manager

We are looking for an Operations Manager to take ownership of the systems and outcomes that allow hundreds of students to learn each week - from how enquiries become enrolments, to how teaching schedules are organised across venues and schools, and how families experience the service day-to-day.

You will be responsible not just for managing these areas, but for the results they produce. You will work alongside a small team, while taking primary responsibility for how this area of the organisation operates.

Greenwich Music School is a charity providing high-quality music education for children and adults across South East London and online. Founded and led by musicians, we have grown steadily by combining strong teaching with a thoughtful and well-organised experience for students and families. Each week hundreds of students learn with our teachers in venues, partner schools and online.

As we grow our school-based provision, we are continuing to improve how the organisation works - simplifying processes, strengthening how we support teachers, and making progress and communication clearer for students and families.

You will work closely with the CEO and Principal, but day-to-day you will manage your own priorities and move work forward independently.

How the role works day-to-day

• Much of this role is carried out independently, often working remotely or on your own
• You will be responsible for managing your time and priorities without close day-to-day supervision
• Much of the work is practical and operational, focused on making day-to-day systems run clearly and efficiently.
• There is regular communication with the CEO, Principal and wider team, but the role does not involve a shared office environment
• You will need to be comfortable working in this way over extended periods

What you will be responsible for:

Student journey and communication

• Own day-to-day communication with parents through our support inbox and ticketing system
• Ensure enquiries and issues are handled promptly and clearly
• Work with a colleague to resolve queries efficiently
• Maintain a consistently high standard of written communication with families

Scheduling and capacity

• Manage teaching schedules across venues and partner schools
• Ensure teaching capacity is used effectively
• Identify and fill gaps in timetables
• Maintain accurate scheduling data in our booking platform

Enrolment and conversion

• Monitor enquiries and take practical steps to improve enquiry-to-enrolment conversion
• Ensure families are guided clearly towards appropriate lessons or courses
• Reduce unnecessary delays between enquiry and enrolment

Operational systems

• Develop and maintain clear processes and SOPs
• Improve how we use templates, saved replies and automation tools
• Simplify processes where possible, reducing unnecessary steps and communication

Operational insight

• Track and report key metrics such as capacity, enrolment and retention
• Spot patterns in enquiries, withdrawals or complaints
• Work with the leadership team to improve systems over time

This role suits someone who

• enjoys taking ownership of how things work in a small organisation
• looks for ways to simplify systems and reduce unnecessary friction
• thinks carefully about the experience for students, parents, teachers and colleagues
• focuses on the most important improvements rather than trying to do everything
• is comfortable keeping things running while building and improving systems at the same time
• writes clearly and thoughtfully, even in difficult situations

This role may not suit someone who

• prefers highly structured environments with established systems already in place
• is looking for a primarily strategic or managerial role rather than hands-on operational work
• prefers working in a busy office environment with constant interaction
• finds working independently or managing multiple priorities without close supervision challenging

What we are looking for

You might currently work in operations, programme management or service delivery in a small organisation. The key thing is that you are comfortable taking ownership of outcomes and improving processes over time.

Strong candidates typically:
• write clearly and calmly, even in difficult situations
• enjoy improving systems and reducing recurring problems
• are comfortable working independently and taking responsibility for their work
• pay close attention to detail while keeping sight of the bigger picture
• communicate clearly with colleagues and move work forward without needing constant supervision

Experience in education is welcome but not essential.

What success looks like

Within the first year:

• teaching capacity across venues and schools is actively managed and well utilised
• enquiries convert more consistently into enrolments
• operational processes are documented and working reliably
• written communication with families is clear and supportive
• the organisation runs smoothly day-to-day, with the CEO and Principal spending less time on reactive operational matters