The Role
This is a significant leadership opportunity to shape the future operational environment of St Leonards School.
The Head of Estates and Facilities will provide strategic and operational leadership across the School’s estate, facilities, compliance, and operational support services, ensuring the delivery of a safe, compliant, efficient, and high-quality environment that supports an exceptional educational experience.
The postholder will oversee a complex estate of 19 buildings operating within a busy day and boarding school environment with 24/7 operational requirements. The role is responsible for estates infrastructure, facilities management, health and safety compliance, transport operations, grounds, cleaning services, capital projects, and operational resilience.
As a senior leader, the postholder will play a key role in modernising systems, improving operational performance, strengthening compliance assurance, supporting sustainability ambitions, and delivering strategic estate improvements aligned to the School’s long-term priorities.
The role manages an annual operational budget of approximately £450k alongside a multi-year capital investment programme and leads a multi-disciplinary workforce of approximately 25–30 staff plus contractors.
The post holder will work closely with the Board, Head, DFO, and Executive Leadership Team and will sit on the Senior Management Team.
About St Leonards
St Leonards is a friendly and forward-looking independent, coeducational, boarding and day school situated on an historic campus at the heart of the university town of St Andrews. The school enjoys an unrivalled location - there are sandy beaches, world-class Links golf courses, and historic sites on its doorstep.
St Leonards delivers the inspiring, globally-recognised International Baccalaureate curriculum (which has been praised by university admissions officers for its focus on deepening learning learning, offering wider subject options, and enriching minds) for pupils aged five to 18, and was the first school to be accredited as an all-through IB school in Scotland. It is one of just two schools in the UK to actively offer all four IB programmes, ensuring a seamless learner journey. The youngest pupils follow the Primary Years Programme, which goes hand-in-hand with the vibrant Outdoor Learning programme at St Leonards. This is followed by the Middle Years Programme and (I)GCSEs. In the Sixth Form, pupils choose between the Career-related Programme and the Diploma Programme.
St Leonards enjoys a rich sporting heritage, and continues to boast a strong record of achievement with pupils representing the school nationally in golf, rugby, lacrosse, hockey, horse riding, and small-bore rifle shooting. The leading five-tier Golf Programme continues to go from strength to strength, the Duke of Edinburgh Award is the fastest growing of all Scottish independent schools, and an exciting calendar of trips and activities ensures pupils leave St Leonards equipped with the skills required to succeed in today’s ever-changing world. Truly an education ‘Ad Vitam’ (for life).
