Regional Head of Facility Operations & Sourcing

Job Description

Purpose of Role

Reporting to the Regional Managing Director, the Head of Facility Operations & Sourcing is responsible for all aspects of Facilities and Procurement, budgeting and forecasting for CAPEX and OPEX, long range planning, capacity analysis, ESG, procurement best practice, third party vendor management, operations risk management and health and safety. This senior role is pivotal in ensuring best practices are emulated throughout the schools with cost efficiencies established through economies of scale. This role requires the ability to build strong and collaborative relationships with individual school leaders, Regional leadership team, school leadership teams, external stakeholders, contractors and consultants to ensure the delivery of positive outcomes across the region. This role involves frequent travel within the region and occasional travel beyond this.

About ISP Malaysia

One of the leading education groups in Malaysia, ISP Malaysia operates Tenby Schools, Asia Pacific Schools and Straits International Schools. Our nine campuses are strategically located in the developed areas of Klang Valley in Selangor, Perak, Penang and Johor.

Our schools in Malaysia follow the international school curriculum comprising IGCSE and A-levels, starting at the kindergarten level, while five of the schools also offer the Malaysian National Curriculum. With over 8,000 students, we have a 60-year history of providing education to students in the country and have gained a reputation for excellence and high standards in education.

We champion a transformative approach to learning that goes beyond the classroom. By igniting our students' curiosity and growing their self-confidence, we empower them to become the next generation of changemakers.

ISP Malaysia is part of ISP, a global community of over 100 international schools across more than 20 countries.

ISP Head of Facility Operations & Sourcing - Key Responsibilities

As a member of the Regional Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the Head of Facility Operations & Sourcing is seen as a specialist in their field and advises the Regional stakeholders, Heads of School (SLT) in all aspects surrounding Process Improvements, Internal Control, Due Diligence, Risk Management, Health & Safety and Planning for the schools’ property, facilities and service providers by implementing the highest standards of compliance & work ethics adhering to the Group Policy on Risk, Procurement and Health & Safety. They set and monitor effective Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and focus on embedding transparency and quality, advocating segregation of duties on operations and supply chain through and application of operations excellence and procurement best practices through their effective leadership and sound guidance. The Head of Operations & Sourcing will also oversee ESG, Capacity Planning, Asset lifecycle management with acute oversight to all school operations, procurement, Health & Safety and Risk Management activities.

Facilities, Infrastructure & Operations

• Responsible for planning, establishing, and continuously improving the region’s school maintenance plans by leading local facilities management committees and routine visits and inspections on school sites in accordance with ISP policy. To provide guidance in maintenance management at school level, including providing the most suitable preventative maintenance framework for the region.

• Accountable for the more sophisticated mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems and services across their school sites, including alarms, air-conditioning, water heating, lighting controls and building energy management systems (BEMS), devolving responsibility to trained professionals as appropriate and they establish effective procedures. for managing energy efficiency and monitoring utilities.

• To oversee periodic reports and key performance indicators related to facilities maintenance, budget control, capital expenditure and Risk Register.

• To be responsible for developing, reviewing and updating school specific contingency and recovery plans, through consultation with Heads of School (HoS), and to ensure that all procedures are clearly communicated to all staff and members of the school management team.

• To be aware of and adhere to all school rules, regulations, legislation and procedures, national legislation (Health and Safety, ACHS, Civil protection, etc).

• To ensure all school related building, operational and construction permits are maintained up to date including the review and management of property insurance annually.

• To ensure that all Maintenance, Site Risk and Health and Safety Audit items are resolved no later than within 3 months of audit findings and reporting.

Sourcing, Procurement & Vendor Management

• Responsible for planning, establishing, and continuously improving the region’s school procurement processes by leading local management committees and conducting routine visits and inspections of school sites in accordance with ISP policy and the Region’s Procurement and Internal Controls Framework.

• Accountable for identifying best practices and reporting non-compliance in a timely manner and where appropriate, devolving responsibilities / tasks to trained professionals to establish effective procedures, policies and corrective action plans.

• Embed processes that embody transparency, segregation of duties and internal controls with highest ethics and code of conduct.

• To be responsible for the overall vendor selection, provision of Request for Proposals (RFP) / Requests for Quotes (RFQ) and where required to design Bill of Quantities (BQ) in accordance to the scope of work and requirements.

• Responsible to collate and consolidate vendor database across schools identifying preferred vendors within their specialist / general scopes and act as the custodian for the same.

• Responsible for the design, provision and reporting of Vendor Performance Evaluation matrix ensuring scope of work is adhered to according to the contractual obligation and scope of work is performed effectively and within budget, with the schools’ best interest at heart.

• Plan and manage CAPEX and OPEX against budgets, ensuring all external suppliers are subject to a transparent and competitive tender process in accordance with the ISP’s Policy and the Region’s Procurement and Internal Controls Framework.

• Perform the role of regional procurement champion and partner with Finance, Facilities, Legal and IT to procure the best deals for the schools across the region.

• Work with the regional FP&A on data for procurement spends analytics to establish spends trend and to make assumptions around potential savings through procurement economies of scale.

• Comfortable in utilising technology to streamline procurement best practice and spends analytics for continuous development on best practices.

• To undertake any other duties appropriate to this post, as and when required to do so.

Standards on Health and Safety Compliance
 

The Head of Facility Operations & Sourcing is accountable for the overall facilities, operations and procurement best practices to meet the safety standards of all school buildings, infrastructure and external services providers and ensuring their compliance with ISP Policy, local/regional and national regulations. They act as the main point of contact with external vendors and service providers to ensure ISP regional policies and procedures reflect local & regional compliance requirements and that service provision is compliant in all schools. A robust operations and procurement system and checks to ensure qualitative aspects of CAPEX, OPEX, Risk and Health & Safety for the schools and safety systems remain compliant and is evident across all schools. They manage the core external deliverables by monitoring KPIs and escalating performance and sub-standard services in a timely manner. Working with the Heads of School and school facilities team, they lead all process improvement tasks and ensure that the resulting action plans are successfully implemented across their region and that any Health and Safety aspects are followed up on in a timely manner. They provide guidance and propose solutions for procurement and operations related H&S issues arising in regional schools, providing follow up training and support where necessary, and oversee all incidents and investigations.

Governance and Sustainability

The Head of Facility Operations & Sourcing role models and leads adherence to all ISP policies, rules and procedures including Risk Management, Health and Safety, Dignity at Work, all legislative responsibilities, governance requirements and procurement and operations policies and procedures. They ensure compliance to the ISP Code of Conduct in the delivery and provision of services to the region’s employees and the local communities. They develop and sustain professional and productive relationships with governmental and other local agencies to support them in ensuring that local regulations are complied with. They are instrumental in creating a culture to protect the environment throughout the region’s school communities and as part of this continuously strive to improve the energy efficiency of the region’s schools and how our buildings operate.
 
Stakeholders:

• Internal: Campus Principals, School Facilities Managers, School Finance Managers, Regional Finance Director, Regional Office Senior Leadership Team members.

• External: Local Regulators, External Vendors

Line Management:

The Head of Facility Operations & Sourcing reports directly to the Regional Managing Director.

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding

and Health & Safety issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Are financially responsible. We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.