Regional Facilities, Property & Program Manager

Nova Pioneer is looking for a Regional Facilities, Property & Program Manager. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of an innovative network of schools that is developing generations of innovators and leaders who will shape the African Century.

About the role:

Under the overall guidance of the Director of Schools SA, the Facilities and Property Manager will ensure the provision of effective and efficient Facilities Management, Property & Regional Programmes Management services to all Nova Pioneer schools and campuses in SA. The Facilities & Ops Manager promotes a client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach in the support offered by this serviceline.

This is a senior, regionally-scoped role that combines strategic operational leadership with hands-on ownership of facilities, property, utilities and regional programming.

This role involves close collaboration with both school-based and central functions teammates.

Key responsibilities for the role include:

The role is centered around four key operational scopes:

A. Facilities Management

• Lead regional facilities management across all campuses, ensuring buildings, grounds and supporting infrastructure are safe, functional, well-maintained and fit for purpose.
• Lead key vendor relationships across facilities (maintenance, security, landscaping, cleaning, pool, water filtration etc.), under the guidance of DOS and in partnership with Procurement. .
• Manage all security contracts and landscaping contracts currently held within the team, consolidating them under one regional point of accountability.
• Provide functional guidance, development opportunities i.e Training, PD’s and capability building for School based Ops Associates.
• Give functional guidance on planning, scheduling and overseeing preventative and reactive maintenance across all campuses, minimising disruption to school operations and ensuring back-up systems bridge planned downtime.
• Own all property documentation as the regional custodian: title deeds, leases, statutory licences (Single Business Permits, Fire Clearance, Public Health, Effluent Discharge, OSHA, Land Rates, Land Rent), warranties, property supplier contracts, with proactive renewal tracking and secure archiving.
• Take on landlord engagement and external partnership relationships related to property currently held elsewhere, becoming the single regional interface for landlords and property partners.
• Project manage small works, e.g. heater installation, external painting etc, liaising with property consultants and professional teams (architects, engineers, QSs) where specialist input is required.

B. Utilities Management & Efficiency Monitoring

Own utilities reporting performance for the region - driving normalization, cost savings and behavioural change in partnership with Finance and school leadership.

• Own the regional Utilities Dashboard, tracking water, electricity, gas, fuel/generator and other utility consumption and spend by campus, month-on-month.
• Monitor utilities efficiency across campuses in partnership with campus Ops Associates, normalise consumption patterns, and identify and quantify savings opportunities
• Run a structured monthly cadence with school leaders and the Director of Schools (DOS) to review utility performance, agree on corrective actions, and drive cost-saving initiatives at campus level.
• Investigate and resolve any spikes, anomalies or unexplained variances in utility consumption or billing, working with on-the-ground teams to identify and address root causes.
• Take on invoice loading and utilities checking responsibilities currently distributed across the team, ensuring bills are accurate, reconciled and paid on time to avoid disconnections.
• Lead utilities-related capital and improvement projects (e.g. heater projects, solar/efficiency upgrades, metering, water harvesting), from business case through delivery and benefits realisation.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with utility consultants and relevant providers across the region

C. Strategic Operations & Regional Operational Roadmap

• Provide strategic, programmatic leadership of regional operations — going beyond execution to design how the region operates, performs and improves over time towards high standards or operational excellence.
• Develop, own and continuously refresh the Regional Operational Roadmap, setting clear annual and multi-year priorities for efficiency, effectiveness, cost optimisation and service quality across campuses.
• Identify and lead cross-campus efficiency & effectiveness initiatives (e.g. shared services, standardised SOPs, vendor consolidation, energy optimisation) and track delivery against measurable targets.
• Translate the regional roadmap into a structured operating cadence: monthly reviews with school leaders, quarterly reviews with the Chief of Schools and MD and annual planning cycles.
• Benchmark performance across campuses, surface best practices, and drive convergence on the highest-performing models.
• Lead development of a professional learning and development arc for Operations teammates across the region, identifying cost-effective training opportunities and building functional capability over time.
• In partnership with school leadership teams, evaluate and lead opportunities to for strategic improvements to campus operational services , benchmarking current approach against alternatives), evaluating the business case and developing a consistent NP policy across campuses – examples could include Tuck Shops/Food services, Aftercare/Holiday Care, Student Transport, Facilities Rentals, School Gyms programmes & protocols, Libraries, Uniform/Swag shops, etc.
• Partner with the Regional Health & Safety Coordinator to ensure the highest standards of campus safety, and the regular tracking of and action on campus healthy & safety matters.

D. Regional Programming - Sports, Arts, Clubs & Nova Signature Events

Working closely with the Director of Schools and School Leaders - Lead the regional programming agenda, delivering high-quality and consistent experiences that strengthen the student experience and Nova Pioneer brand across campuses.

• Lead the development, planning and delivery of regional sports, arts and clubs programmes across all campuses, ensuring quality, consistency and inclusivity, ensuring alignment with School Leaders.
• Manage & develop the Regional Sports Coordinator, and any other related regional roles that may over time be identified as appropriate to be managed by the Regional Facilities, Property and Programmes Manager.
• Lead signature regional events as guided by the Director of Schools, likely to include Shark Tank, Nova Talks, Nova PIoneer’s Got Talent InterNova Sports and other flagship moments, in close partnership with the Ops team. The Regional Facilities, Property and Programmes Manager leads cross-campus and flagship events. Campus-only events remain the responsibility of the Associate Dean of Operations on each campus. Sports programme design and delivery sits with Sports Coordinators, with this role providing coordination and resource support.
• Build the annual regional programming calendar, with input and buy-in from school leaders, and drive cross-campus participation.
• Manage event logistics end-to-end: venues, vendors, transport, safety, communications and budgets.
• Define success metrics for regional programming (participation, satisfaction, brand impact) and report on them as part of the regional operating cadence.
• Identify and develop external partnerships (sponsors, sports federations, arts organisations, alumni networks) that amplify the programme, in partnership with any relevant departments.

About You

Qualifications and Experience:

• A bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline (Property/Estate Management, Facilities Management, Engineering, Business