Performance and Development for Education Support Class Employees

Business Manager Capability Framework

The capability of our business managers is key to supporting effective and successful school operations. Having a structured approach to capability development is therefore important to ensure professional development for all business managers is focused on those skills critical to their roles. The Business Manager Capability Framework (the Framework (DOCX) describes the capabilities required of business managers while acknowledging that the work of business managers varies across different school contexts.

The Framework covers three broad areas and identifies 15 specific capabilities considered essential for a school business manager to be effective in their role.

Technical Skills

• Finance and Procurement: Implements effective, efficient and ethical financial management and budgeting processes.
• Governance Acumen: Understands how to implement good governance. Applies governance framework to decision making and accountabilities.
• Operational Acumen: Develops and implements plans and processes to facilitate effective and efficient operations, including simplifying complex practices.
• Resource Coordination: Builds processes and organises people and activities. Sees opportunities for synergy and integration to get more effective outcomes out of fewer resources.
• Risk Management: Systematically identifies, evaluates and prioritises potential risks. Communicates information to enable appropriate decisions and actions.

People Skills

• Stakeholder Engagement: Builds and maintains effective relationships with stakeholders and focuses on understanding and meeting their needs.
• Relationship Building: Builds and maintains effective relationships with stakeholders and focuses on understanding and meeting their needs.
• Supportive Leadership: Proactively addresses issues and concerns in an empathetic and sensitive manner. Effectively shares ideas, thoughts and information to support outcomes.
• Communicating with Others: Makes a positive impression and effectively negotiates with and influences others. Focuses clearly on finding cooperative solutions and outcomes.
• Teamwork: Actively participates as a member of a team to support team goals, fostering collaboration and an environment of mutual trust and respect.

Self-Mastery

• Ethics and Values: Models strong public-sector values and professional ethics. Adheres to these in all circumstances relevant to their role. Maintains confidentiality and supports others to do the right thing.
• Problem Solving: Anticipates future needs and provides advice to assist in forward-planning. Solves problems using logical methods to reach effective solutions.
• Flexibility: Adapts own approach to meet different situations.
• Organising and Planning: Creates plans, forecasts and organises activities required to achieve a desired goal.
• Resilience: Effectively deals with pressures and competing priorities. Maintains respectful working relationships while dealing with conflict and challenges.

Refer to the Resources tab for a downloadable version of the Framework, including elaborations of possible actions for each of the required capabilities.

Within schools, the Framework should be used to:

• support ongoing professional learning and development of business managers
• inform the design of a position description for the recruitment of a business manager with the essential skills and capabilities consistent with the Dimensions of Work — Education Support Class.

The Framework is supported by the following materials:

• Business Manager Reflection Tool (DOCX)
• Business Manager Goal Strategies Guide (DOCX)
• Business Manager Professional Learning Suite
• Business Manager Professional Learning Map (DOCX).

Business managers and their reviewers (principals) can access the Reflection Tool, Goal Strategies Guide and Professional Learning Suite on the Resources tab to:

• reflect on and identify areas for capability development within the Framework as part of the performance and development process
• plan and set performance and development goals
• plan to undertake relevant professional learning.