School Business Manager Recruitment in London

EduExec Recruitment is a specialist agency that recruits School Business Managers for maintained schools, academies, multi-academy trusts and independent schools across London and the Home Counties. Every search is run personally by Luke Johnson, who has over 12 years' experience in education recruitment and more than 20 years recruiting finance professionals.

Application volumes for SBM roles are often reasonable. The difficulty is finding someone with the right blend of financial, operational and people skills who genuinely understands how schools work. In my experience, the strongest candidates are rarely the ones replying to adverts. They are settled in post, doing well, and open to the right move if someone approaches them properly.

The roles I recruit

• School Business Managers in primary, secondary and all-through schools
• Senior School Business Managers and School Business Leaders
• Directors of Finance and Operations
• Federation and Executive Business Managers
• Business Managers within MAT central teams

What the role looks like in different schools

The title is the same, but the job can be very different depending on where it sits.

• Primary schools. Often a hands-on role covering finance, HR administration, premises and the school office, sometimes with a small team or none at all. Breadth and flexibility matter as much as seniority.
• Secondary schools. Usually a senior leadership role, line managing finance, HR, site and office teams, with a strategic voice on budget planning and staffing.
• Academies within a trust. The role depends on how much the trust centralises. Where finance and HR sit with the central team, the SBM may be more operational. Where they don't, the role can look much like a standalone secondary.
• Federations and executive roles. Running business functions across more than one school, where consistency, delegation and relationships with several heads become central to the job.

Being clear about which of these you're recruiting for shapes the advert, the salary and the shortlist.

Three things to get right before you advertise

Agree what you need before you interview

The most common problem I see isn't a shortage of candidates. It's an interview panel that hasn't agreed what it's looking for. The head may want a strategic partner, a governor may be focused on budget control, and the outgoing SBM may describe the role as it was rather than as it needs to be. When expectations differ, strong candidates get marked down for the wrong reasons. A short conversation beforehand about priorities, and what good looks like in the first year, makes the whole process sharper.

Check the salary against today's market

If your last SBM was appointed several years ago, salaries have very likely moved on since then. Benchmarking against what you paid last time, rather than what the market pays now, is one of the quickest ways to end up with a thin shortlist.

Be realistic about what the budget buys

This one can be unpalatable. You may need to pay the same as your outgoing SBM, sometimes more, for someone who doesn't yet know your school, your systems or your people, and who may therefore look less experienced than the person leaving. If the budget won't stretch that far, the expectation of experience needs to adjust instead, and there is often a very good candidate ready to step up. What rarely works is a top-end brief on a bottom-end budget.

The question I always ask candidates

Why are you looking to move? It's rarely just about salary. Much more often it's about structure, support, systems, leadership or something else in the context of their current school, and that answer is often the difference between a placement that works and one that doesn't. If a candidate is leaving because they've had no real voice on the leadership team, and your role sits outside SLT, that matters. I share what I learn with you, so you can judge fit as well as competence.

How the process works

1. Briefing. We talk through the role, the school and what you need most from the appointment, including grade, salary and how the post sits within your leadership team.
2. Search. I write and place the advert, and approach suitable candidates directly from my own network, including people who aren't actively looking.
3. Screening. I interview every candidate before you see them, with safer recruitment in mind from the start.
4. Shortlist. You receive a short, considered shortlist with honest commentary on each candidate, including where they would need support.
5. Interview to start. I support you through interviews, references and the offer, including notice period negotiations, and stay in touch once your new SBM has started.

Why schools use EduExec

• Finance knowledge. I've recruited finance professionals for over 20 years, so I understand budget monitoring, CFR, SFVS and the Academy Trust Handbook, and I can test candidates on them.
• HR knowledge. I hold the CIPD Level 7 qualification, which matters for a role that so often carries HR responsibility.
• Safer recruitment. I hold the Safer Recruitment in Education certificate, and every candidate is vetted with KCSIE in mind.
• One point of contact. You deal with me from first conversation to start date.

Fees

Fees are a percentage of the first year's salary, agreed before the search begins, with a rebate period if the appointment doesn't work out. I'm happy to talk through the detail at any stage.

Frequently asked questions

What does a School Business Manager earn in London?

It depends on the size and phase of the school and the breadth of the role. Most posts sit on NJC support staff grades. London adverts in 2026 range from around £45,000 for a single primary to over £60,000 for a large secondary or a senior role with a wider remit.

How much notice will a new School Business Manager need to give?

In my experience, it's roughly a 50/50 split between one month's notice and three months. Where it's three months, a shorter period can often be agreed through a phased handover or negotiation with the candidate's current school. It's worth planning for both from the start, particularly if your current SBM is leaving on a fixed date or you're approaching budget setting in the spring term.

What's the difference between a School Business Manager and a Bursar?

The titles overlap. School Business Manager is the more common title in state schools, usually covering finance, HR, premises and administration. Bursar is more common in independent schools, where the role often adds estates, commercial income and governance. You can read more on my Bursar recruitment page.

Do you work with multi-academy trusts?

Yes. I recruit both academy-level business managers and roles within trust central teams.

We've already advertised. Can you still help?

Yes, and this is often when schools get in touch. If an advert has produced a reasonable number of applications but not a convincing shortlist, I can approach candidates who wouldn't have seen it.

Talk to me about your SBM vacancy

If you're recruiting a School Business Manager, or think you might be soon, I'd be very happy to talk it through, formally or informally. Call me on 07359 924773 or email luke.johnson@eduexec-recruitment.com. You can also browse my live roles.