Chief Operating Officer

The Chief Operating Officer leads and manages the central services of the Trust and oversees operations within the individual schools. They provide strategic leadership and hold accountability for the support functions of the organisation in order to provide leadership and management which enables the support services within each School to give effective support to the Head and Senior Leadership Team, allowing them to focus on the academic and educational aspects of the school’s development.

The successful candidate will have:

• Operated at a similar management level within an organisation which has parallels with the Trust, possibly an educational or related organisation with operations across different sites/campuses
• Managed dispersed and cross-functional teams at board-level, achieving – and exceeding - demanding targets
• The ability to work closely with the Chief Executive and board, and to command the respect of the wider community which the Trust serves
• Senior-level Operations, IT/IS, Estates Management, Corporate Services or HR experience
• Business acumen and entrepreneurial flair within a commercially driven environment where sourcing new customers and budget management are important
• Demonstrable success at developing and implementing strategy across a complex organisation
• Experience of partnership working and developing new contacts to drive business growth
• Understanding of Governance and accountability frameworks
• Experience of charities/education/healthcare; either as an executive or non-executive/trustee
• Energy, ambition, pragmatism and enthusiasm to approach new opportunities and turn them to the benefit of the Trust and Member Academies
• Commitment to the highest quality customer care, service and continuous improvement
• High level communication, negotiating and influencing skills
• Emotional intelligence
• An ability to engage both in the strategic challenges and opportunities as well as the day to day responsibilities of the role
• A relevant first degree and/or professional qualification and evidence of continuing professional development

What we offer:

• An opportunity to develop your career in an expanding organisation
• Competitive salary and Local Government Pension Scheme
• 28 holidays per annum (including bank holidays)

This vacancy is being handled by a search organisation: https://www.wildsearch.org/opportunities/ and you may therefore be contacted by them concerning your application.