Director of Finance and Operations

Chelsea Academy is an outstanding inner-city Academy that has emerged from the pandemic determined to continue building on excellence and achieve the very best outcomes for students. The new Principal started in September 2020 and an exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and ambitious leader to become our new Director of Finance and Operations. This is a key role; whilst we are a standalone Academy we  want to continue developing our partnership working given the changing educational landscape.

Summary of the role:

We are looking to appoint a Director of Finance and Operations to join the Leadership team. The role is an exciting one with core responsibilities but also an opportunity to shape the role for the right candidate. If you have significant financial experience either in the education sector or from outside this area, and want to be part of our successful journey then please consider applying. Primarily you will be responsible for the effective management, reporting and monitoring of the Academy’s finances. In addition you will lead on the operational side of leading the Academy, alongside the Principal. We wish to appoint a candidate with excellent financial management experience, a solution focused mindset and the appropriate skills to lead and support a number of associate staff including Facilities and Estate Management, IT and HR. We are looking for someone that wants to lead and develop others whilst ensuring that the Academy continues to go from strength to strength. The successful post holder will oversee existing systems, refining and establishing new ones where appropriate. The role requires someone with strong stakeholder management skills as there are a number of external contracts and relationships to maintain. The Academy generates a significant income from external lettings and recently negotiated an excellent catering contract. At Chelsea Academy all staff interact with students and this role includes duties and other whole school responsibilities. It is certainly not an office based job! It is a unique opportunity to sit on the Leadership Team, working closely with the Principal in an innovative and collaborative way.

Chelsea Academy is a truly special place to work (we are one of the few schools in the country with Investors in People Gold, reaccredited in June 2020, as well as a Commitment Award from the London Healthy Workplace Charter); our staff are friendly and supportive and we offer a whole range of professional development opportunities. We offer internal and external training throughout the year as your professional development is important to us.  Academy staff have access to a wide range of benefits including a private healthcare package, 24 hour GP service, physiotherapy and a confidential well-being support line as well as a laptop and free lunch.

As a Church of England sponsored Academy we welcome staff, students and parents from all faiths but expect all employees to have regard for our Christian values that are demonstrated through the taught and non-taught curriculum.

Key responsibilities: 

• A full Job Description and Person Specification can be found in the Application Pack - In particular, candidates should:
• Have two or more years experience of working in a lead finance role in a maintained school/ Academy or significant finance and operations experience outside of education;
• It is essential that the applicant has a recognised accountancy or business qualification;
• Demonstrate a track record of stakeholder management; developing colleagues and being an approachable and collegiate leader;
• Have knowledge of HR, Health and Safety, IT and Education Schools Funding Agency (ESFA) requirements;
• Have sound technical understanding of school leadership issues, Company House and charity sector legislation pertaining to the Academy sector;
• Have the ability to work hard in a fast moving and demanding school environment;
• Be computer literate with working knowledge of PS Financials, HCSS planning tools, SIMS, Google Docs and Drive (or the ability to become quickly proficient in these packages);
• Possess a proven ability to lead complex initiatives;
•  Demonstrate success in improving operational effectiveness of an organisation;
• Have the ability to set, manage and update budgets;
• Have the ability to make accurate judgments with regard to strategic operational decisions and interventions;
• Have demonstrable experience of leading operational budgets for developing innovative approaches to resource management;
• Open to further professional development;
• Have a good sense of humour and be a team player.
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 How to apply

If you are applying through TES, please use Quick Apply.  Apologies, we do not accept CVs. Deadline to apply is Friday 1st April at 9am. Interviews will be held on Wednesday 20th and Friday 22nd April 2022

If you have any further questions about this post or would like to arrange an informal conversation with the principal then please feel free to contact her on mariella.ardron@chelsea-academy.org. If you would like to visit the Academy then contact the Principal’s Executive Assistant, Katie Courtley, on 0207 376 3019.

Equal Opportunities and Safer Recruitment

Chelsea Academy is an inclusive employer. We welcome applications from suitable candidates no matter their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability, however, we do expect all our staff to note and follow our Christian ethos which is outlined on our website. Please note that Chelsea Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate must be able to satisfy successful references, an enhanced police / Security Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and right to work in the UK  prior to starting employment with the Academy.

If you want to work in a happy, purposeful inner city academy with a strong Christian ethos and commitment to helping every student go on to university or meaningful employment, then we would welcome your application.

Mariella Ardron 

Principal