Regional Director

Ark is an international charity that is transforming lives through education. We exist to make sure that every child, regardless of background, has access to a great education and real choices in life.
 
Our highly-successful network of 34 schools educates over 20,000 students across Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. They are achieving some of the best results in the country despite being largely in areas of historic academic underachievement.

With plans to grow our Birmingham family of schools, there couldn’t be a more exciting time to join us.
 
We are now seeking a Regional Director to oversee our three Birmingham secondary schools – a really important new role for Ark in the area. Your absolute top priority will be ensuring that each of Birmingham’s secondary schools delivers excellent outcomes for students. Reporting to Ark’s Director of Education, you will work closely with the Regional Director for Primary to develop a strong, successful and supportive network of Ark schools in Birmingham; where innovation and collaboration is always encouraged and schools challenge each other to deliver a first-class education for every student.
 
The Birmingham secondary schools offer an interesting variety to work with – they have a lot to be proud of and much to offer each other, particularly given they are different stages of their development. The three schools already work very closely with each other.

• Ark St Albans Academy is an oversubscribed ‘outstanding’ school, where students make exceptional progress. 78% of students achieved five GCSE grades A*-C including English and Maths this year
• Ark Kings Academy joined the Ark network a few years ago and students make significantly more progress than the national average – almost 50% of students achieved A*-C including English and Maths this year and as a result Ark Kings is likely to be named as being in the top 10% of schools nationally for student progress
• Ark Boulton Academy is a new Ark school which joined the network in September 2015 and is working closely with the other schools. In their first year of GCSE results 58% of students achieved grade A*-C in Maths and 55% in English, with 48% achieving five GCSE grades in A*-C including English and Maths

We’re looking for an experienced leader who’s driven to deliver the best education for all children, regardless of their background. You’ll have a track record of transforming standards in complex environments and extensive experience of successful community engagement. You’ll have a clear vision of what exceptional education looks like across the region, and you’ll be passionate about achieving it – for our three existing secondaries but also as the family of schools expands across the region.

Crucially, you’ll need to share Ark’s unwavering belief that all pupils deserve an exceptional learning experience. You’ll set exceptionally high expectations for all pupils and do whatever it takes to meet them.
 
In return you’ll receive a highly competitive salary, unrivalled professional development and the continuous support of one of the highest performing academy operators in the country.
 
Leadership opportunities like this don’t come along very often. This is a rare opportunity to use your experience, flair for developing talent and inspirational leadership to create a truly exceptional group of schools and transform the lives of thousands of young people.
 
For an informal conversation, please contact Ark’s Head of Principal Recruitment, Corrina O’Beirne, on 07535 077 352 or Corrina.O’Beirne@arkonline.org. To apply directly, please go to https://goo.gl/mpDLwm.

Please submit your current CV and include a supporting statement that outlines how your experience to date prepares you to take on this role.

Closing date for applications: 11 am on Monday 19th September
Assessment centre and final interviews: Week commencing 26th September 2016