Chief Finance and Operations Officer

We are seeking an exceptional and experienced senior leader with the following qualifications, experience, and abilities:

Qualifications:

• Professionally qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA) with current membership, or a postgraduate qualification in management/school business management.
• A Master’s degree or MBA in a relevant subject is highly desirable.

Experience:

• Senior leadership experience in a complex, multi-site, or shared services organisation.
• Strategic financial planning, budgeting, and resource management within financially constrained public sector or education settings.
• Operating at executive/board level, presenting and influencing strategy and delivery.
• Leading organisational change, service transformation, and growth at scale.
• Managing, developing, and motivating high-performing teams.
• Driving innovation, system improvement, and the effective use of digital technology.
• Experience within education, multi-academy trusts, or other relevant public sector organisations.
• Managing risk, audit processes, and governance frameworks.
• Contract, procurement, estates, and capital project management.

Knowledge and Understanding:

• Financial strategy, audit, compliance, and internal control systems.
• Regulatory frameworks for academy trusts, including the Academy Trust Handbook, charity, and company law.
• Education funding, operational challenges, and workforce management.
• Governance, assurance frameworks, and stakeholder engagement.
• Data analysis and the ability to communicate complex information clearly.
• Safeguarding, child protection, equality, diversity and inclusion, and health & safety in education.
• Employment law and HR practices in education.
• Change management, risk management, and operational excellence principles.

Skills and Abilities:

• Strategic leadership, resource management, and decision-making.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and develop staff at all levels.
• High-level organisational, analytical, and prioritisation skills.
• Digital literacy and the ability to leverage technology to improve systems and processes.
• Strong problem-solving, risk management, and operational delivery capability.

Personal Qualities:

• Integrity, professionalism, and commitment to public service values.
• Resilient, adaptable, and able to perform under pressure.
• Collaborative, relationship-focused, and politically aware.
• Strategic thinker, proactive, innovative, and solution-oriented.
• Ambitious, nurturing, and optimistic, with a commitment to excellence and continuous professional development.

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Source: UK Teaching Vacancies Service (teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.