The role
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Benenden is accountable to the Headteacher for all business operations of the school, including finance, estates, IT, domestic bursary, pupil bursaries, commercial activity and People Services operations. The COO attends governing council and many of its sub-committees and is a member of the school’s executive senior leadership team.
The aim of this post is to provide administrative and clerical support to the COO assisting them with all areas of this important work. On a typical day, the successful applicant will encounter issues varying:
• from strategic financial questions effecting the entire Benenden family to sensitive matters of personal finance impacting on a bursary pupil;
• from designing a 10-year master plan for our estates, to responding to urgent operational issues such as unexpected breakdowns in utilities supply;
• from determining how the school will leverage AI opportunities to improve our IT offer for students and colleagues, to responding to phishing attacks or a potential data breach.
The PA will do this by taking delegated responsibility for operational matters and through planning, arranging and organising the diary of the COO as necessary, and by building strong working relations as a key member of the COO’s operational leadership team.
The PA is expected to take a keen interest in the COO’s work and to offer broad support in all areas. A close and supportive working relationship is required to enable effective time management and efficient organisation of the COO and PA’s combined workload. The COO will rely heavily on their PA, trusting that work will be handled efficiently, accurately and effectively in their name. It is essential that this role is executed in a manner which allows the School to maintain its outstanding reputation, with the PA maintaining excellent professional relationships, internally and externally. In doing so the PA will demonstrate an extensive knowledge of the School’s operations and understand and promote the School’s aims and objectives. Discretion, confidentiality, reliability and a sense of humour are essential attributes for this role.
The PA is responsible directly to the COO although they also work closely with other members of the COO’s teams including Domestic, Estates, Finance and People Services. The PA also provides support to the Clerk to Governing Council as detailed below. The PA is also part of the broader administrative team led by the Executive Assistant to the Headmistress and including the PAs to other members of the Senior Leadership Team and the School Office staff.
The PA will also have responsibility for their own interesting and varied portfolio of work.
The ideal candidate will have excellent administrative and organisational skills, accurate typing and experience of taking minutes. Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and Outlook, is required. You will also be confident managing multiple priorities in a busy school environment, with strong communication skills and the ability to handle highly confidential information with discretion. Previous experience in a specialist area, such as para-legal work, data analysis, artificial intelligence or another operational field, would be beneficial.
About Benenden School
Benenden is one of the leading day and boarding schools in Britain. We were founded in 1923 and are situated in 250 acres of attractive parkland in Kent. There are 550 girls in the school, aged 11-18, with 190 of those in the Sixth Form. Benenden is at the forefront of girls’ education in the UK, with recent innovations including the Benenden Diploma, a bespoke curriculum for our youngest two-year groups, and the Professional Skills Programme, teaching the Sixth Form skills for the workplace. We are an ambitious school, with recent developments including a state-of-the-art Science Centre and all-weather sports pitch, and the newly established Centenary Hall and Sir David K.P. Li Music School.
Benefits
Benenden offers its own generous pay structure, responsibility allowances and benefits. Staff are provided with meals whilst on duty. The school’s leisure facilities, including wonderful grounds, a fitness gym and swimming pool are also free for staff to use, when available.
At Benenden we know that everyone brings a unique perspective that adds to our community. We want to attract, retain and develop diverse talent, so that we are a great school, this means recruiting from the widest possible pool of talent.
For a full and to apply, please click the apply button.
The closing date for applications is Monday 2nd February 2026.
First Round interviews are likely to be held the week commencing 2nd February 2026.
Please direct any informal enquiries to recruitment@benenden.school. Please note CVs are not accepted in isolation.
The post-holder will be responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children with whom they come into contact. They must ensure compliance with the School’s Child Protection Policy Statement at all times, this appointment will be subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks. Benenden School is committed to equal opportunities and equal pay for all employees.