The Emmanuel Schools Foundation – a Trust comprising six schools with a significant track record of substantial educational improvement in Northern England – is seeking a Chief Operating Officerto ensure that the Trust’s operational domains are designed, equipped, and ready to deliver ESF’s educational priorities and growth ambitions.
Key Responsibilities
* Leading and executing a Trust-wide operational strategy aligned to educational priorities, translating vision into measurable objectives and aligned operational delivery.
* Providing expert, data-driven, evidence-informed advice to the CEO and deputising for the CEO when required.
* Supporting the CFO in ensuring strong internal controls, audit and risk frameworks, enabling the prompt resolution of audit actions.
* Delivering value for money and long-term financial resilience, supporting with financial planning, forecasting and sustainability.
* Enabling delivery of data dashboards and real-time performance insight, embedding service standards and performance frameworks across operational domains.
* Enabling the delivery of the Trust’s People Strategy and creating an environment where leadership capability and succession pipelines are facilitated and enabled.
* Supporting the digital transformation of the Trust, including AI deployment, to meet organisational priorities aligned with national strategy.
* Leading long-term estates and capital strategies, ensuring compliance, maintenance, sustainability and innovation.
* Ensuring high-quality central administrative and analytics services.
* Leading due diligence for prospective schools and developing integration success measures on the adoption of new schools.
Skills and Experience
* Evidence of continuous professional development in leadership and operational management, with a track record of professional development in complex organisational environments.
* Significant senior executive leadership experience within a complex, multi-site organisation of comparable scale and budget.
* Successful leadership of diverse multi-disciplinary professional service functions (e.g. IT, governance, HR, compliance, and finance).
* Experience leading organisational transformation and change management programmes.
* Ability to manage complex projects and monitor contracts, with organisational risk management expertise.
* Comprehensive understanding of regulatory requirements, health and safety, compliance, and educational environments, with a commitment to safeguarding.
* Exceptional data- and evidence-informed strategic thinking and systems-level problem-solving ability.
* Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret and synthesise complex data from a range of sources using technology.
* Proven ability to build, lead and develop high-performing central teams with a strong service ethos, with strong influencing and stakeholder management skills.
* Ability to design and build scalable systems and processes that support growth and continuous improvement.
* Knowledge of procurement, contract management, governance and cybersecurity frameworks.
* Ability to clearly articulate vision and develop and maintain mutually respectful and supportive relationships with colleagues at all levels.
* Values-led and collaborative leadership style with emotional intelligence, integrity, and resilience.
* Unwavering commitment to the Trust’s values and supportive of its Christian ethos.
* Defined benefit pension scheme.
* Employee assistance programme.
* Free parking.
* Access to an exclusive Benefits Hub.
* Employee-centred and family-friendly policies and practices to support you in and beyond the workplace.
* Enhanced sick pay, maternity leave and paternity leave (dependent on length of service).
* Funded eye tests and glasses for DSE users (subject to T/Cs).
* Generous annual leave allowance.
Salary: A competitive salary, negotiable depending on skills and experience; likely to be in the range of £100,000 to £135,000.
Location: Hybrid across the North East and Yorkshire.
Closing date: Noon on Friday, 10 April 2026.
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