Chief Financial Officer - Full-time

Leigh Academies Trust

• Ref:KCC-F63-13-L
• Posted:19/01/2023
• Pay:Highly attractive, negotiable
• Start Date:September 2023
• App Close Date:10/02/2023 at 23:45
• Interviews:TBC

Advert

Our mission is to ensure the best start in life possible for the young people in our academies and in doing so make the world a better place. Due to the retirement of the current postholder by the end of 2023 we are now seeking to appoint a new Chief Financial Officer to oversee all of the Trust's financial services and its annual income of £150m. This is a rare and exciting opportunity for the right candidate with a commitment to system-wide leadership. You will join our central executive team and report directly to the CEO and attend all meetings of the Board of Directors.

Two key documents which help to define our CFO’s position can be found below.

Trust Executive - Organogram

Trust Executive - Roles & Responsibilities

The key qualities we are looking for in our new CFO are as follows (more information can be found in the Person Specification further on in this application pack):

a. A passion for working in the education sector and making a significant contribution to improving the life chances of the children in our care.

b. Exhibits the highest standards of probity and integrity at all times.

c. Although not essential, a very good understanding of the education sector, including previous senior executive experience within a multi-academy trust.

d. Again not essential, but previous experience of working at a senior level with central and local government, especially in relation to education and/or other public services.

e. A strategic thinker able to produce clear, accurate and precise papers and advice to the CEO and board directors that enables effective decision-making.

f. Someone with a can-do attitude who sees finance as an enabler, not as a blocker, and is capable of thinking creatively and innovatively to solve problems.

g. Always able to put others and the interests of the wider organisation before their own personal ambitions.

h. Supportive and reassuring of other colleagues, seeing it as a key part of their role to enable others to be successful too.

i. Quickly inspires confidence at board level, amongst other senior executives and with a range of key external stakeholders.

j. Strong negotiating skills with national and local politicians and officers, plus private and third sector partners.

k. Produces high levels of engagement amongst his/her own team to ensure highly effective support and challenge to colleagues across the wider organisation.

l. Always calm, measured and well-organised, yet authoritative and decisive when required.

m. Able to work across a broad and diverse range of responsibility areas to support the CEO in the wider management of the Trust, acting as de facto deputy and “Chief of Staff” when required.

n. An excellent public speaker across a range of audiences.

o. Highly literate with an ability to synthesise and distil complicated and often contradictory information with relative ease.

Information about the trust

Being part of Leigh Academies Trust: As of 1st September 2023, our Trust comprises 31 geographically organised academies (14 secondaries, 14 primaries and 2 special) educating 20,000 students, and employing 3,000 talented staff. The Trust is establishing four ‘clusters’ of academies: North Kent; Central Kent; South East London; Medway. In addition, the Trust is responsible for one of the region’s biggest initial teaching training organisations, a large teaching school hub and is an accredited apprenticeship provider. Our future plans are found in our Vision 2030 document available on our website.

As part of Leigh Academies Trust, you will have ample opportunity to collaborate with your peers both within the academy and across the whole Trust. This is an important part of our vision as we know through experience that we perform better when we work together. You are supported to undertake regular self-development to continue your professional development and hopefully progress further within the organisation.

Click here to view the benefits available to all LAT employees from day one.

Our commitment to safeguarding: Leigh Academies Trust and all of our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust and consistent recruitment process across all academies and business units which is inline with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates - you can read more about this in our Recruitment Guidance. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

Our commitment to equality and diversity: As a Trust, we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals, we all bring something unique to the role regardless of any protected characteristics which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise. We are committed to providing equality and fairness throughout our recruitment and employment practices and not discriminating on any grounds.

Based on the quality and quantity of applications received, Leigh Academies Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy sooner than the specified closing date. Applicants will be notified of this where possible. Therefore, early applications are encouraged.

Job Contact Information

• Name:Holly Neve
• Address:LAT Head Office,
  Carnation Road,
  Rochester,
  Kent,
  ME2 2SX
• Telephone: 01634 412240
• Email: talent@latrust.org.uk

Fax:

Documents

Below are documents that have been added to this vacancy.

• Recruitment Pack | Chief Financial Officer | Leigh Academies Trust