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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) needs to have a clear vision of where the Trust is going, and the ability to motivate senior management and other staff to always deliver their best. Through their work, they will lead Crofty Education Trust through the next stage in its evolution, setting a culture of constant improvement, by providing inspirational leadership, ensuring the Trust provides the best experience for our pupils, staff and volunteers.
The CEO has delegated responsibility for the day to day strategic, civic and operational leadership and management of all aspects of the Trusts activities. In turn the CEO, delegates responsibility for specific aspects of the Trusts operations to members of an effective and strong Executive Leadership Team that comprises of a Director of Education (Deputy CEO), Chief Finance and Operations Officer and Director of Development. The Executive Leadership Team are responsible for their own respective portfolios, and are accountable, via the CEO, to the Board of Trustees. Therefore, the CEO will need a high level of emotional intelligence to be able to collaborate with others.
As the strategic leader of the Trust, the CEO holds ultimate responsibility for ensuring that effective safeguarding arrangements are embedded across all our schools. This includes setting the tone for a culture of vigilance, where safeguarding is understood as everyone’s responsibility, and ensuring that robust policies, procedures, and training are consistently implemented and regularly reviewed. By maintaining oversight of safeguarding audits and regularly reviewing safeguarding data, the CEO ensures that any concerns are addressed promptly and that lessons learned inform ongoing improvements.
Beyond compliance, the CEO must be a passionate advocate for the most vulnerable children and their families. This means taking a proactive approach to identifying and addressing barriers to learning and well-being, and ensuring that support systems are accessible, inclusive, and responsive to individual needs. The CEO champions the voices of children and families who may otherwise be unheard, ensuring that their experiences shape Trust-wide strategies and decision-making.
Core Duties
- Establish and sustain the Trust’s mission, culture, values and strategic direction in partnership with the Trust Board.
- To drive exceptional educational and sustainable financial outcomes for the Trust.
- To be responsible for the delivering and developing of the strategic visions, values and ethos for each school in conjunction with the Headteachers and other members of the Executive Leadership Team.
- Provide vision, direction and leadership that enables the Trust to achieve its strategic objectives and secure its future sustainability.
- To act as an ambassador of the Trust, promoting the organisations core purpose and values and enhancing the reputation and standing of the Trust, ensuring it is a respected member of the community it serves.
- To constantly research both actual and potential changes in the education landscape to ensure proactive development. Oversee and be accountable for all aspects of Safeguarding and the Trust approach to Keeping Children Safe in Education.
- Work with the Trust’s Director of Education to ensure that our schools are prepared for all Ofsted inspections and monitoring visits. Ensure improvement strategies are mapped out, actioned and followed up.
Strategic Leadership Responsibilities
- Provide strategic and motivated leadership and direction of the Trust and its schools within the vision and strategy agreed by the Board of Trustees.
- Develop and execute polices, plans, and systems that translate the Trust’s vision into actionable objectives and outcomes.
- Oversee robust accountability by supporting the Director of Education to support the schools’ leadership teams, to develop the shared vision and strategic plan for the schools, which is responsive to the communities they serve. At the core of this should be the educational and personal development of the pupils.
- Ensure that the Trust financial viability is secure, firmly based on accurate analysis and is able to meet both the needs of the Trust and its schools.
- Take responsibility for the design and implementation of the annual business plan and key documents such as the Trust’s long-term Strategic Plan, self-evaluation and improvement plans for the schools.
- Together with the Trust Board and Executive Leadership Team, ensure proactive, robust and appropriate risk mitigation and management and ensure that the risk strategy is aligned to local school risk strategies.
- Robust understanding of the importance of the regulatory environment in which the Trust operates.
- Committed to ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place, including a personal commitment to the safeguarding and well-being of children and young people.
- Maintain an outward facing role on behalf of the Trust to strengthen its future growth and relationships with all parties and stakeholders, including external agencies such as Department for Education, LGCs, local authorities, pupils, parents, staff and their local communities.
Governance and Compliance, in Liaison with the Board of Trustees
- To lead in collaboration with the Trustees, on the preparation and submission of the annual Statutory Accounts (including the Trustees annual report) ensuring these documents and any other statutory returns are submitted as prescribed.
- As instructed by the Board of Trustees, to ensure operational managers are meeting the requirements for governance health and safety, safeguarding, risk management and equality, diversity and inclusion, within the framework that ensures safe, effective and high-quality services.
- To develop, implement, and regularly review operational policies to ensure full compliance with legal, regulatory, and sector best practices.
- To ensure that robust evaluation procedures are in place to ensure high quality, effective and sustainable service are being provided. To undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the Trustees, including the production of full and transparent reports to Trustees to enable timely and considered strategic decision making.
System and Civic Leadership
- Be a visible, inspiring and approachable local, regional and national figure. Regularly canvassing stakeholders to inform policy development, practices and proactivity representing the Trust, including in the media if appropriate.
- Build relationships with the Department for Education, Ofsted and others, ensuring that they are robust professional and that external views are sought, understood and responded to.
- Create and engage in the collective leadership of the sector, building strong local systems to address disadvantage and improve the quality of education for all children within the Trust.
- Promote and enable ways in which the Trust’s schools and their local boards engage meaningfully with their communities and are responsive and accountable to them.
Finance and Procurement
- The CEO will work closely with the Chief Finance and Operations Officer to ensure that the Trust works to the standards set out, ensuring appropriate polices, frameworks and systems are in place.
- Ensure long term financial sustainability, by establishing and confirming the effective monitoring of proper financial systems, ensuring that appropriate action is recommended to address problems identified.
- To ensure that the Board of Trustees receives accurate and timely financial reports.
- Support and review annual budgets of each school within the Trust to ensure that all budgetary targets are met by individual schools and efficiencies are maximised.
- Challenge the CFOO to negotiate and agree optimum costs / prices with service providers in order to achieve economies of scale, adopting the appropriate procurement process.
- Develop and implement strategies for the generation of additional revenue and resources for the Trust.
Developing Self, Innovation and Creativity
- Treat everyone within each school fairly and equitably.
- Promote continuous learning, engaging with professional development opportunities.
- Develop relationships with relevant funding bodies and external providers.
- Ensure the Trust effectively develops all staff to enable them to achieve their maximum potential and ensure good morale and opportunities for succession in accordance with the Trusts People Strategy.
- Regularly review personal practice, set performance targets and participate in performance management processes.
Leading by Example
- Provide dynamic, consistent and motivational leadership, ensuring the successful delivery of the vision, ethos, aims and objectives of the schools and of the Trust.
- Uphold and demonstrate The Principles of Public Life (The Nolan Principles).
- Lead by example, being personally visible to the Trust’s employees.
- Establish collaborative and open relationships with all stakeholders.
- Ensure regular, open communication with the Trust Board.
- Ensure that communication channels exist enabling all staff to receive information they need in order to carry out their professional duties effectively.
- Oversee the implementation of all Trust policies and procedures ensuring consistent application.
- Work with all stakeholders to generate enthusiasm and commitment.
- Challenge, motivate and empower others to attain ambitious outcomes.
Supporting the Work of the Trust
- Develop and maintain the ethos of trust in all schools so that it is intrinsic and permeates all aspects of the school’s life and curriculum.
- Develop strong, positive relationships with colleagues within the Trust, and contribute to collaborative work across the schools and support other staff in participating in Trust work.
- Participate in Trust wide activities to share best practice, contribute to the development of Trust strategies and policies and promote the schools in a local and national context.
- Delivery of a People Strategy that achieves the strategic ambitions of talent attraction, retention and growth through creation of career pathways, an informed and tailored learning and organisational development offer, being a positive advocate and promoter for diversity, equality and inclusion.
- Strengthen each school’s positive image in the wider community.
- Present complex information in a consistently credible manner to the Trust Board and external parties.
- Promote the schools and the Trust to a range of audiences.
- Develop and maintain respect across all stakeholders, inspiring individuals to contribute positively to shared ideas and plans for the schools, and the wider Trust family.
No job description can be exhaustive, and the duties may alter in practice over time. The post holder is expected to use their professional judgment to ensure that the CEO role continues to evolve and develop in line with the Trust’s changing requirements.
To request the Recruitment Pack with application form or if you have any queries please email our HR Co-Ordinator, laura.finney@croftymat.org.
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