Job Description

Chief Financial & Operations Officer

Permanent, Full Time

Competitive, Circa 110k

Starting January 2026 or as soon as possible

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Spencer Academies Trust Executive Leadership Team in our newly created role of Chief Financial and Operations Officer. We are looking for an exceptional leader with a passion and drive to help shape the future of our Trust. This is a rare opportunity to make a strategic impact at executive level ensuring that the operational improvement services underpinning our schools are innovative, efficient, and aligned with delivering exceptional outcomes for all our children and young people.

As CFOO, you will lead our Trust's critical operational improvement functions taking responsibility for strategic financial leadership and working with our operational improvement leads. If you're an experienced leader with vision, resilience, and a passion for making things better not just managing but transforming this could be your next challenge and we look forward to hearing from you.

Find out more!

Our websites and Twitter feeds will give you a great idea of the variety of work we engage in, the pace and scope of our days, and become familiar with members of our fabulous team.

SAT is an educational charity, Multi-Academy Trust and Sponsor of Academies. We have approaching 19,000 children and young people in our academies and employ more than 2800 teachers, leaders and educational support professionals across the East Midlands. We aspire to be a leading regional high performing Trust, with a national reputation for excellence.

We currently have 18 primary academies, 8 secondary academies and 1 primary aged special school in our family of schools supported by our fantastic central team. All our schools' benefit from the collaboration and added value that being a member of our Trust offers and share our values and beliefs. Spencer Trust academies share an ambition to deliver results that compete with the very highest performing schools in the country and deliver a curriculum for students that is underpinned by breadth, opportunity and quality: one that seeks to give young people the opportunity to develop into well rounded global citizens that believe they can influence positive change in the world.

Mission

Our Mission is to deliver the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

Vision

Spencer Academies Trust is an exceptional Trust, providing an outstanding education for local children.

We Believe:

All children have a right to a quality education regardless of background or ability and have an entitlement to the opportunity of a secure progression route in their learning and development. Schools are stronger when they work in collaboration with each other, operate within a 'family' and are open to a true sense of partnership. We grow the effectiveness and sustainability of our schools by developing the people within them, and that through shared and equitable responsibility for quality and outcomes; we achieve more.
Applicants would be expected to share the Trust's values of Aspiration, Partnership and Responsibility.

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in this exciting opportunity with our Trust. For more information, please refer to: www.spencertrust.org.uk

Please email your CV and covering letter directly to Alison Smith, Director of HR: asmith@spencertrust.org.uk

Your covering letter must set out the skills and relevant experience you have to meet the requirements of the role of Chief Financial and Operations Officer.

Please also include the names, addresses, phone numbers and email contact details of two professional referees who must be your current and previous employers.

Upon shortlisting for interviews, you will be asked to complete an application form for this position. In line with safer recruitment policies references will be called for prior to interview, unless specifically requested not to at this stage.

Early application is strongly encouraged as we reserve the right to interview and close the advert ahead of the closing date. www.spencertrust.org.uk/vacancies

If you have any questions regarding the role or would like an informal discussion with Paul West, Chief Executive, please contact Alison Smith, Director of HR:

T: 0115 646 4200

M: 07966 881311

Closing date for applications 15th August 2025.

Interviews are TBC

Early application is strongly encouraged as we reserve the right to interview and close the advert ahead of the closing date.

Spencer Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our children and young people. Therefore, we expect everyone to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre- employment checks, including a satisfactory Enhanced criminal records with Barred List Check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and the completion of Level 2 Safeguarding training. It is an offence to apply for the role if an applicant is barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children (where the role involves this type of regulated activity).

The Trust and its member academies are committed to promoting equality and diversity in both employment and education provision. We aim to ensure that students, parents, governors, employees, contractors, partners, clients and other stakeholders within the Trust community are treated fairly, and with dignity and respect regardless of Protected Characteristics.

Spencer Academies Trust is a Disability Confident Committed Employer

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: From 110,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension Free parking Health & wellbeing programme On-site parking Private medical insurance
Schedule:

Monday to Friday
Work Location: In person