Chief Executive Officer
-
School:
Extol Academy Trust -
Location:
Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Sunderland -
Salary:
L36-42 (£117,601 - £136,243 per annum) -
Hours:
-
Contractual Status:
Permanent -
Closing Date:
9th Mar 2025
Post: Chief Executive Officer
Number on Roll: 2345 as per October Census
Commencing: September 2025
Salary: L36-42 (£117,601 – £136,243 per annum)
Contract Term: Permanent
Our Opportunity:
Extol Trust is seeking an outstanding CEO to deliver our mission to provide stand-out education for every child.
At the heart of our vision for education is a self-improving school-led system which has the best evidence-led practice and in which every child thrives and achieves through the opportunities provided. Extol Trust is a learning community in which:
- Our leaders are driven by integrity and a strong moral purpose
- Our teachers strive to be “great”.
- The individual talents and strengths of our pupils and staff are recognised and nurtured
- Equity of opportunity for all underpins everything we do.
We are seeking an outstanding CEO with a strong belief in, and commitment to, the Trust’s vision and values, who is able to demonstrate them daily throughout every aspect of the role and refresh and re-articulate them as the Trust evolves and grows.
We view ourselves not as multiple schools under one Trust but as one Trust set over multiple sites, meaning we all share collective responsibility for every child in our schools.
Reporting directly to the Trustees as Chief Accounting Officer, key duties include:
- Leading the Trust’s strategic development and growth, ensuring alignment with our vision and values.
- Overseeing financial management, working closely with our CFO to maintain our strong financial position, and ensuring sustainable growth.
- Driving school improvement and maintaining high standards across all schools.
- Fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Building and developing the Central Team, providing leadership and support to our professional community
- Engaging with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to enhance further the Trust’s reputation and influence in the community.
About You:
As CEO, the successful candidate will work closely with the Board and wider long-standing Trust leadership to develop, renew and implement our Trust strategy, including future growth. You will be able to function at both a local and national level as an excellent ambassador for Extol through our engagement with a wide range of partners, and with our school communities.
Able to inspire and motivate others, even when things are tough, you will embody a visible and immersive leadership style, with intimate knowledge of the Trust’s schools and operations and be an active presence throughout the school year.
You will value and support rigour, efficiency and ongoing development of finance, IT, estates and other operational services, and will be constantly looking for opportunities for innovation and improvement. In line with our Trust ethos and values, you will have the capacity to invigorate and empower our talented Trust community of staff and stakeholders through devolved networking, ensuring inclusive decision-making across the Trust.
We can offer you:
- A supportive and collaborative culture with staff, Trustees and the CEO working closely together, with wellbeing and personal growth engrained in our culture.
- A highly focused professional workforce with a relentless drive for improved educational outcomes.
- A financially robust Trust with a proven track record of strong management from a highly regarded Trust Central Team.
- Significant investment in professional infrastructure to ensure the Trust is an employer of choice.
- Opportunities for professional development and growth within a dynamic and expanding Trust.
- A culture of rigorous governance and evidence-based practices driving continuous improvement.
- Excellent renumeration including 34 days plus bank holidays per annum
If you have a proven track record in education leadership, a commitment to demonstrating the highest standards in all areas of professional life and share our belief in the power of education and learning to transform children’s life chances and choices, then we would love to hear from you.
This job is hosted on an external site. For more information about this post and an application pack please visit this site.
Contact us:
For an informal, confidential conversation about the role please call Helen Poole on 01609 532254 or email. Alternatively contact Leanne Auton on 07815 028 548 or email. Helen and Leanne have been engaged to support us with recruitment to this exciting opportunity.
Key dates & Visits
We strongly recommend that you visit us so we can share with you why we are so proud of our Trust, and you will have the opportunity to see what we have to offer. If you would like the opportunity to visit and meet with our outgoing CEO or Chair of Trustees, please contact Helen.
A date when we can accommodate visits is detailed below – if this is not possible for you, please contact Helen or Leanne, as we may be able to offer alternatives.
Visits -18th and 19th February and 3rd and 4th March
Application closing date: Midnight, Sunday 9th March
Shortlisting: Thursday 13th March
Interviews: Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th March
Extol Academy Trust
Extol Trust is an ambitious and collaborative Trust based in the North East of England. The Trust’s conception was driven by a passion and a moral belief that all pupils deserve to attend a ‘stand out school’, where they flourish personally, academically and socially.
We place children at the centre of all we do, aiming to create a climate where excellent flourishes because of outstanding leadership, engaging teaching and high-quality learning. We are a Trust which works hard to be an employer of choice; We know we can’t have great schools without great staff and we work very hard to recruit, retain and develop our people to be the best they can be. We invest significantly in professional infrastructure, ensuring that our staff have access to the best training and development opportunities.
This commitment to professional growth not only helps us attract top talent but also plays a crucial role in retaining it. By fostering an environment that is inclusive and encourages continuous learning, development, and advancement, we create a workplace where employees feel valued and motivated. This, in turn, leads to higher job satisfaction, improved performance, and long-term loyalty to the Trust. As a result, we can build a strong, skilled team that contributes to the Trust’s ongoing success.
We place Extol Trust as both a system and civic leader, working with other organisations to advance education for the wider common good. Through the development of purposeful partnerships and true collaboration, we aim to impact not only on our school communities but the wider education landscape. We believe that strong collaborative Trusts should be at the front and centre of shaping education reform.
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