Chief Finance and Operations Officer
5 days ago
Banstead
Help shape the future of GLF Schools as its Chief Finance and Operations Officer as you lead the Trust's financial strategy, operations and systems and long‑term planning. • Location: Banstead, Surrey (with regular travel and flexibility to work from other sites within the organisation), • Salary: Up to £160,000 GLF Schools is one of the most established and respected multi‑academy trusts in the South East, educating nearly 20,000 children and young people across Surrey, West Sussex, Oxfordshire, Bracknell Forest, Hampshire, and the London Boroughs of Croydon and Wandsworth. Our growing family of 43 schools is united by a shared commitment to ensuring that every child can grow, learn and flourish. We believe deeply in collaboration, strong leadership and a culture where schools support one another to deliver exceptional outcomes. Our regional model enables schools to work closely with local schools while benefiting from the scale, expertise and specialist support of our central team. This structure allows us to combine the intimacy of local partnership with the strength and resilience of a large trust. Financially, we are secure and well‑positioned for the future. While some schools face the pressures common across the sector, our overall position is robust, supported by investment in new systems, strengthened central capacity and a clear focus on long‑term sustainability. With a refreshed executive team in place, we are ready to build a more integrated, strategic and confident organisation, one that uses its scale to deliver excellence for pupils, staff and communities. The Chief Finance and Operations Officer will help shape GLF’s future. This is a broad, influential and highly senior executive appointment, responsible for leading the Trust’s financial strategy, operations and systems and long‑term organisational planning. The CFOO will work closely with the CEO, Chief Education Officer and Trustees to ensure that GLF remains financially resilient, operationally strong and strategically aligned as we continue to grow and succeed. Although the CFOO does not hold direct line management of IT, Estates or People, they will provide strategic leadership and direction to these functions, ensuring they operate as a coherent, efficient and aligned part of the Trust’s wider operating model. This role sits above and across all enabling functions, shaping how they work together, strengthening Trust‑wide coherence, and driving innovation and continuous improvement at scale. Financial leadership is at the heart of the role. You will provide strategic oversight of a professional finance service, ensuring robust systems, strong internal controls and effective compliance frameworks. You will set financial direction and priorities, while delegating operational delivery to the Finance Director. You will ensure the effective delivery of the full financial cycle, including annual audited accounts, statutory returns, Trust‑wide budget setting, in‑year monitoring, due diligence and internal audit. You will also establish a clear financial risk and tolerance framework aligned to Trust strategy, ensuring that investment decisions, reserves management and long‑term planning reflect our goals. Operationally, you will oversee the full range of systems and processes across the Trust, shaping how we work and ensuring coherence and effectiveness across all enabling functions. You will lead procurement and commercial strategy, ensuring compliant tendering, strong commercial governance and effective supplier management. You will champion operational excellence, drive continuous improvement and help build a regional operating model that aligns enabling functions with our educational model. As the CFOO, you will also lead risk oversight across the Trust, ensuring resilience, preparedness and adherence to statutory and regulatory requirements. We are seeking an exceptional leader who combines financial and operational excellence with authenticity, integrity and a values‑driven approach. The successful candidate will be financially qualified and bring significant senior leadership experience in a complex, multi‑site organisation, along with the strategic maturity required to help shape a Trust that is evolving quickly and ambitiously. We are looking for someone who can operate confidently at executive level while remaining grounded, relational and visible across the organisation. You will be a strategic thinker who brings clarity and calm to complexity, but who also understands the importance of operational grip and disciplined execution. We’re looking for a leader who builds trust naturally, communicates with honesty and transparency and models the behaviours and values that underpin GLF’s culture. The role requires someone who can work effectively within a newly formed executive team, helping to shape its identity and ways of working. You will understand the importance of aligning finance and education, ensuring that ambition is matched with sustainability and that decisions are grounded in evidence, insight and long‑term thinking. You will recognise the importance of being present in schools, building relationships with headteachers and supporting regional teams to deliver consistently high‑quality provision. You will bring coherence to a large and diverse organisation, strengthening systems, improving responsiveness and helping GLF operate as One GLF. You will be confident in navigating risk, shaping commercial strategy and ensuring that the Trust’s operating model is robust, future‑focused and aligned to our strategic priorities. Above all, we are looking for someone who cares deeply about the impact of their work. You will understand that strong financial and operational foundations are essential to enabling great teaching and learning and you will be motivated by the opportunity to make that difference across 43 schools and beyond. This is a role for someone who wants to shape a Trust with ambition, integrity and a clear sense of purpose. Following the closing date on 14th July • First interview: Tuesday 21st July 2026, • Final interview: Wednesday 22nd July 2026 Peridot Partners and GLF Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and our client expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made. #J-18808-Ljbffr