Head of Operations

The Role

Head of Operations

Full time, 36 hours per week

LPT Grade 12 £60,399 - £66,544 per annum

Learning Partners is seeking an enthusiastic and dynamic individual to lead effective governance systems and to help us achieve our aim to grow to become a trust of 20 schools, ‘leading schools where children thrive’.

Job Overview      

The Head of Operations will play a leadership role in the growth and development of our trust by:

·        Enabling effective governance at all levels of the organisation

·        Developing a strategy to help us grow to 20 schools

·        Supporting the delivery of our ‘trust dozen’ aims in each of our schools

·        Ensuring that our schools are effectively supported on all matters relating to governance and compliance and estates, allowing school leaders to focus on the deliver of excellent educational opportunities.

As part of our shared services team, the post-holder will work with our schools, Local Governing Bodies (LGBs) and Trustees to develop talent and ensure that committees and individuals understand their roles and are equipped with appropriate training and systems to achieve excellence.

The post-holder will be an ambassador for the trust, representing our values to our own volunteers, as well as external parties such as schools with the potential to join the trust. The successful candidate will be able to:

·        Quickly build excellent relationships

·        Work effectively with volunteers and staff members at all levels

·        Communicate concepts to individuals without prior knowledge or experience

·        Listen to the views of others and represent those during internal discussions and decision making

·        Empowering a range of teams and individuals to excel.

The Head of Operations will ensure that schools understand and are equipped to adhere to the legal obligations placed on them. The successful candidate will be familiar with compliance requirements and will be able to communicate these effectively to individuals without specialist knowledge, providing pragmatic advice on how to achieve these requirements while maintaining an unrelenting focus on educational provision.

The Head of Operations will provide strategic oversight of the development and maintenance of our estates by leading the trust estate’s function striving to provide excellent learning environments in each school.

This role is based at the Learning Partners Academy Trust head offices located in Guildford, although you will be expected to regularly travel to other trust schools.

This is a full-time permanent role working 36 hours per week all year, with 28 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays.

About Learning Partners Academy Trust

Learning Partners Academy Trust is collaborative Multi Academy Trust (MAT) of 14 schools, in and around the Guildford area. See the attached information for more information about our trust.

The successful candidate

You will have:

·        Experience of supporting academy or school governance demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the education sector, charity and company law and regulatory compliance.

·        Recent leadership experience.

·        The ability to communicate effectively and develop positive relationships with all stakeholders.

·        A high level of self-awareness, personal integrity, and credibility.

·        The ability to command the confidence and respect of others.

·        An ability to analyse and interpret data and to recommend actions.

·        A pragmatic approach to problem solving.

·        The ability to demonstrate an understanding of safeguarding and a commitment to safeguarding children and young people.

Employee Benefits

We can offer you:

·        Training and development – opportunities to take part in in-house training events

·        Family friendly employer – working within a team which understands that operational needs can be balanced with family responsibilities

·        Employee assistance programme – free and confidential third-party telephone counselling service available 24 hours a day

·        Pension scheme – Local Government Pension Scheme where the employer’s contribution is over 18% of base salary

·        Employee benefits scheme – high street discounts and cycle to work scheme

How to Apply

If you are interested in applying for this exciting role please use the links provided to access the full job description and person specification and apply online.

Please note, your application will take you to our ATS system (Face-Ed). You will be required to enter your details again to fully complete your application process.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this role further, please contact Patrick Overy, Chief Operating Officer at Learning Partners Academy Trust.

Closing date: Monday 27^th November at 9am

Interview date: TBC

Important information

·        The closing date given is a guide only. There may be some occasions where we close a vacancy due to a high a volume of applications being received. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

·        When completing the application form please ensure that you clearly evidence your relevant skills and experience in relation to the requirements detailed in the job description. 

·        Please ensure you check your emails regularly as this is how we will communicate with you throughout the recruitment process.