Chief Executive Officer

Location: Remote with significant UK-based activity such as DfE and sector engagement.

Reports to: Board of Trustees

Contract: Full-time or 4 days a week (flexible options can be discussed including the potential for job-shares)

Salary: £100k-£130k plus contributory pension and competitive holiday, dependent on experience

About the Centre for Education Systems

The Centre for Education Systems (CES) is a UK charity, established in 2021, that produces high-quality research and analysis on education policy. CES's mission is to provide policymakers with comprehensive and expert analysis of education policies from across the world so that they can make informed choices leading to coherent and effective education systems that best serve children and young people.

We are now seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead the organisation through its next stage of development. The CEO will provide strategic leadership, manage the Centre's operations and small team of core staff, and ensure that its research can meaningfully support education policy and practice.

The role

The CEO will be responsible for the overall leadership, performance and sustainability of CES. Working with the Board of Trustees and senior executive team, they will:

• execute against the organisation's strategy and mission,
• oversee its programme of research, policy engagement and impact,
• ensure effective financial and operational management,
• sustain regular income through fundraising.

The CEO will also act as CES's principal external representative. The executive team has a strong existing network which allows us to advise senior decision-makers. We are looking for someone with the confidence and credibility to engage stakeholders at senior levels and to continue developing trusted relationships with policymakers, researchers, funders, education leaders and other influential organisations such as UNESCO and the OECD, to ensure that CES's work is communicated clearly and reaches the people who can and should be using it. The candidate would join the organisation with an established network of contacts across the UK education sector.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and translate CES's mission into clear organisational priorities and plans.
• Lead, manage and support a matrix structure that can include the core executive team as well as temporary research associates, assistants and academic partners.
• Take overall responsibility for performance, development, recruitment and wellbeing.
• Secure and diversify income through fundraising, partnerships, and grant applications.
• Work with the Chief Research Officer to oversee CES's research portfolio, ensuring that projects are rigorous, relevant, timely and accessible.
• Develop and deliver an effective network building strategy, nurturing relationships with ministers and civil servants, other education research organisations, funders or potential funders, and the wider policy ecosystem.
• Act as a confident and persuasive spokesperson for CES in meetings, events, the media and other public forums.
• Take overall responsibility for organisational operations, governance, risk management and compliance.
• Maintain strong financial oversight, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting and accountability to trustees and funders.
• Report to the Board of Trustees, providing accurate, timely and well-evidenced information on organisational performance, finances and risks.
• Meaningfully engage the Advisory Board across CES's research portfolio.

Person specification

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex research and policy issues clearly to different audiences.
• An understanding of how education policy is developed in the UK.
• Proven people-management experience, including responsibility for leading and developing a team, a willingness to deal with a matrix personnel structure and able to accommodate contractors and partners with other commitments.
• Experience with fundraising for a charitable or not-for-profit organisation, or a willingness to upskill in this area.
• The ability to take responsibility for organisational performance, operations and delivery.
• Experience of managing budgets and interpreting financial information.
• A clear commitment to the Centre's charitable purpose.
• The ability to work effectively with a Board of Trustees and maintain high standards of governance and accountability.
• A collaborative, strategic and entrepreneurial approach, with the ability to identify opportunities and turn ideas into practical action.
• Experience of policy stakeholder engagement or public affairs.
• An understanding of research practices and methodologies, particularly in relation to public policy analysis and comparative case study methods.
• An established and relevant network of contacts across the UK education ecosystem.

Experience of leading a research, policy, education or charitable organisation would be highly beneficial.