At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead operational strategy and drive excellence across a growing Catholic Trust.
- Company: St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust, dedicated to transforming children's lives through education.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, opportunity for impact, and a mission-driven environment.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team focused on growth and operational excellence.
- Why this job: Shape the future of education for 28,000 children by 2031.
- Qualifications: Proven senior operational leadership experience and strong interpersonal skills.
The predicted salary is between 108202 - 134860 £ per year.
St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust is based in the Liverpool City Region with six primary and four secondary academies. As a united family of academies, we are fully aligned around our central mission to transform children’s lives by providing them with a world-class Catholic education. This is a rare opportunity to join a mission-driven organisation with an unrelenting pursuit of excellence and a clear trajectory for substantial growth. With the Trust set to expand to include 66 schools and 28,000 children by 2031, the COO will play a critical role in building the infrastructure, systems, and capacity required to support a larger, more complex organisation.
Working closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Finance and Strategy Officer (CFSO), you will lead the operational strategy of the Trust—ensuring that all non-educational functions are aligned, efficient, and fit for scale.
The Role
- Develop and implement a scalable operating model to support the Trust’s growth plan
- Lead operational due diligence and onboarding of new schools, ensuring seamless integration into the Trust
- Lead on organisational design and infrastructure, ensuring readiness for new schools joining the Trust
- Drive operational excellence, embedding efficient, consistent systems and processes across all academies
- Work in close partnership with the CFO to ensure strong alignment between financial planning and operational delivery
- Oversee estates and capital strategy, supporting both expansion and sustainability
- Strengthen governance, compliance, and risk management frameworks
- Build and lead a high-performing central services team
- Develop and evolve a high-performing shared services model, ensuring central functions deliver efficient, consistent, and value-adding support across all academies
- Lead and embed a culture of operational excellence, driving continuous improvement, standardisation, and high-quality execution across the Trust
- Ensuring that all operational activity is delivered in line with the Trust’s agreed values, behaviours, and culture, role-modelling and reinforcing these across the organisation
The Candidate
We are seeking a strategic, experienced leader with a strong track record of delivering operational excellence in a complex, multi-site organisation. You will bring:
- Proven experience in a senior operational leadership role (COO, Director of Operations or equivalent)
- A track record of leading organisations through growth, transformation, or scale-up
- Exceptional interpersonal skills
- Strong commercial and organisational acumen, with the ability to translate strategy into delivery
- Experience of working alongside finance leadership to drive integrated decision-making
- The ability to lead diverse functions and build cohesive, high-performing teams
- A commitment to the values and ethos of Catholic education
How to apply
To request an application pack or to arrange a conversation with the CEO please email dion.mills@edwinpeople.com or call 07860966343.
Closing Date: 9am Monday 22nd June
Interviews: TBC
Contact Details:
St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust Recruitment Team
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