Bursar in Gloucester

The Bursar Role

The Headmaster and Governors of The King’s School seek to appoint an outstanding Bursar to join the Senior Leadership Team at a pivotal moment in the School’s long and distinguished history. This is an exceptional opportunity for a highly motivated, financially astute, and strategically minded individual to play a defining role in shaping the next chapter of King’s development.

The Bursar provides the essential complement to the Headmaster’s leadership, ensuring the School thrives both academically and operationally. As such, the role is integral to the School’s continued success and future sustainability. The Bursar works in close partnership with the Headmaster and Governing Body, ensuring the School not only operates efficiently and effectively as a modern educational enterprise, but also sustains the highest standards of teaching, learning, and pastoral care.

This is a wide-ranging and dynamic position, overseeing finance, estates, operations, HR, compliance, health and safety, and commercial activities. The Bursar will lead a diverse team of talented and dedicated professionals, ensuring excellence in service delivery while building resilience for the future. They will also play a key role in major capital projects, long-term strategic planning, and the development of new opportunities to support the School’s mission and enhance its facilities.

The role demands more than technical expertise. It requires resilience, versatility, and the ability to balance strategic foresight with day-to-day agility. Each day will present fresh challenges and opportunities, requiring calm leadership, sound judgement, and an ability to inspire confidence across the School community.

The successful candidate will be a proven senior leader with strong commercial and financial acumen, exceptional interpersonal skills, and the ability to lead complex projects with clarity and impact. An accounting qualification is not essential, but the ability to confidently interpret, manage, and communicate financial information is vital. Candidates may come from education, the independent or maintained sectors, or from the wider commercial, charitable, or public spheres. Above all, they will identify with the ethos and values of King’s as a Cathedral School, along with the ambition and vision to help ensure the School continues to thrive for generations to come.

Key Responsibilities

As a central figure of the School\'s Senior Leadership Team, the Bursar undertakes a broad range of duties relating to Strategy, Leadership and Management, Financial Management, Estates Management, Operations, Human Resources and Commercial Activities. For full details, please refer to the Applicant Information Pack.

Person Specification

Financial fluency and operational oversight are essential, but true effectiveness lies in strategic thinking, sound judgement, and the ability to influence and lead across education, governance, and operations. Resilience, emotional intelligence, and adaptability are vital in a role that is both demanding and politically sensitive. The Bursar must be visible and engaged in the daily life of the School, fostering strong relationships across staff, pupils, parents, and the wider community. Above all, the Bursar must balance technical competence with the capacity to apply nuance, navigate complexity, and act as the critical link between the School’s strategy, culture, and daily operations.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent);
• A professional qualification in finance, business, or accounting (desirable but not essential);
• A proven track record of senior leadership, ideally within a comparable organisational structure;
• Demonstrable experience of managing complex budgets and financial frameworks;
• Experience of working within regulatory and compliance frameworks;
• Proven ability to lead and develop successful multi-disciplinary teams.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Strong strategic capability with experience of guiding organisational change;
• Robust financial and commercial acumen, with the ability to assess, present, and manage risk;
• Sound knowledge of the disciplines within the postholder’s remit (finance, estates, HR, operations, and commercial activities);
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence, resolve conflict, and build effective relationships across all areas of the School;
• A clear understanding of safeguarding and child protection responsibilities, with a strong commitment to best practice;
• A visible and engaged leader who contributes actively to the Senior Leadership Team while also working independently when required;
• Strong organisational skills, with attention to detail, adherence to deadlines, and awareness of the legal and regulatory frameworks impacting schools;
• Dedicated, empathetic, and resilient, with a good sense of humour;
• Alignment with the School’s ethos and sensitivity to the unique context of running an independent school;
• A personal commitment to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Applications

Candidates should apply through TES, or by submitting a completed school Application Form and covering letter, (addressed to The Headmaster), to recruitment@thekingsschool.co.uk. A CV is not required.

Closing date for applications is Tuesday 23rd September at 12:00 noon, with initial online interviews commencing on Thursday 25th September. Interviews at School for selected candidates will follow in due course: these will be in two stages and will conclude by Wednesday 8th October.

For further information or to arrange a visit to the School, please contact Mr Harry Fuller on 01452 337337, or via email to recruitment@thekingsschool.co.uk.