(Full time/part time (minimum 3 days per week would be considered))

University of Lincolnshire Academy Trust is seeking an outstanding Chief Executive Officer.

The Trust is committed to social mobility and providing the best educational experience for its young people. The University of Lincoln, the Trust’s Sponsors, are extremely supportive of that commitment and continually work with us to ensure that our ethos is maintained.

The Trust was formed in 2011, taking its current name in 2020, following a Strategic Review. All academies are based in south Lincolnshire, in the Districts of South Holland and Boston Borough, amongst the most deprived areas of Lincolnshire.

There are seven academies within the Trust: two secondary - University Academy Holbeach (UAH) and University Academy Long Sutton (UALS), four primary - Holbeach Primary Academy (HPA) and Holbeach Bank Academy (HBA), Monkshouse Primary Academy (MPA) and Wrangle Primary Academy (WPA), along with one Specialist - Gosberton House Academy (GHA). Two of these schools were convertors and two were directed to the Trust.

The Trust believes in setting its strategic direction in consultation with its Executive Management, whilst also holding them to account. Growth has been steady. This is largely due to exceptionally capable Principals and Executive Teams; a high level of executive autonomy is provided to Principals. A Director of Primary Education, who is also an Executive Principal, provides experience and support to Primary Principals and the wider Executive. The Trust has very strong financial management demonstrated through excellent audit reports and runs its own payroll. To ensure value for money, several services, including HR are outsourced.

The Trust’s success in improving educational performance builds upon a genuine culture of putting children first, alongside a commitment to developing our own staff. We are proud that three of our Principals have progressed to their current roles from within the Trust.

It is also extremely important to the Trust to direct resources, as far as possible, to support our young people. We have small central management team, with one of the lowest central charges of any Trust. For 2025/6 it is set at 2.4% and as part of its principles, academies retain their reserves; which we believe secures budget discipline. There is a combined budget of over £27m, with approximately 530 staff. Its ethos is based on the moral imperative to improve the life chances of all our young people.

We have demonstrated enterprise in developing our resources: over the last six years UAH has gained new buildings, which include; a new science block and two new T Level facilities that boast state of the art vocational provisions, costing over £4m. UALS has been successful in benefitting from the Priority School Building Programme, which will see the Academy buildings replaced over the next year in a £30m project. At GHA a local authority funded ‘all needs’ facility is currently under construction costing £6.4m.

It is an exciting time for the Trust and we are looking forward to making an exceptional appointment for its CEO post. If this sounds like the right next challenge for you, we would be delighted to receive your application.

The Trust is happy to consider candidates who wish to work on a part-time basis (minimum 3 days per week). This may allow time for you to undertake consultancy work, such as Ofsted inspections.

The Trust is delighted that you are considering joining our community and would encourage you to visit. Visits can be arranged by telephoning the Trust Office on 01406 423 042 ext. 359, or emailing enquiries@uolat.co.uk

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS and section 128 checks.

In accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Fluency Duty), the ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.

Online searches are carried out on all shortlisted candidates. All shortlisted candidates will need to verify their eligibility to work in the UK at interview.

We reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date of the advert, should we identify an appropriate candidate. If you have not been invited for an interview within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Expected start date: 01/09/2025