Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Portico Academy Trust, Westcliff-On-Sea, SS9 2JB

52 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  1st September 2027

• Closing date

  31 December 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  9 November 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Other leadership role
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full time equivalent salary: £130,000.00 - £145,000.00 Annually (FTE) £130,000 to £145,000, depending on experience

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) job summary

Portico Academy Trust is seeking an inspirational and ambitious Chief Executive Officer to lead the Trust through its next stage of development and growth.

Hours of work

This is a permanent, full-time, year-round position.

Your contractual hours of work are 37 hours per week, to be worked Monday to Friday, excluding an unpaid lunch break.

Your normal working hours will fall within the Trust's core operating hours of 8:00am to 5:00pm. However, due to the nature of the role, a degree of flexibility is required. You may therefore be required to work outside these hours, including attending meetings, undertaking duties during evenings, and working occasional weekends where necessary to meet the operational needs of the Trust.

Your annual leave entitlement is 23 days per annum, in addition to the 8 statutory bank holidays. Annual leave must be taken during school closure periods, subject to the Trust's leave approval procedures.

Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions of employment for this post will be aligned with those applicable to the Trust’s support staff and Executive Leadership Team (ELT), rather than teacher terms and conditions. The post will have membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

The Trust

Portico Academy Trust is seeking an inspirational and ambitious Chief Executive Officer to lead the Trust through its next stage of development and growth.

As primary specialists, we believe that every child deserves the very best education, every day and in every lesson, whatever their background or circumstances. Our schools work closely together, sharing expertise, best practice and ideas while creating supportive communities in which children, staff and families can flourish.

The Role

Reporting directly to the Board of Trustees, you will provide strategic, educational and organisational leadership across the Trust and serve as its Accounting Officer. You will ensure that excellent teaching, strong leadership and the best possible outcomes for children remain at the heart of the Trust's work.

We are looking for a leader who shares our belief that learning is the key to every child's future; someone who will embrace challenge, encourage creativity and ensure that respect remains fundamental to the way we work.

You will lead a Trust with high aspirations for its children and its people. Our aims include narrowing gaps in attainment, reducing inequalities and empowering every pupil to fulfil their potential, regardless of their social, economic or cultural background. We want each of our academies to be recognised as a centre of learning excellence, sharing strong practice both within and beyond the Trust.

We want Portico to be an employer of choice, where colleagues are supported to develop, succeed and make a difference. As CEO, you will create the conditions in which talented people and teams can thrive.

As our CEO, you will:

Put children and learning first, ensuring educational excellence and continuous improvement remain at the heart of the Trust.

Set a strategic direction, translating Portico's vision and values into clear priorities and measurable impact across our academies.

Develop exceptional leaders and teams, building capacity, talent and effective succession planning across the Trust.

Create a great place to work, supporting our ambition to become an employer of choice through a positive, respectful and high-performing culture.

Support school leaders to drive school improvement, maintaining rigorous quality assurance and high standards of education, safeguarding, behaviour and pupil achievement.

Secure the Trust's future, providing strong financial and operational leadership and, as Accounting Officer, ensuring resources are used effectively and responsibly.

Work in partnership, building trusted and productive relationships with Trustees, Members, academy leaders, parents, communities and key external stakeholders.

Be a visible champion for Portico, modelling our values and promoting collaboration, mutual respect and ambition across the organisation.

The person we are looking for

You will be an experienced and credible senior leader with a strong track record of leading people, improving outcomes and successfully navigating organisational change and development.

You will combine educational credibility with strategic thinking, sound financial judgement and the ability to build trusted relationships at every level. Just as importantly, you will understand that successful Trust leadership is about creating the conditions in which children, staff and schools can thrive together.

We are looking for someone who can balance ambition with collaboration; who will protect what is special about our schools while continuing to raise expectations; and who is excited by the opportunity to shape the future of Portico Academy Trust.

If you share our vision and values and have the ambition, credibility and commitment to lead Portico into its next chapter, we would be delighted to hear from you. Further information about the role can be found in the Job Description and Person Specification. To find out more about our Trust and schools, please visit our Trust website at https://www.porticoacademytrust.co.uk or access via the MyNewTerm links below.

Interested candidates are welcome to have an informal conversation with the Chair of Trustees before applying. Please contact Rebecca Sanderson at recruitment@porticoacademytrust.co.uk to arrange a call.

For further details, please contact HR via MyNewTerm, telephone 01702 987890 or email recruitment@porticoacademytrust.co.uk.

We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications or are able to fill the position sooner than originally anticipated.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to an enhanced DBS check and shortlisted candidates should be aware that the Trust may carry out online searches as part of the due diligence process.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.

Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.

Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children

You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Portico Academy Trust

• Type: Multi-academy trust
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/portico-academy-trust

Head office location

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