About Us

Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust was established in 2018 with the vision to create ‘Exceptional Education at the Heart of the Community’. The Trust is currently made up of 3 secondary schools, 15 primary schools, an all-through specialist SEMH school. Each school is supported by the professional services team, helping over 4500 children and 850 staff to thrive – this is a truly exciting Trust to be involved with.

The success of the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust will be underpinned by two fundamental beliefs:

Students come first: First and foremost, the purpose of the Trust is to enable students to achieve their potential, and it is this principle that drives how we make decisions and how we act. It is expected that anyone who joins or forms part of the Trust shares this philosophy.

We are team players: Whilst every colleague has a specific role to fulfil, we expect all staff to communicate with compassion, treat others with positive regard, collaborate and behave with professionalism. In our colleagues we seek energy, passion, initiative and cooperation, as well as acting in a way that promotes a positive image of the Trust in the wider community.

Our Values

We are:

Ambitious: Inspiring ambitious learning for all, rooted in commitment, responsibility, curiosity, and aspiration.

Co-operative: The flourishing of individuals and building of positive relationships underpinned and sustained through dignity and respect.

Transformative: Character, confidence, and care nourished and developed through a horizon of hope and growth.

About the role:

We believe that every role contributes to our students achieving. We are a values driven organisation and strongly feel a shared sense of purpose. We behave in a way that puts our students at the forefront of our actions and decisions making, we champion equality of opportunity and respect our colleagues, our students and our community. We believe passionately that all individuals are entitled to learn and should be encouraged to do so.

Core Purpose

The DMAT CEO is responsible for the education of all the young people in the Trust’s academies. They lead the Executive Team of the Trust, ensuring the Trust and all its schools are successful over time in a sustainable way. They provide high level strategic leadership and management across all aspects of the Trust’s activities. They ensure that the Trust provides high quality education for all its pupils through the effective and efficient use of resources and people. As a system leader, the CEO represents the Trust with a wide range of stakeholders and partners and enables the Trust to fulfil its civic responsibilities. They are the Accounting Officer for the Trust, responsible for ensuring the Trust meets its statutory and legal requirements.

The DMAT is a Trust with mixed Articles and in the process of moving to Majority Articles. We have both church and secular schools in our Trust. The CEO of the DMAT is tasked with celebrating and promoting the Christian ethos and distinctiveness of our Church Schools to ensure that they flourish.

Ethics and Professional Conduct

As a leader of an educational charity the DMAT CEO will be expected to demonstrate consistently high standards of principled and professional conduct. The post holder will always uphold and demonstrate The Principles of Public Life (The Nolan Principles). The DMAT CEO is responsible for upholding public trust in Trust, civic and system leadership, and should maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour. As a leader of our Trust, their academy communities and the profession, the new DMAT CEO will serve in the best interests of the Trust’s pupils, conducting themselves in a manner compatible with their influential position in society.

Core Responsibilities

There are six interlinked areas of The DMAT CEO’s core responsibilities. These are:

Strategic leadership - Trust values, culture and strategy

Quality of Education

Ethics and Professional Conduct

As a leader of an educational charity the DMAT CEO will be expected to demonstrate consistently high standards of principled and professional conduct. The post holder will always uphold and demonstrate The Principles of Public Life (The Nolan Principles). The DMAT CEO is responsible for upholding public trust in Trust, civic and system leadership, and should maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour. As a leader of our Trust, their academy communities and the profession, the new DMAT CEO will serve in the best interests of the Trust’s pupils, conducting themselves in a manner compatible with their influential position in society.

Core Responsibilities

There are six interlinked areas of The DMAT CEO’s core responsibilities. These are:

Strategic leadership - Trust values, culture and strategy

Quality of Education

Finance, sustainability and compliance

People strategy

Governance and accountability

System leadership and civic responsibility.

Strategic Leadership – Values, Culture and Strategy

Establish and sustain the Trust’s values, culture, and strategic direction in partnership with the Trust Board.

Provide leadership that enables the Trust to achieve its strategic objectives and secure its future sustainability.

Create a safe, inclusive and positive culture across the Trust and its schools.

Develop

Core Responsibilities

There are six interlinked areas of The DMAT CEO’s core responsibilities. These are:

Strategic leadership - Trust values, culture and strategy

Quality of Education

Finance, sustainability and compliance

People strategy

Governance and accountability

System leadership and civic responsibility.

Strategic Leadership – Values, Culture and Strategy

Establish and sustain the Trust’s values, culture, and strategic direction in partnership with the Trust Board.

Provide leadership that enables the Trust to achieve its strategic objectives and secure its future sustainability.

Create a safe, inclusive and positive culture across the Trust and its schools.

Develop operational objectives that are appropriate, deliverable and aligned to securing a sustainable future through the Trust’s strategic direction.

Enable the Trust’s organisational design and operational systems to meet its current and future requirements and manage change effectively.

Quality of Education

Tackle educational inequality, upholding and securing ambitious educational and behavioural standards for all pupils.

Promote further support for the most disadvantaged and those with additional and special educational needs and disabilities within a safe and secure environment.

Enable the Trust to establish and sustain a broad, rich and coherent curriculum entitlement for all pupils, supported by effective curricular leadership and delivered through high quality teaching in all its schools.

Ensure the Trust has high quality, expert teaching in all the Trust’s schools, built on an evidence-informed understanding of effective teaching and how pupils learn.

Ensure that priority areas for improvement are identified.

Strategic Leadership – Values, Culture and Strategy

Establish and sustain the Trust’s values, culture, and strategic direction in partnership with the Trust Board.

Provide leadership that enables the Trust to achieve its strategic objectives and secure its future sustainability.

Create a safe, inclusive and positive culture across the Trust and its schools.

Develop operational objectives that are appropriate, deliverable and aligned to securing a sustainable future through the Trust’s strategic direction.

Enable the Trust’s organisational design and operational systems to meet its current and future requirements and manage change effectively.

Quality of Education

Tackle educational inequality, upholding and securing ambitious educational and behavioural standards for all pupils.

Promote further support for the most disadvantaged and those with additional and special educational needs and disabilities within a safe and secure environment.

Enable the Trust to establish and sustain a broad, rich and coherent curriculum entitlement for all pupils, supported by effective curricular leadership and delivered through high quality teaching in all its schools.

Ensure the Trust has high quality, expert teaching in all the Trust’s schools, built on an evidence-informed understanding of effective teaching and how pupils learn.

Ensure that priority areas for improvement are identified.

Enable the Trust and its schools to engage with appropriate evidence-based strategies for improvement and ensure their effective implementation.

Finance, Sustainability and Compliance

Ensure that sound financial management systems are in place.

Prioritise and allocate financial resources appropriately, ensuring efficiency, effectiveness and probity in the use of public funds.

Ensure rigorous approaches to identifying, managing and mitigating risk.

Ensure the long-term sustainability of the Trust and its schools through effective financial and estates management.

Direct the Trust’s activities to achieve the most efficient, effective and sustainable provision of education to the highest quality, prioritising and making the most effective use of the resources available.

Ensure the organisation complies with all statutory and legal requirements including safeguarding, health, and safety.

People Strategy

Lead and effectively manage the activities and performance of the Trust’s executive team.

Enable a people strategy that identifies talent, supports and develops all staff and sustains a culture of staff well-being and high staff professionalism.

Ensure the Trust has high quality employment practices that promote equality, diversity and inclusion, including ethical practices of recruitment and retention of staff.

Ensure staff have access to high quality professional development, aligned to balance organisational and individual needs.

Ensure the Trust has a strong talent management and succession planning programmes across all areas of the organisation’s work.

Governance and Accountability

Quality of Education

Tackle educational inequality, upholding and securing ambitious educational and behavioural standards for all pupils.

Promote further support for the most disadvantaged and those with additional and special educational needs and disabilities within a safe and secure environment.

Enable the Trust to establish and sustain a broad, rich and coherent curriculum entitlement for all pupils, supported by effective curricular leadership and delivered through high quality teaching in all its schools.

Ensure the Trust has high quality, expert teaching in all the Trust’s schools, built on an evidence-informed understanding of effective teaching and how pupils learn.

Ensure that priority areas for improvement are identified.

Enable the Trust and its schools to engage with appropriate evidence-based strategies for improvement and ensure their effective implementation.

Finance, Sustainability and Compliance

Ensure that sound financial management systems are in place.

Prioritise and allocate financial resources appropriately, ensuring efficiency, effectiveness and probity in the use of public funds.

Ensure rigorous approaches to identifying, managing and mitigating risk.

Ensure the long-term sustainability of the Trust and its schools through effective financial and estates management.

Direct the Trust’s activities to achieve the most efficient, effective and sustainable provision of education to the highest quality, prioritising and making the most effective use of the resources available.

Ensure the organisation complies with all statutory and legal requirements including safeguarding, health, and safety.

People Strategy

Lead and effectively manage the activities and performance of the Trust’s executive team.

Enable a people strategy that identifies talent, supports and develops all staff and sustains a culture of staff well-being and high staff professionalism.

Ensure the Trust has high quality employment practices that promote equality, diversity and inclusion, including ethical practices of recruitment and retention of staff.

Ensure staff have access to high quality professional development, aligned to balance organisational and individual needs.

Ensure the Trust has a strong talent management and succession planning programmes across all areas of the organisation’s work.

Governance and Accountability

Promote a culture of accountability that is recognised and accepted as an essential element of improvement at all levels and across all aspects of the Trust’s work.

Understand the role of relevant regulatory bodies and ensure the Trust and its schools respond to their requirements.

Understand and welcome the role of effective Trust governance, upholding the obligation to give account and recognising that Trust Boards are ultimately responsible and accountable for the Trust’s work.

Develop and maintain effective relationships with the Trust Board recognising their key role in holding the CEO and executive team to account.

Ensure the Trust Board receives quality information in the level of detail needed to make informed decisions and fulfil its functions and legal obligations.

Ensure positive communications that promote the Trust and its work and present the Trust effectively when dealing with the media.

System Leadership and Civic Responsibility

Promote and enable ways in which the Trust’s schools and their local boards engage meaningfully with their communities and are responsive and accountable to them.

In line with the Trust’s civic role, work with civic partners and stakeholders in the local area, region and/or nationally to contribute to the Public Good, ensuring the value of the child and coherent public service for children and families.

Foster and engage in the collective leadership of the sector building strong local systems to address disadvantage and improve the quality of education for all pupils.

Exert external influence on behalf of the Trust by active engagement with sector organisations, regulators, policy makers, local and national government, industry and other partners.

Give public assurance of high standards of probity.

Accounting Officer Responsibilities

Give assurance (to Parliament and the public) of high standards of probity in the management of public funds, particularly regularity, propriety and value for money.

Adhering to the Seven Principles of Public Life.

Having oversight of financial transactions (under Trustees’ control, measures to prevent losses or misuse, multi-person operation of accounts and records, accurate accounting records).

Completing annual statement on regularity, propriety and compliance.

Taking personal responsibility for assuring compliance to the Board.

Advising on Board intent or action if incompatible with the articles, funding agreement or handbook.

Notify the ESFA if they consider the Board is in breach of the articles, funding agreement or handbook.

Person Specification

Area to be assessed

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Safeguarding

Must be able to demonstrate a commitment to the safeguarding and well-being of children and young people.

Advanced Safeguarding Experience

Qualifications/Experience

Sustained period of successful Headship in Mainstream School Setting.

Demonstrable experience of Education Sector finance and compliance.

Tangible and successful leadership of large / complex organisation.

Demonstrable experience in working with schools in a rural setting.

Masters’ Level Degree or above.

NPQH, NPQEL or equivalent

Experience of working across 0-19 age range

Experience of being a Trustee of a MAT.

Knowledge/Skills

Knowledge and experience of Risk and Risk Management.

A deep commitment to Inclusion and Social Justice.

Excellent interpersonal skills - demonstrating capacity to build strong working relationships with others.

Successful experience of visioning, planning and implementing change.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

A ‘can do’ approach to developing inclusive learning environments.

Tenacious practice of ensuring that the wishes of children and young people are heard and inform decision-making.

Calm in manner, approachable and flexible. 

Proactive approach to continuing professional development.

Prioritise and manage time effectively and be able to work under pressure.

Finance, Sustainability and Compliance

Ensure that sound financial management systems are in place.

Prioritise and allocate financial resources appropriately, ensuring efficiency, effectiveness and probity in the use of public funds.

Ensure rigorous approaches to identifying, managing and mitigating risk.

Ensure the long-term sustainability of the Trust and its schools through effective financial and estates management.

Direct the Trust’s activities to achieve the most efficient, effective and sustainable provision of education to the highest quality, prioritising and making the most effective use of the resources available.

Ensure the organisation complies with all statutory and legal requirements including safeguarding, health, and safety.

People Strategy

Lead and effectively manage the activities and performance of the Trust’s executive team.

Enable a people strategy that identifies talent, supports and develops all staff and sustains a culture of staff well-being and high staff professionalism.

Ensure the Trust has high quality employment practices that promote equality, diversity and inclusion, including ethical practices of recruitment and retention of staff.

Ensure staff have access to high quality professional development, aligned to balance organisational and individual needs.

Ensure the Trust has a strong talent management and succession planning programmes across all areas of the organisation’s work.

Governance and Accountability

Promote a culture of accountability that is recognised and accepted as an essential element of improvement at all levels and across all aspects of the Trust’s work.

Understand the role of relevant regulatory bodies and ensure the Trust and its schools respond to their requirements.

Understand and welcome the role of effective Trust governance, upholding the obligation to give account and recognising that Trust Boards are ultimately responsible and accountable for the Trust’s work.

Develop and maintain effective relationships with the Trust Board recognising their key role in holding the CEO and executive team to account.

Ensure the Trust Board receives quality information in the level of detail needed to make informed decisions and fulfil its functions and legal obligations.

Ensure positive communications that promote the Trust and its work and present the Trust effectively when dealing with the media.

System Leadership and Civic Responsibility

Promote and enable ways in which the Trust’s schools and their local boards engage meaningfully with their communities and are responsive and accountable to them.

In line with the Trust’s civic role, work with civic partners and stakeholders in the local area, region and/or nationally to contribute to the Public Good, ensuring the value of the child and coherent public service for children and families.

Foster and engage in the collective leadership of the sector building strong local systems to address disadvantage and improve the quality of education for all pupils.

Exert external influence on behalf of the Trust by active engagement with sector organisations, regulators, policy makers, local and national government, industry and other partners.

Give public assurance of high standards of probity.

Accounting Officer Responsibilities

Give assurance (to Parliament and the public) of high standards of probity in the management of public funds, particularly regularity, propriety and value for money.

Adhering to the Seven Principles of Public Life.

Having oversight of financial transactions (under Trustees’ control, measures to prevent losses or misuse, multi-person operation of accounts and records, accurate accounting records).

Completing annual statement on regularity, propriety and compliance.

Taking personal responsibility for assuring compliance to the Board.

Advising on Board intent or action if incompatible with the articles, funding agreement or handbook.

Notify the ESFA if they consider the Board is in breach of the articles, funding agreement or handbook.

Person Specification

Area to be assessed

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Safeguarding

Must be able to demonstrate a commitment to the safeguarding and well-being of children and young people.

Advanced Safeguarding Experience

Qualifications/Experience

Sustained period of successful Headship in Mainstream School Setting.

Demonstrable experience of Education Sector finance and compliance.

Tangible and successful leadership of large / complex organisation.

Demonstrable experience in working with schools in a rural setting.

Masters’ Level Degree or above.

NPQH, NPQEL or equivalent

Experience of working across 0-19 age range

Experience of being a Trustee of a MAT.

Knowledge/Skills

Knowledge and experience of Risk and Risk Management.

A deep commitment to Inclusion and Social Justice.

Excellent interpersonal skills - demonstrating capacity to build strong working relationships with others.

Successful experience of visioning, planning and implementing change.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

A ‘can do’ approach to developing inclusive learning environments.

Tenacious practice of ensuring that the wishes of children and young people are heard and inform decision-making.

Calm in manner, approachable and flexible. 

Proactive approach to continuing professional development.

Prioritise and manage time effectively and be able to work under pressure.

Understanding of the challenges around rural locations and infrastructure, with the ability to overcome challenges in order to reach every academy.

Understanding the SEN Code of Practice and experience of working in a Specialist Provision.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and the CEO must inspire, supervise, and motivate teams to ensure safeguarding best practice is being implemented across the Trust and ensure that there is compliance with the Trust’s policies and procedures on safeguarding and child protection at all levels in the Trust.

The duties and responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and will be reviewed annually to reflect plans, growth, and the development of the Trust. The post holder is expected to accept any reasonable alterations that may from time to time be necessary.

Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

All schools in The Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS).

‘This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020). This means that certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’ and do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974.’

Your application form will be processed by My New Term who act for DMAT as a data processor- please see our Privacy Notice for more information about how we process job applicant personal data.

The successful candidate will be required to complete mandatory training.

Purpose: To provide comprehensive training on company policies, procedures, and systems necessary for successful integration into the role.

Benefits of Training :

To gain valuable insights into our company culture and values.

Interact with key stakeholders and team members.

Acquire essential knowledge and skills to excel in your role.

Establish a strong foundation for your career growth within Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust.