Chief Finance and Operations Officer

Cheviot Learning Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE13 9BA

25 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 September 2026

• Closing date

  27 April 2026 at 12pm (midday)

• Date listed

  2 April 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Other leadership roles
  • Administration, HR, data and finance
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time: 37 Hours per week, Monday to Friday
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £95,735 - £110,892

What skills and experience we're looking for

We are seeking an exceptional and experienced senior leader with the following qualifications, experience, and abilities:

Qualifications:

• Professionally qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA) with current membership, or a postgraduate qualification in management/school business management.
• A Master’s degree or MBA in a relevant subject is highly desirable.

Experience:

• Senior leadership experience in a complex, multi-site, or shared services organisation.
• Strategic financial planning, budgeting, and resource management within financially constrained public sector or education settings.
• Operating at executive/board level, presenting and influencing strategy and delivery.
• Leading organisational change, service transformation, and growth at scale.
• Managing, developing, and motivating high-performing teams.
• Driving innovation, system improvement, and the effective use of digital technology.
• Experience within education, multi-academy trusts, or other relevant public sector organisations.
• Managing risk, audit processes, and governance frameworks.
• Contract, procurement, estates, and capital project management.

Knowledge and Understanding:

• Financial strategy, audit, compliance, and internal control systems.
• Regulatory frameworks for academy trusts, including the Academy Trust Handbook, charity, and company law.
• Education funding, operational challenges, and workforce management.
• Governance, assurance frameworks, and stakeholder engagement.
• Data analysis and the ability to communicate complex information clearly.
• Safeguarding, child protection, equality, diversity and inclusion, and health & safety in education.
• Employment law and HR practices in education.
• Change management, risk management, and operational excellence principles.

Skills and Abilities:

• Strategic leadership, resource management, and decision-making.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and develop staff at all levels.
• High-level organisational, analytical, and prioritisation skills.
• Digital literacy and the ability to leverage technology to improve systems and processes.
• Strong problem-solving, risk management, and operational delivery capability.

Personal Qualities:

• Integrity, professionalism, and commitment to public service values.
• Resilient, adaptable, and able to perform under pressure.
• Collaborative, relationship-focused, and politically aware.
• Strategic thinker, proactive, innovative, and solution-oriented.
• Ambitious, nurturing, and optimistic, with a commitment to excellence and continuous professional development.

What the school offers its staff

At Cheviot Learning Trust, we recognise that each individual brings a unique blend of expertise and experience to our schools. We have cultivated an environment we are proud to call a great place to work, where our staff feel valued, supported, and empowered to give their best.

As CFOO, you will be a senior executive in an organisation committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, andmotivating environment, understanding that when our staff thrive, so do the students across our schools.

We also offer:

• A supportive, values‑driven executive team with strong collaborative culture.
• A crucial leadership role with real influence across the Trust.
• A forward‑thinking environment committed to innovation, improvement and positive outcomes for pupils.
• Employee assistance programme
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme

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.

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

Commitment to safeguarding

We are strongly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people and expect all staff to share this commitment. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. If your application is successful, this self-disclosure information will be checked against information from the Disclosure and Barring Service before your appointment is confirmed. This role will include Regulated Activities and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure is required for this post.

Applying for the job

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

Additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

Chief Finance and Operations Officer Recruitment Pack 2026.pdf - 4.15 MB (opens in new tab)

About Cheviot Learning Trust

• Type: Multi-academy trust
• Website: Cheviot Learning Trust website
• Email address: d.flint@cheviotlt.co.uk
• Phone number: 0191 232 2777
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/the-three-rivers-learning-trust

Cheviot Learning Trust was formed in 2023 through the merger of Tyne Community Learning Trust, and Three Rivers Learning Trust.

We are a charity supported by over 150 governance volunteers who hold us to account in their role as critical friends. We are proud Northumbrians; more than happy to welcome schools to join us from inside or outside Northumberland.

All of the schools have a long and proud history of providing an excellent education service to their local populations. Through our teaching, we aim to equip children with the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to be able to make informed choices about the important things in their lives. We believe that appropriate teaching and learning experiences help children to lead happy and rewarding lives.

Arranging a visit to Cheviot Learning Trust

To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email d.flint@cheviotlt.co.uk.

Head office location

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