Chief Finance & Operations Officer - Lighthouse Education Trust

Lighthouse School Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS16 6QB

38 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  As soon as possible

• Closing date

  23 February 2026 at 9am

• Date listed

  16 January 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Other leadership roles
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: Circa £70,000

What skills and experience we're looking for

The Role

The CFOO will:

• Provide expert financial stewardship, ensuring strong budgeting, forecasting, reporting and value for money
• Lead all operational functions, including finance, HR, estates, IT, compliance and risk
• Establish and embed robust governance, policies and procedures aligned with statutory and regulatory requirements
• Develop scalable systems and structures to support sustainable growth
• Work closely with the CEO, Trustees and school leaders to enable excellent educational outcomes
• Ensure the Trust is resilient, efficient, compliant and well-prepared for expansion

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a strategic, values-driven leader who:

• Has significant senior experience in finance and operations, ideally within education, the public sector or a complex organisation
• Brings strong commercial acumen alongside a commitment to public service and education
• Is confident building systems and structures in a growing organisation
• Has excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder-management skills
• Is motivated by the opportunity to shape and grow a mission-led Trust from an early stage

What the school offers its staff

This role comes with full training, induction and a range of benefits:

• Salary paid across 12 equal monthly instalments, and an increase each September (subject to Trustee approval and the finances of the school).
• Mental health and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do - our staff say they feel supported by the Senior Leadership Team and our Mental Health First Aider Team.
• Access to a range of free health care services including, Employee Assistance Programme offering free counselling (general/menopause), physiotherapy, 24/7 GP service, stress coaching, nurse support services, financial wellbeing coaching, surgical assistance programme, free flu vaccinations, and eye tests for VDU users. See here for more information.
• Up to date autism specific training, including person centred approaches, positive behaviour support strategies and understanding communication from our Speech and Language Therapists and our training and Wellbeing Teams.
• Continuous Professional Development including access to coaching, mentoring and supervision, as well as e-learning and online training courses.

If you’re ready to play a key role in shaping the future of a growing Trust, we’d love to explore this opportunity with you.

Flexible working opportunities

We are also a DfE appointed Flexible Working Participant School and open to offering a range of flexible working options. Please share your preferences with our HR colleagues at your earliest opportunity in order that these can be fully considered.

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

Lighthouse School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its students and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. An enhanced DBS certificate is required for successful applicants, and all newly appointed staff who have lived or travelled overseas for 12 months or more in the past 10 years will be required to undertake an overseas check as part of our pre-employment checks.

Information can be found on the government website at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants/guidance-on-the-application-process-for-criminal-records-checks-overseas

Applying for the job

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

Upload additional documents

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

2026 01 16 Chief Finance & Operations Officer Recrutiment Pack.pdf - 5 MB (opens in new tab)

2026 01 16 Lighthouse Education Trust - Chief Finance & Operations Officer (CFOO) Advert.pdf - 145 KB (opens in new tab)

About Lighthouse School Leeds

• School type: Free School, ages 11 to 19
• School size: 90 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 19
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Lighthouse School Leeds website
• Email address: alicia.wilkinson@lighthouseschool.co.uk
• Phone number: 0113 4570605
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/lighthouse-school-leeds

Lighthouse School in Leeds is a completely unique secondary school. In fact, we are the first of our kind in the country – a specialist free school.

We focus on a ‘destination-led’ approach for our students, who all have a diagnosis of autism (ASC). Our journey so far has been amazing and we are immensely proud of what our students have achieved. We are a ‘Good’ school with aspirations to be ‘Outstanding’ in the near future. We are a happy and vibrant community, where young autistic people learn, flourish and thrive. Currently, we have 93 students on roll aged 11 to 19 years. Students study a range KS3, Level 1/2 and Level 3 qualifications, including BTECs and GCSEs.

Arranging a visit to Lighthouse School Leeds

To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email alicia.wilkinson@lighthouseschool.co.uk.

School location

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