Chief Financial Officer

St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, Luton, LU4 0PF

35 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  01/09/2026 (earlier or later start date possible by agreement)

• Closing date

  10 June 2026 at 5pm

• Date listed

  6 May 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Administration, HR, data and finance
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £90,000.00 - £110,000.00 Annually (Actual) Appointment above the range may be considered in exceptional circumstances, subject to further benchmarking and Board approval

Chief Financial Officer job summary

St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust is a family of Catholic schools serving communities across Luton, Central Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Slough.

Our mission is clear: ‘The glory of God is a human being fully alive.’

We are committed to ensuring that every child flourishes — academically, spiritually and personally — through high-quality education rooted in faith, hope and love.

The Chief Financial Officer is a key member of the Trust’s Executive Leadership Team and will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer to secure the financial strength and sustainability of the Trust.

This role carries significant responsibility for the strategic leadership of financial planning, resource allocation, risk management across the Trust and managing the Central Finance Team, while ensuring that our schools are well-supported today, and sustainable and thriving for the future.

Given the sector challenges we face this role is critical to maintaining our core purpose — delivering excellent Catholic education and ensuring that our schools are places of choice for the communities we serve.

This is an exciting opportunity for a high-calibre professional to join a growing, ambitious and high performing multi-academy trust.

We are seeking someone who is:

• A values-driven, professionally qualified finance leader with a strong commitment to our mission
• An experienced strategic thinker, with a proven track record of leading significant financial planning, reporting and control
• Able to translate complex financial information into clear, purposeful decision-making
• A collaborative and collegiate leader, able to work effectively across a wide range of stakeholders
• A confident communicator, with the ability to influence and build strong relationships

Whilst the successful candidate need not be Catholic, they must show a commitment to supporting the Catholic ethos of the trust.

For more information about this attractive role, or for an informal discussion, please contact our retained consultants at Peridot Partners: Eddie Caviezel Cox, Mobile:07951 920 768; or Kellie Gordon, Mobile: 07506 742 056.

If it would assist you in your decision making, informal discussions with the Trust Chair, George Brzyski and/or the CEO, Mark McLaughlin, may also be arranged by Maxine Gilmartin, telephone 01582 361601/mgilmartin@stcat.co.uk

• Closing date for application: Wednesday 10 June 2026, 5 pm
• Longlisting date: Monday 15 June 2026
• Interview dates: Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 June 2026

To apply for this role, please contact:

• Eddie Caviezel Cox - Email: eddiec@peridotpartners.co.uk - Mobile 07951 920 768; or
• Kellie Gordon - Email: kellie@peridotpartners.co.uk - Mobile 07506 742 056

Application Instructions

All candidates are encouraged to review the candidate information pack which contains the Job Description and Person Specification for this role. Please complete the online application form, including a personal statement (maximum two sides of A4) outlining how you meet the criteria. CV’s alone will not be accepted.

St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, Pupil’s Barred List check, pre-employment medical questionnaire, satisfactory reference checks and other pre-employment checks which may include psychometric assessment and social media screening.

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 St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust

• Type: Multi-academy trust
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/st-thomas-catholic-academies-trust

The directors of St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust (STCAT), are seeking a new Chief Executive Officer (Strategic Executive Leader) to build upon the excellent foundations already in place.

STCAT was formed with eight schools in 2020, and the planned expectation is that three more Diocesan schools in Luton and Slough will join in the near future to form a Trust of twenty schools.

Our new CEO (SEL) will have a strong track record and demonstrable leadership skills, as well as the drive and passion to take on this exceptional opportunity to lead STCAT and its schools in the next stage of the journey.

We hope you find the attached candidate information pack useful in understanding our Trust and the position of CEO (SEL), and encourages you to get in touch to find out more.

To have a confidential conversation about the position please contact our retained consultant Ross Laird at Academicis on 07901 585959 or via email at rlaird@academicis.co.uk.

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