Chief Operating Officer

The Laurus Trust, Cheadle, SK8 7JY

24 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 September 2026

• Closing date

  8 June 2026 at 9pm

• Date listed

  15 May 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: £90,000 per annum

Chief Operating Officer job summary

This is an exceptional opportunity for a high-calibre, visible and ambitious leader to drive strategic and operational excellence across a high‑performing Trust and its 13 schools.

Working closely with the Executive team and Trust Board, the COO will play a central role in shaping the Trust’s next phase of development while ensuring robust, efficient and compliant operations. The role oversees communications, estates, operations, compliance and commercial activity, leading a diverse and talented workforce.

For further details on the role, including key skills and experience required, please see the Job Description and Person Specification attached below.

To learn more about what the Trust offer, including our wide range of employee benefits and access to further professional learning, visit our Careers page. At the Laurus Trust, we value the significance of a healthy work/life balance for our employees. Achieving a better balance can boost motivation and morale, lower stress levels, enhance performance and productivity, and make job opportunities more inclusive. Whenever feasible, we are committed to offering flexible arrangements from the very start, which could include options like part-time roles, term-time working, Job-sharing and compressed hours.

Please note a full application must be submitted as CV’s will unfortunately not be accepted in line with our safer recruitment process.

Proposed Interview date: 12th June.

We reserve the right to interview prior to the closing date.

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 The Laurus Trust

• Type: Multi-academy trust
• Website: The Laurus Trust website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/the-laurus-trust

The Laurus Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), committed to providing exceptional academic education to its family of schools across Stockport, Manchester, Tameside, and Cheshire East. Schools under the Laurus Trust consistently achieve outstanding results through a relentless pursuit of excellence and a dedication to student success.

Cheadle Hulme High School is the founding school of the Laurus Trust and was rated ‘Outstanding’ in the school’s last inspection and regularly features in the The Times and The Sunday Times Parent Power listing. The Trust’s commitment to excellence is evident not only at its founding school, but also in the outstanding achievements of Laurus Ryecroft, Laurus Cheadle Hulme, Didsbury High School, and Gorsey Bank Primary School – all receiving the top rating from Ofsted in their most recent inspections.

The Laurus Trust is continually growing, managing a comprehensive network of four primary schools, six high schools, and four established Sixth Forms. Their commitment to growth continues in September 2024 with the opening of Crown Street Primary School, the first new primary school in Manchester City Centre in nearly two decades.

Head office location

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