Executive Leader

The Mercian Trust, Walsall, WS1 2PG

23 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  September 2026/ earlier if possible

• Closing date

  23 February 2026 at 9am

• Date listed

  30 January 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Other leadership roles
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time, part time: 32.5
• Contract type: Permanent
• Pay scale: Leadership (TBC Commensurate with Experience and Expertise)

What skills and experience we're looking for

Executive Trust Leader

Can your substantial experience of strategic school improvement deliver improved outcomes across our diverse, ambitious family of schools? Do you thrive working collaboratively alongside leaders in diverse environments to deliver impact?

We are seeking to appoint dynamic and innovative Executive Trust Leaders to increase opportunities and improve outcomes across all twelve of our schools. We are particularly keen to hear from people with recent experience as an Ofsted Inspector or HMI and/or with substantial experience of school improvement at trust level.

If this role looks like a great fit, we strongly encourage you to arrange a telephone conversation before submitting your application. To do so, please contact Lin Koo, Executive PA to the CEO on 01922 211388 Ext. 1211 or email Lin.Koo@merciantrust.org.uk

At The Mercian Trust, we are known for being a forward-thinking, diverse, and inclusive academy trust rooted in our local communities here in the Black Country. This is an exciting opportunity to influence outcomes at scale, working collaboratively with school leaders in line with our Vivid Vision for equitable education to ensure that students have the best outcomes to allow them to move into sustained, ambitious destinations.

As an Executive Trust Leader you will:

• Work with the CEO and other executive leaders to design, develop and implement Trust strategy and Trust-wide development plans.

• Lead by example in the development of skills and professional practice and the long term sustainability of the highest level performance while building resilient staff that protect their own wellbeing and that of colleagues.

• Always execute exemplary leadership and management skills to establish a highly effective Trust that is an employer of choice for teachers, leaders, student-facing support staff and professional services staff.

• Motivate and work with others to promote a positive culture that promotes personal excellence, equality and high expectations of all members of the Trust.

• Utilise your knowledge of school, Trust and sector leadership to contribute to the delivery of our Trust’s missions, Vivid Vision and strategic plan.

• Develop highly effective relationships with other executive leaders and senior leaders in our schools and central teams based on respect and challenge deploying a combination of coaching, mentoring and professional training and support to ensure leaders are supported to deliver our Trust and School mission and Vivid Vision.

• Develop a holistic understanding of the needs of our schools, and provide bespoke and effective support to enable rapid, continuous improvement as a result of professional practice (particularly in your area of responsibility).

• To assist in the identification of the root causes of underperformance working professionally alongside other executive leaders and headteachers.

• Co-design and deliver appropriate priorities for our ‘Trust-response’ strategic school improvement plan / post Ofsted inspection plan as required.

• To build Trust or school capacity to improve and sustain improvements beyond initial action plans / improvement plans.

• To provide regular support and challenge to school leaders to drive improvement in leadership, professional practice and by extension the outcomes for young people in each school.

How to apply

Download our job pack full the full story of our Trust, and all the information you need about thiscrucial role. Please complete the application form, giving us specific information about your experience, your vision, and your impact.

We need applications to be submitted by 9am on Monday 23rd February 2026, with interviews taking place on Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th February 2026.

The Mercian Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment Policies can be found on our website. This position is subject to appropriate vetting procedures including a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) which will require you to disclose details of all unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions as part of the recruitment process.

What the school offers its staff

We are seeking to appoint dynamic and innovative Executive Trust Leaders to increase opportunities and improve outcomes across all twelve of our schools. We are particularly keen to hear from people with recent experience as an Ofsted Inspector or HMI and/or with substantial experience of school improvement at trust level.

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

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.

Executive Trust Leader - Job Pack - January 2026 2.pdf - 2.78 MB (opens in new tab)

About The Mercian Trust

• Type: Multi-academy trust
• Website: The Mercian Trust website
• Email address: lottie.fellows@merciantrust.org.uk
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/the-mercian-trust

The Mercian Trust is one of the largest regional Trusts in the West Midlands with 9 schools and more than 9,600 students.

We are growing in size and influence, and we are committed to driving social mobility for all our students in the communities we serve through increasing opportunities and improving outcomes. We have stated our commitment to becoming and employer of choice, for leaders, teachers, student support staff and our business professional services staff in whichever school or central team they work.

Head office location

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