Chief Executive Officer

Hales Valley Trust is currently made up of 5 primary schools, based in Dudley in the West Midlands. The communities that we serve encompass stakeholders from both affluent and disadvantaged families, drawn from a wide variety of ethnicities and religious backgrounds.

There is an educational attainment disadvantage in Dudley, with children and young people experiencing deprivation being less likely to be ‘ready’ for school and who leave school without qualifications. As a multi-academy trust, our focus is on improving outcomes for all children, both academic and personal, developing our leadership and governance, improving teaching and learning and establishing strong curriculums that successfully prepare our children for life beyond primary school.

Our ethos is one of inclusivity, promoting an equality of opportunity for every child across the trust so that every child has the ability to succeed and achieve.

The opportunity:

We are looking for a leader who has the vision and ambition to improve the educational outcomes for all children regardless of their background. Could that be you?

As CEO of Hales Valley Trust you will be responsible for leading the executive team of the trust, enabling it and all its schools to deliver success and achievement for the pupils that it serves. Working collaboratively with the board and the executive team, you will contribute to and have responsibility for implementing the strategic framework as agreed by the board.

You will provide high level strategic leadership and management across all aspects of the trust’s activities and you will ensure that the trust provides high quality education for all its pupils through the effective and efficient use of resources and people. You will also represent the trust with a wide range of stakeholders and partners, upholding strong ethics and values at all times.

As accounting officer for the trust, you will also be responsible for ensuring the trust meets its statutory and legal requirements.

These are significant areas of responsibility playing a key role in delivering for the communities that we serve as well as the children in our charge.

To succeed you will need:

• To share our vision of improving outcomes for children, both academic and personal, developing our leadership and governance, improving teaching and learning and establishing strong curriculums that successfully prepare our children for life beyond primary school.
• Extensive experience in education at a senior leadership level ideally in an academy trust environment.
• Experience of business and/or education financial management monitoring and systems.
• The ability to focus on the needs and satisfaction of pupils as the key customers of our trust, setting high standards and expectations for quality of education, monitoring and maintaining those standards and consistently striving to achieve trust goals so that pupils are able to succeed and achieve.
• To motivate and empower others to deliver their best for the pupils in the trust and each other. Be able to take on board feedback and criticism well and invest in feedback opportunities for staff and other stakeholders in order to demonstrate commitment to the continuous professional development of staff in a learning organisation.
• To be a leader who makes a strong personal impression on others and who can gain clear agreement and commitment from others by persuading, convincing and negotiating.
• To be a leader who upholds ethics and values aligned to the trust and the regulatory framework within which the trust operates. You will be able to demonstrate how you have taken organisational and individual responsibility and accountability seriously at all times.
• To be a leader who demonstrates integrity at all times and who promotes and defends equal opportunities for all and demonstrates a commitment to inclusion for staff and pupils.
• To work productively in a high-pressure environment, remaining objective during difficult situations and when faced with difficult decision making.
• To be adaptable to changing circumstances, accepting new ideas and change initiatives as appropriate. You will also be able to adapt your interpersonal style to suit different people or situations.
• To establish good relationships with everyone you encounter, relating well to people at all levels (including pupils) and be able to build a wide and effective network of contacts inside and outside the trust. 

Equal opportunities:

In accordance with our policy on equal opportunities in employment, Hales Valley Trust will provide equal opportunities to any employee or job applicant and will not discriminate either directly or indirectly because of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, or pregnancy and maternity.  Our team is made up of colleagues from diverse backgrounds and our ethos is one of inclusivity, promoting an equality of opportunity for every child and staff member across the Trust.

We include an equal opportunities monitoring form with every application form, the completion of which is completely voluntary. This data helps us to monitor our success against our equal opportunities policy. Please be assured that this information is separated from your application form and the panel involved in shortlisting and selection will not see it.

Safeguarding:

Our Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to necessary pre-employment checks, including: an enhanced DBS; Childcare Disqualification (where applicable); qualifications (where applicable); medical fitness; identity and right to work.  All applicants will be required to provide two suitable references and they are also required to complete our application form. If you struggle to complete the application form or have concerns about the checks involved please contact Racheal Jones, Chief Operations Officer. Rjones@halesvalleytrust.org.uk , 01384 816778.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020).  This means that certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’ and do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account.  Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974 

To find out more

Please download the supporting documents below. If you would like to arrange a confidential informal chat with our Chair of the Board, Mark Simpson, or a visit to our head office or any of our schools prior to applying, please contact Racheal Jones, Chief Operations Officer. Rjones@halesvalleytrust.org.uk  01384 816778.

Please visit www.Halesvalleytrust.org.uk for more information about our Trust.

Key dates:

Closing date: 12 noon on Friday 5^th November 2021

Shortlisting will be concluded by Monday 8th November 2021. As well as interview there will be other assessments included in the selection process. Our aim is to appoint by 17th December 2021.