Chief operating officer Jobs in Kent, WA

Working pattern :

Full-time, year-round

Pay Scale :

Leadership Scale £91,158 - £100,540 (L24 – L28)

Location :

Office based (Tunbridge Wells), with work in schools and some flexibility to work from home

Closing date :

12 : 00 on 24 November 2025

About the role

Following the retirement of our current CFOO, we are able to offer this unique opportunity to shape the work of our trust. You will have a wide remit, that will directly impact on the educational outcomes of pupils and students.

You will develop our shared services models, in pursuit of excellence, so teachers can teach and school leaders can lead in their areas of expertise. Our ambition to be more aligned and intentional in our operations, is central to our mission to raise standards.

You will be the most senior non-educationalist in the Trust. You will drive our work to be more effective and efficient, lead our People Strategy and plan for and lead our drive to be more data informed and automated.

What we are looking for

We are looking for an experienced senior leader with a track record of strategic finance and organisational planning in complex, multi-site environments.

You will be able to see the big picture, whilst retaining an eye for detail. You will be able lead the work of others, installing a customer service mentality and high standards across our shared services. You will be excited by the prospect of organisational change and have the knowledge and skills to manage this effectively.

You will see opportunity, where others do not. You will see logical systems and processes across domains, where others see that things are working ‘for them’. You will say ‘we can and we will’, while others explore perceived barriers.

About Tenax Schools Trust

We are relatively small Church of England trust with big ambitions. We serve both the Diocese of Rochester and Chichester. We are proud to have a community school among the family of one secondary and seven primary schools. We have Diocesan consent for another local primary school to join us. Our work is enriched further through the work of the ‘Hub’; which comprises both the Kent Teaching School Hub (KTSH) and Teach Kent and Sussex (TK&S). As one of DfEs designated teaching school hubs we have a wide remit to train teachers, support new teachers and develop leaders through the NPQ programmes.

Trust central staff are based at our secondary school, Bennett Memorial Diocesan School in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

We are a values driven organisation. How we do things matters. We are an ambitious organisation at an inflection point. Your work and its positive impact will transform the non-education spheres of our work.

Leaders at Tenax Schools Trust share a commitment to each other as well as the organisation, providing a supportive culture.

Our Commitment

Tenax Schools Trust is committed to safeguarding, safer recruitment and promoting the welfare of pupils and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Our comprehensive recruitment and selection processes aim to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants. Successful candidates are subject to rigorous pre-employment checks.

We are equally committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity. We aim for our workforce to be representative of society and that each employee feels respected and able to give their best. We are committed to providing equality and fairness in our recruitment and employment practices and not to discriminate on any grounds. We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.

How to find out more and apply

For more information and an application form, please visit our microsite at https : / / careers.tenaxschoolstrust.co.uk /

We invite prospective candidates to arrange an informal discussion about the role and the Trust with Mark Cole, CEO – details on the microsite.

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