What skills and experience we're looking for
The Director of Finance is a key appointment for EAST and will fulfil the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) role as required by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (Department for Education from March 2025), with overall strategic responsibility for financial management, providing technical leadership and support in all accounting matters across the whole Trust.
The successful applicant will be a dynamic individual who understands what constitutes effective and high-quality leadership. They will be approachable and enthusiastic with a strong understanding of how effective financial and business leadership is essential for a multi-academy trust. The ability to work with other leaders to ensure that expertise is valued and utilised across EAST will be essential. We will be keen to explore with how driven applicants are to improve educational outcomes and life chances for young people through this crucial role. Our future Director of Finance will have a proven record of strategic leadership and people management, along with the ability to drive improvements.
This role presents many opportunities for an ambitious, experienced professional to lead and shape a wide range of services across our schools, as well as to contributing to the development of the wider organisation and our growth.
Although not limited to these sectors, we would welcome applicants who come from a commercial, corporate, or educational background. It is essential that applicants have a resonance with our vision alongside relevant expertise and experience. The ability to be diligent, have a ‘can-do’ mind-set and shape systems to drive quality for our Trust/Schools is essential. Working collaboratively and translating vision and strategy into operational requirements are fundamental to the role.
What the school offers its staff
East Anglian Schools’ Trust (EAST) has an exciting opportunity to join our forward-thinking and growing Trust as we seek to appoint to the post of Director of Finance. We are looking to appoint an inspirational professional to lead the financial business across EAST. With excellent, comprehensive schools across all phases, and a reflective culture that places our four cornerstones of learning, inclusivity, opportunity and community at our foundations, we are extremely proud of our progressive Trust.
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.