Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Location Portico House, 59 Ronald Hill Grove, Leigh on Sea, SS9 2JB

Salary £130,000 - £145,000, depending on experience

Hours of work This is a permanent, full-time, year-round position.

Your contractual hours of work are 37 hours per week, to be worked Monday to Friday, excluding an unpaid lunch break. Your normal working hours will fall within the Trust's core operating hours of 8:00am to 5:00pm. However, due to the nature of the role, a degree of flexibility is required. You may therefore be required to work outside these hours, including attending meetings, undertaking duties during evenings, and working occasional weekends where necessary to meet the operational needs of the Trust.

Your annual leave entitlement is 23 days per annum, in addition to the 8 statutory bank holidays. Annual leave must be taken during school closure periods, subject to the Trust's leave approval procedures.

Start Date 1st September 2027

Terms and Conditions The terms and conditions of employment for this post will be aligned with those applicable to the Trust’s support staff and Executive Leadership Team (ELT), rather than teacher terms and conditions. The post will have membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

The Trust

Portico Academy Trust is seeking an inspirational and ambitious Chief Executive Officer to lead the Trust through its next stage of development and growth.

As primary specialists, we believe that every child deserves the very best education, every day and in every lesson, whatever their background or circumstances. Our schools work closely together, sharing expertise, best practice and ideas while creating supportive communities in which children, staff and families can flourish.

The Role

Reporting directly to the Board of Trustees, you will provide strategic, educational and organisational leadership across the Trust and serve as its Accounting Officer. You will ensure that excellent teaching, strong leadership and the best possible outcomes for children remain at the heart of the Trust's work.

We are looking for a leader who shares our belief that learning is the key to every child's future; someone who will embrace challenge, encourage creativity and ensure that respect remains fundamental to the way we work.

You will lead a Trust with high aspirations for its children and its people. Our aims include narrowing gaps in attainment, reducing inequalities and empowering every pupil to fulfil their potential, regardless of their social, economic or cultural background. We want each of our academies to be recognised as a centre of learning excellence, sharing strong practice both within and beyond the Trust.

We want Portico to be an employer of choice, where colleagues are supported to develop, succeed and make a difference. As CEO, you will create the conditions in which talented people and teams can thrive.

As our CEO, you will:

Put children and learning first, ensuring educational excellence and continuous improvement remain at the heart of the Trust.
Set a strategic direction, translating Portico's vision and values into clear priorities and measurable impact across our academies.
Develop exceptional leaders and teams, building capacity, talent and effective succession planning across the Trust.
Create a great place to work, supporting our ambition to become an employer of choice through a positive, respectful and high-performing culture.
Support school leaders to drive school improvement, maintaining rigorous quality assurance and high standards of education, safeguarding, behaviour and pupil achievement.
Secure the Trust's future, providing strong financial and operational leadership and, as Accounting Officer, ensuring resources are used effectively and responsibly.
Work in partnership, building trusted and productive relationships with Trustees, Members, academy leaders, parents, communities and key external stakeholders.
Be a visible champion for Portico, modelling our values and promoting collaboration, mutual respect and ambition across the organisation.

The person we are looking for

You will be an experienced and credible senior leader with a strong track record of leading people, improving outcomes and successfully navigating organisational change and development.

You will combine educational credibility with strategic thinking, sound financial judgement and the ability to build trusted relationships at every level. Just as importantly, you will understand that successful Trust leadership is about creating the conditions in which children, staff and schools can thrive together.

We are looking for someone who can balance ambition with collaboration; who will protect what is special about our schools while continuing to raise expectations; and who is excited by the opportunity to shape the future of Portico Academy Trust.

If you share our vision and values and have the ambition, credibility and commitment to lead Portico into its next chapter, we would be delighted to hear from you. Further information about the role can be found in the Job Description and Person Specification. To find out more about our Trust and schools, please visit our Trust website at https://www.porticoacademytrust.co.uk or access via the MyNewTerm links below.

Interested candidates are welcome to have an informal conversation with the Chair of Trustees before applying. Please contact Rebecca Sanderson at recruitment@porticoacademytrust.co.uk to arrange a call.

For further details, please contact HR via MyNewTerm, telephone 01702 987890 or email recruitment@porticoacademytrust.co.uk.

To apply and ensure your application is fully considered, please complete your submission through the following link on MyNewTerm:

Apply here: https://mynewterm.com/jobs/16070/EDV-2026-PAT-05393

Closing Date

31st December 2026

Interview Date

January 2027 – interview dates to be confirmed.

We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications or are able to fill the position sooner than originally anticipated.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to an enhanced DBS check and shortlisted candidates should be aware that the Trust may carry out online searches as part of the due diligence process.

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