Chief Operating Officer
Shiplake College
Oxfordshire
- New
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Apply by:
- 27 January 2025
Job overview
Shiplake College is a thriving independent co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged 11 -18. The College occupies a beautiful 63-acre rural site overlooking the River Thames, located just outside Henley-on-Thames, in South Oxfordshire. Shiplake has expanded steadily in recent years, growing from 470 pupils in 2019 to 540 at present and has aspirations to grow further to 600. Co-educational in the Sixth Form since 1998, the College started taking girls in Year 7 in September 2023 and will be fully co-educational by 2027.
The Governors and Headmaster are seeking to appoint a financially astute and commercially driven Chief Operating Officer and Clerk to the Governors (COO) with outstanding leadership abilities. Building upon Shiplake’s recent successful growth, this is an exciting opportunity for a strategic visionary to work collaboratively with the Governors, Head and Senior Management Team (SMT) to plan and deliver the College’s strategic business plan. With responsibility for the finance, estates, IT, operations, compliance and commercial activities, candidates will be able to demonstrate proven ability in senior leadership and financial control, strategic planning and operational delivery within large complex organisations.
The COO will lead a team of 90 staff and as a key member of the SMT, will deliver and manage change to ensure the School’s financial and commercial success. They will be a visible and empathetic leader with excellent interpersonal and people-management skills, capable of inspiring and motivating high functioning teams. A strong skill set including finance, strategic planning and execution, and operational delivery is required. The COO will demonstrate commercial acumen, coupled with first-rate analytical and business skills.
Prior experience in the education sector is not a prerequisite and applications are encouraged from candidates with commercial, charitable, private-sector and public-sector backgrounds. The successful candidate will, however, demonstrate empathy with independent education and commitment to Shiplake College’s ethos and values.
For further information about the role and details of how to apply, please visit www.rsacademics.com/current-vacancies/shiplake-college-coo/
Interested candidates are invited to contact RSAcademics to arrange an informal and confidential discussion about the role:
Hannah Freestone-Smith: hannahfreestone-smith@rsacademics.com Nina Lambert: ninalambert@rsacademics.com
The closing date for applications is 10.00am on Monday 27 January 2025.
Shiplake College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Shiplake College is also committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.
The safeguarding responsibilities of the role are indicated in the candidate information.
RSAcademics is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and to promoting diversity and inclusion in schools.
Attached documents
About Shiplake College
Shiplake College is a thriving and relatively young HMC school. It caters for boarding and day pupils aged 11-18. There has been a co-educational Sixth Form since 1998 and since September 2023 girls have joined Year 7 as the College goes fully co-educational. In September 2024 it welcomed a record 540 pupils to the school.
Overlooking the River Thames, two miles upstream of the famous Henley Royal Regatta stretch, pupils enjoy a beautiful and inspiring 63-acre rural site. The College is conveniently located near major air, railway and motorway networks, close to Reading, London and Oxford and just 40 minutes from Heathrow. Full, weekly and flexi-boarding is available from Year 9, with ad hoc ‘overnight stays’ also an option for day pupils.
Every pupil is placed at the heart of Shiplake life and the College’s ethos is underpinned by the three Is – Inclusive, Individual and Inspirational.
Shiplake provides a friendly, supportive and structured environment to bring out the best in each and every pupil. Renowned for outstanding pastoral care and personal development, the College welcomes pupils with wide-ranging skills and talents, who will make the most of the many opportunities offered to them. The College provides an education that is tailored to the individual, achieved through engaging and inspirational teaching, delivered in small classes where the teachers can know and understand each pupil’s method of learning.
Headmaster
Tyrone Howe
Values and Vision
Shiplake College understands the importance of not just an all-round education, but an education that offers specific skills needed in the modern job market to help students progress successfully after leaving. The admissions policy aims to identify potential students with a wide range of talents, to ensure a learning environment that offers the highest chance of success.
Our mixture of boarders and day pupils form a vibrant and busy community, where every day brings fresh challenges and new opportunities. At Shiplake, the passionate teaching and support staff make the energetic and dynamic boarding school a welcoming place in which to work. A rich and inspiringly-taught curriculum creates an environment where personal values and a strong work ethic can develop. This is underpinned by the finest pastoral care, and pupils are encouraged to participate in co-curricular pursuits such as sports, musical ensembles, drama productions or community service, which is as vital for personal development as classroom-based teaching. Taking a holistic approach to education is key to working at Shiplake; supporting our pupils in their endeavours and embracing the lifestyle at this busy and vibrant boarding school is paramount for anyone working here.
Pupils will leave Shiplake College well-shaped socially and academically, thanks to the structured and supportive nature of the school. Promoting Christian values, teachers encourage every pupil to respect their peers by exercising tolerance, compassion and humility.
Working at Shiplake College
As well as providing a fantastic learning and living environment for young people, Shiplake offers an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding working environment.
We strive to recruit the best possible teaching and support staff to drive the College forwards and ensure we continue to provide the best possible rounded education for our pupils.
For all teaching appointments, a willingness to participate in the varied extra-curricular life of a busy boarding and day school is essential. Shiplake has a contributory pension scheme (TPS or alternative option for support staff) and its own salary scale. Accommodation may be available on site and further paid responsibilities may also be available. Excellence in the classroom and an ability to inspire young people are paramount and non-negotiable.
Shiplake College offers a beautiful working environment, supportive colleagues and all staff enjoy a free lunch and evening meal if on duty. In addition, staff are encouraged to make use of the onsite gym facilities, open air swimming (during summer months), and join a variety of staff teams such as football, touch rugby and cricket.
ISI Report
In its ISI Inspection in May 2022, Shiplake College achieved full compliance and the top category of EXCELLENT in both “the quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements” and “the quality of the pupils’ personal development”.
Please note that you are wholly responsible for fact checking in respect of the information provided by schools. Please also check for the latest visa and work permit requirements that may apply. Tes is not responsible for the content of advertisements or the policies adopted by advertising schools. Tes asks that all schools follow Tes' Fair Recruitment Policy.