Schools need support now, more than ever. Strong leadership at board level is required to navigate the challenges they face. Anthem seeks two senior leaders with governance experience to join its board.

The Academy Ambassadors programme brings the expertise of the business world onto boards at single-academy and multi-academy trusts (SATs and MATs). Academy trusts exist to improve the outcomes of young people; at the highest levels of governance, they need highly skilled individuals with a variety of experiences to hold executive leadership teams to account. Insights from a wide-range of backgrounds ensure that boards are able to make informed choices on decisions that impact the lives of children and staff.

The Academy Ambassadors Programme is funded by the Department for Education, to match senior business leaders with academy trusts looking to strengthen their boards. By working together, inspirational educationalists and talented business leaders can provide a better future for the next generation.

The opportunity

Anthem is a long-established multi-academy trust with a national footprint and the highest of ambitions. Having grown rapidly initially, it went through a period of consolidation and is now planning its strategy for potential further expansion. Talented candidates with a passion for education, strong experience in collaborative team working and an understanding of broader corporate governance are encouraged to apply. Board meetings are held remotely at present but may well move to a hybrid approach of being online and in-person when safe to do so. Meetings are planned well in advance and tend to be during the normal working day. While the trust's central operations are in Reading, candidates may be situated near to any of the trust's schools in Reading, Oxfordshire, the London area (Brent, Camden, Southwark and Merton) Lincolnshire, Dunstable and Derby.

The board seeks two senior leaders with board level experience in

* strategic leadership and
* corporate/charity governance

As a key member of the board you will support the trust in achieving the following over the next 12 - 24 months:

1 Continued school improvement so that all schools have an Ofsted rating of 'Good' to 'Outstanding' on a consistent basis and ensuring the curriculum is broad, balanced, ambitious and challenging;
2 Developing people at all levels to ensure the team are well-motivated and high performing;
3 Strategic growth - further develop the Anthem culture and expand the network of schools whilst maximising resources available for all schools.

What's involved?

Board governance in education is a strategic, 'eyes on, hands off' commitment which typically involves attending c. six board meetings per year/8 hours' time per month.

You will be responsible for:

* Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
* Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and
* Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent

As an Academy Ambassador, you will join our ambassador network which provides resources, guidance, networking events and webinars to support you in your role.

All roles are pro bono.

People from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

What next?

Please register your interest now to be considered for the role.

When you select the option to Apply you will be redirected to the Academy Ambassadors webpage where you will find a full role specification with more details of the opportunity and the trust, including details of how to apply for the position.

Please be aware the closing date may change if we have received sufficient applications.