Location: Remote with significant UK-based activity such as DfE and sector engagement.

The CEO will be responsible for the overall leadership, performance and sustainability of CES. Working with the Board of Trustees and senior executive team, they will:

• execute against the organisation’s strategy and mission,
• oversee its programme of research, policy engagement and impact,
• ensure effective financial and operational management,
• sustain regular income through fundraising.

Key responsibilities

• Lead a matrix structure that can include the core executive team as well as temporary research associates, assistants and academic partners.
• Secure and diversify income through fundraising, partnerships, and grant applications.
• Work with the CRO to oversee CES’s research portfolio.
• Nurture relationships with ministers and civil servants, other education research organisations, funders or potential funders, and the wider policy ecosystem.
• Act as spokesperson for CES in the media.
• Maintain strong financial oversight, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting and accountability to trustees and funders.

Person specification

Essential

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex research and policy issues clearly to different audiences.
• An understanding of how education policy is developed in the UK.
• Proven people-management experience, a willingness to deal with a matrix personnel structure and able to accommodate contractors and partners with other commitments.
• Experience with fundraising for a charitable or not-for-profit organisation, or a willingness to upskill in this area.
• Experience of managing budgets and interpreting financial information.

Desirable

• Experience of policy stakeholder engagement or public affairs.
• An understanding of research practices and methodologies, particularly in relation to public policy analysis and comparative case study methods.
• An established and relevant network of contacts across the UK education ecosystem.
• Experience of leading a research, policy, education or charitable organisation.