Chief Operating Officer

Overview

The King’s School Canterbury is a co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 3–18, widely regarded as the oldest school in the world. With origins dating back to 597 AD, King’s blends tradition and innovation, combining deep tradition with a modern and outward-looking perspective. Today King’s Canterbury is a group of three schools in Canterbury, with expanding international presence through partner schools in China, Cambodia, Egypt and India.

Known for academic ambition, rich co-curricular life and exceptional pastoral care, King’s continues to evolve while remaining rooted in its historic Cathedral Precincts and extensive estate across the city.

Following the retirement of Mark Taylor as Bursar, the School is now seeking an exceptional Chief Operating Officer to help lead its next phase of development at a time of continued growth and increasing organisational complexity. Reporting to the Head and working closely with Governors and senior leaders, the COO will provide strategic leadership across professional services, shaping a coherent shared services model that supports the Group’s ambitions and ensures excellent day to day operational delivery.

The COO will oversee a broad portfolio including estates and capital development, domestic services, catering, HR, IT and digital strategy, health and safety, compliance, security, and the School’s major shared services. They will steward a substantial and historically significant estate, ensure the resilience of systems and infrastructure, and lead large and diverse teams delivering services essential to the life of a leading boarding school.

• Provide strategic leadership across professional services and shape a coherent shared services model that supports the Group’s ambitions and operational delivery.
• Oversee estates and capital development, domestic services, catering, HR, IT and digital strategy, health and safety, compliance, security, and the School’s major shared services.
• Steward a substantial and historically significant estate, ensure the resilience of systems and infrastructure, and lead large and diverse teams delivering essential services to the life of a leading boarding school.

• Experienced operational leader with a track record of managing complex, multi-site or multi-disciplinary organisations.
• Ability to combine strategic insight with the ability to engage confidently with operational detail.
• Strong organisational and financial acumen, and the ability to lead teams through change with clarity and purpose.
• A genuine affinity with the values of King’s and its educational purpose.

Further information on The King’s Canterbury can be found via the school’s website –

A CV and covering letter should be submitted by Monday 20 April at 09:00 GMT.

The King’s School Canterbury is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.