Director, Ark Institute

Location: West London – currently operating an agile working policy with two core days (Mon and Weds) in the office

Contract: Permanent

Pattern: Full Time (standard hours 9am – 5.30pm)

Closing date: Thursday 6^th July at 10am

First stage interviews (tentative): Thursday 13^th July (virtual) - subject to availability

Final stage interviews (tentative): Friday 21^st July (in-person) - subject to availability

Salary: £105k - £120k depending on experience

About the role:

This is an exciting opportunity to build and establish Ark’s Institute, our new centre for professional development. The Institute will be responsible for designing and delivering professional development opportunities that develop all Ark employees to have the greatest possible impact on the welfare and achievement of our students.  

Ark Institute will serve the ~3650 colleagues across the organisation and, as part of our ongoing commitment to sharing our work more widely within the sector, Ark Institute will also be responsible for sharing our programmes nationally and in partnership with our delivery partners.  

We are looking for an exceptional individual to lead this work and drive Ark Institute forward from concept to creation. The Institute Director will provide clear, inspirational leadership to the team and work with them to mobilise and establish a brand and infrastructure so that Ark Institute is set-up for success. 

Key Responsibilities:  

• Work with the Ark Management Team to build out the Ark Institute strategy and ensure it delivers quality professional development that has measurable impact in Ark Schools.
• Work with the People team to ensure that the Ark Institute’s work aligns with and compliments the organisational People priorities to support recruitment and improve employee retention. 
• Own the strategic business plan; lead the development and implementation of strategic objective setting and financial plans. 
• Oversee the branding and launch of Ark Institute to ensure bold presence internally and externally, collaborating with the Ark External Relations team as necessary
• Be accountable for the creation of a high-quality, evidence-backed professional development curriculum and offer for all Ark colleagues, aligned with the educational philosophy and strategic goals of Ark Schools.
• Be accountable for the overall financial health and effective risk management of Ark Institute.

Key Requirements:

• Demonstrable operational leadership experience, underpinned by commercial acumen. 
• Experience of successfully leading a product or programme driven organisation or operation. 
• A proven track record of innovation and developing business opportunities.
• An understanding of both the opportunities and challenges of working in the education sector with a broad understanding of the key issues within large multi-academy trusts.
• Strong communicator and influencer with the interpersonal skills to operate as a compelling ambassador for the organisation.
• Passionate about school-level education and a strong belief that every child can succeed, irrespective of their background.

View the full job description and person specification here

About Ark

We’re an international charity, transforming lives through education. We exist to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life. In the UK, we’re a network of 39 schools, educating around 28,500 pupils in areas where we can make the biggest difference and we’re recognised as one of the highest achieving academy groups in the country. We want to change the lives of children everywhere, not just in our own schools. So, we create and incubate Ventures designed not only to help pupils in Ark schools, but also to improve education systems.

You’ll be joining a group of like-minded, ambitious individuals who work collaboratively and are all committed to our core mission, that every child has the potential to succeed. Having just celebrated our 20^th anniversary, we are shaping our goals for the next 20 and there has never been a more exciting time to join us.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Hybrid working, with currently two days a week in our state-of-the-art office in West London working alongside colleagues
• Regular social events, monthly free breakfast, and daily fruit
• A flexible approach to working with understanding and consideration for work life balance and personal commitments
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to LGPS/TPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests

How to Apply:

Apply with a CV and cover letter on our online recruitment portal. Applications to be submitted by Thursday 6^th July but please note: we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this advert may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response.

This ATS application form should take no longer 20 minutes to complete. At any time, you can pause, save, and log back in. If you have any difficulty with meeting the deadline for application, please contact recruitment@arkonline.org

Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.  

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.