Advert Details
Location: Regular travel to Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire required
Closing Date: 4 January 2021, 5pm
Interview Date: w/c 11 January 2021
Start Date: as soon as possible
MacIntyre Academies and MacIntyre Care (The MacIntyre Group) are looking for an ambitious leader who will influence the future direction of both organisations. We provide school education, further education and children’s residential services to 500 children and young people who have a learning difficulty and/or autism. You will be ambitious for every child and young person, for the workforce and for yourself. This in turn will ensure that as a Group we thrive, and our reputation as a leader in both specialist education and Children’s Social Care goes from strength to strength.
About Us
MacIntyre Care was set up over 50 years ago by an ambitious father, Ken Newton Wright. Our founder opened MacIntyre’s first school to ensure that disabled children could live and learn in an ambitious, child- centred and nurturing environment. In 2012 the Trustees of MacIntyre Care set up and sponsored MacIntyre Academies, a Multi-Academy Trust enabling us to reach more children through the Academy and Free School agendas. MacIntyre Care and MacIntyre Academies, under the umbrella of The MacIntyre Group, now provides education and care to over 1500 children and adults and employs over 2500 staff and we are proud that despite our size our founder’s ideology lies at the heart of everything we do today. The primary purpose of both organisations that make up the MacIntyre Group is to make a positive contribution to the lives of children, young people and their families.
The education and children’s care provision across the Group includes MacIntyre School, an independent special school in Buckinghamshire, Discovery Academy in Nuneaton, Endeavour Academy in Oxford, Quest Academy in Rugby and Venture Academy in Henley–in–Arden. We have 12 education partnerships across England that delivers alternative further education to over 200 young people as they make the transition to adulthood. Finally, we provide specialist residential care to up to 38 children across three children’s homes and one short break property linked to Endeavour Academy.
The Role
The role of Group Director is a unique one as it straddles two organisations. This has been an intentional step to ensure that there is a singular MacIntyre ethos and approach to the delivery of education and children’s care running through both organisations and to ensure that we achieve excellence across the board.
Reporting to the Chief Executive for MacIntyre Care and accountable to the Board of Directors of MacIntyre Academies Trust (Trust Board) the Group Director of Education and Children’s Services will provide strong and effective strategic leadership across both organisations.
As the Group’s senior executive lead for education and children services you will oversee our plans for growth and development and ensure that operationally we achieve excellence. Having acquired our fourth Academy school, Venture in September 2020 we aim for modest future growth in MacIntyre Academies with a focus on each school achieving a rating of at least Good with Ofsted at their first inspection. Our No Limits further education provision is on a trajectory for 20% year on year growth and our key focus is to ensure that we achieve a standard of teaching and learning that is consistently excellent. There are three children homes associated with our schools and one stand-alone specialist children’s home in St Albans. The Group Director will lead a senior specialist team to ensure that these homes and the two new homes planned deliver high quality care as set out by MacIntyre and the regulator.
You will provide strategic and operational leadership through the direct line management of School Principals, the Operational Head of No Limits and the Operational Head of Children’s Residential Services. Each school has a significant support structure available at school level and both organisations have a substantive central support infrastructure.
There will be the requirement to work closely with both Boards and a number of Trustee subcommittees to ensure that the strategic aims of the Group are delivered effectively and that the MacIntyre ethos and values are upheld at all times. The same oversight will apply to working closely with other stakeholders such as regulators, funders, regional school commissioners and the DfE ensuring that we are compliant with all regulatory and contractual expectations. You will be accountable for the education and children’s services income for the Group (£20m) and ensure that each service manages their budget effectively. As the Accounting Officer for MacIntyre Academies you will ensure that there are robust systems in place so that funds available to the MAT are used properly, efficiently and effectively.
About You
The education and social care sectors will see significant reform over the next few years. The MacIntyre Group is excited about the future and the role that we will play in shaping and influencing this reform at national and local levels. It is important therefore that you feel confident in the contribution that you can make to this vision and in navigating great outcomes for children young people and for the Group during turbulent times.
This is a unique role and you will need to be comfortable working in a complex group structure and have a clear view as to how you will bring an efficiency and effectiveness to the structure.
You will hold a degree level qualification or equivalent and be highly respected within the Educational sector and/or charity sector. With significant senior management experience, you will be commercially astute with a thorough understanding of business planning and development processes and an ability to identify strategic and operational priorities.
You will have an appreciation of the current educational and children’s social care landscape including issues relating to academies and free schools. Knowledge of statutory legislation concerning the protection of children and young people, experience of Children’s social care and the regulatory requirements and experience of residential care is desirable.
An excellent communicator, you will have high levels of resilience and determination and be organised and calm under pressure; inspiring this in others. You will also have strong interpersonal skills establishing relationships quickly across The Group and influencing stakeholders and partners.
A current full driving licence and the flexibility to travel widely as well as locally are required for this post.
Benefits
In return, we can offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement and local government pension scheme, as well as an Employee Assistance Programme to support your health and wellbeing and access to our cycle to work scheme once you’ve completed your probation.
*Salaries are Full-Time Equivalent and are dependent on skills and experience.
Please attach a copy of your CV when you apply on our website
No Recruitment Agencies
“The MacIntyre Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All positions will require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and registration with the DBS Update Service together with all other relevant recruitment checks including obtaining references. Referees will be asked to assess suitability of candidates to work with vulnerable adults, children or young people and will be verbally verified. Our Safeguarding Policies can be found on our websites and candidates will be asked about this as part of the recruitment process.”