Job Description

Ventures Interim Chief Operating Officer

Reports to: Deputy Chief Executive Officer

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

Contract: Fixed term (to 31^st August 2023)

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

Closing date: 13/03/2023 at 10am

Interviews: Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified

Salary: £80,000 to £90,000 (depending on experience)

Introduction:

We are looking for Ark Venture’s first Chief Operating Officer. This exciting new role will be integral to the growth of the Ark Venture’s team and to the successful delivery of strategic and operational support to a range of new and existing ventures.

You will be a proven leader who is ready to wear many hats and help guide an ambitious and mission-driven team through a period of exciting growth while also supporting partner ventures tackling challenges facing children and young people.

As a core member of the team, you will report directly to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Ark and work alongside the Ventures team, leaders of our ventures, the Ark Central Teams and external providers.

As a fast-growing team at an exciting inflection point, there is a lot of scope for you to positively influence our work and the success of our ventures. This role is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is passionate about improving social mobility and tackling educational inequality.

About the role:

The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for all aspects of business planning, financial management and operations (including co-working office space, IT, HR, quality assurance, governance, and risk management) for Ark Ventures.

The Chief Operating Officer will ensure ventures that we are developing, supporting, and funding benefit from operational leadership and support and appropriate financial and governance oversight.

As well as ensuring that practical operational arrangements are in place, you will create the conditions that help a growing team and an expanding portfolio of ventures to operate effectively and to focus on their mission, vision, and values.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the Deputy Chief Executive Officer to identify how the organisation needs to evolve in order to remain distinctive and continue to achieve its mission
• Oversee strategy review processes, developing recommendations on any changes to the team’s operating model
• Be accountable for ensuring that all business support operations including HR, IT, data systems, training and administration are performing efficiently and effectively
• Lead on the implementation of new information systems, including CRM and time recording, which will support future growth
• Have a clear understanding of the team’s financial situation and leading on the production of timely management accounts, reporting, and forecasting to support decision-making
• Lead the annual budget-setting process, engaging team and functional areas and ensuring the budget process is efficient and well-managed
• Provide accurate and timely reporting to the relevant governance groups and boards
• Ensure Ark Ventures meets all statutory requirements, including charity commission, HMRC and ICO
• Act as the first point of contact for our ventures in respect of operational and financial support

Key Requirements:

• Experience of overseeing the operations of a limited company or charity including finance, technology, human resources and governance
• Experience of developing and interpreting a strategic vision into an operational model
• Experience of leading high-performing cross-functional teams
• Strong analytical and financial skills and the ability to quickly assimilate and interpret financial and non-financial data and turn it into strategic advice
• Experience of having worked with IT staff to develop and implement effective processes and systems
• An experienced and confident senior leader with a proven ability to lead and implement change effectively and sustainably
• Ability to probe, challenge and question appropriately and strive for continual improvement with the confidence and experience to make commercial judgements

View the full job description and person specification here

About Ark

We’re an international charity, transforming lives through education. Our network of 39 schools in the UK achieves great results for young people, and some of our schools are among the best in the country. The ventures that we develop and support are tackling some of the most challenging problems facing young people, both in the UK and around the world.

Many of these ideas start in Ark schools. Others come from innovators and partners outside of Ark. But they all share the ambition to address some of the most intractable issues in education and society and they all have the potential to deliver widespread system change.

Ark Ventures works to overcome the some of the barriers which prevent social issues being addressed at real scale. We provide ventures with bespoke support which includes expertise, access to funding, operational support and networks. The ventures we support are not-for-profit, but develop business models which are financially sustainable in the long term.

Our present group of ventures are broad in their ambition. They include Ark Curriculum Plus, which seeks to transform student achievement through unique curriculum and teacher development programmes; EdCity, an innovative education hub where we will bring together mission-aligned organisations in shared office space alongside a school and other child and adult education provision; and Little Village, which aims to provide support to early years children and their families in the form of a Baby Bank.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service and 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
• 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 

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.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 80,000 - 100,000.

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