Business & Commercial Director

Kingsley School is looking for something rather different from a traditional Finance Director.

We are seeking an outstanding Business & Commercial Director who combines excellent financial leadership with commercial instinct, entrepreneurial thinking and the ambition to help make Kingsley an even stronger and more sustainable organisation.

You will join our Senior Leadership Team, report directly to the Headteacher and work closely with the School's owners and Governors.

You will lead our Finance Team and ensure the School maintains excellent financial management, reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow management and financial controls.

But we don't simply want somebody who can tell us how the School has performed financially.

We want someone who can help determine how the School performs financially in the future.

A school full of opportunity

Kingsley is an independent co-educational day and boarding school for pupils from Nursery to Sixth Form in Bideford, North Devon.

We occupy a remarkable location close to the Atlantic coast, within the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere and minutes from the North Devon World Surfing Reserve.

Our environment is integral to our educational philosophy.

Alongside strong academic ambition, Kingsley offers an exceptionally broad education encompassing sport, outdoor and coastal education, performing arts, sustainability and environmental education, STEM and a growing range of external partnerships.

Our campus and educational provision include extensive sporting facilities, boarding accommodation, catering and hospitality infrastructure, performing arts facilities, environmental programmes and considerable specialist expertise.

We believe there is significant potential to make these assets work harder for the School.

That's where you come in.

We want our Business & Commercial Director to look at Kingsley with fresh eyes and ask:

What opportunities are we missing?

Where could we generate additional sustainable income?

How can our facilities and assets be better utilised?

Are we getting the best commercial return from our expenditure?

Which investments will generate the greatest return?

How can better financial analysis help us make better strategic decisions?

You will take the lead in developing a commercial strategy for Kingsley and identifying opportunities to grow sustainable non-fee income.

That might involve sports and facility hire, holiday camps and academies, residential programmes, international summer schools, use of boarding accommodation outside normal School requirements, conferences and events, hospitality, sponsorship, partnerships, environmental programmes or opportunities we haven't yet identified.

We don't expect every idea to work.

We expect you to know how to determine which ones will.

Understanding our core business

You will also help us develop a more sophisticated understanding of the economics of the School itself.

Working with Admissions, Marketing and senior academic leaders, you will provide analysis around pupil numbers, capacity, fee strategy, scholarships and bursaries, boarding occupancy, international recruitment, staffing, retention and the marginal contribution of growth.

Working alongside our Operations Manager, you will bring commercial scrutiny to procurement, contracts and major expenditure while helping to maximise the return from our estate and facilities.

And when Kingsley considers a significant investment or new initiative, you will ensure we have a robust business case covering investment, revenue, operating cost, cash impact, payback and risk.

Who might you be?

Perhaps you already work in education.

Perhaps you've never considered it.

Either is fine.

You could currently be a Finance Director, Commercial Finance Director, Head of Finance, Financial Controller, Finance Business Partner, Commercial Manager or Business Manager.

You might work in hospitality, hotels, leisure, sport, tourism, visitor attractions, property, professional services, a charity with significant trading operations or a successful regional business.

A professional accountancy qualification would be highly desirable.

But qualifications alone aren't what will make someone successful at Kingsley.

We are looking for someone who understands the numbers and knows what to do with them.

Someone commercially curious.

Someone who sees opportunity.

Someone prepared to challenge.

Someone who can move comfortably from a detailed cash-flow forecast to a Board-level strategy discussion and then to negotiating a better commercial agreement.

And, importantly, someone who can turn ideas into action.

Success will be measurable

We expect this appointment to make a tangible contribution to Kingsley's financial performance.

Annual performance objectives will therefore include measurable financial and commercial targets around areas such as operating performance, EBITDA and cash, forecasting, debt management, procurement savings, growth in sustainable non-fee income, asset utilisation and delivery of agreed commercial initiatives.

For the right candidate, there is potential to agree an element of performance-related remuneration linked to the achievement of clearly defined financial and commercial objectives.

Why Kingsley?

Our guiding principle is:

Putting Students First.

Ultimately, that is what this position is about.

A financially stronger Kingsley can invest more confidently in its pupils, people, facilities and educational provision.

This isn't about turning Kingsley into something it isn't.

It's about combining our educational ambition with the commercial strength necessary to sustain it.

If that challenge excites you, we'd like to meet you.

Salary: £62,000–£75,000 per annum, depending on experience
Potential performance-related bonus
Full-time | Permanent | Year-round
Based at Kingsley School, Bideford, North Devon

Experience within education is not essential.