Chief Operating Officer

Shiplake College is a thriving independent co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged 11-18. The College occupies a beautiful 63-acre rural site overlooking the River Thames, located just outside Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire. Shiplake has expanded steadily in recent years, growing from 470 pupils in 2019 to 540 at present and has aspirations to grow further to 600. Co-educational in the Sixth Form since 1998, the College started taking girls in Year 7 in September 2023 and will be fully co-educational by 2027.

The Governors and Headmaster are seeking to appoint a financially astute and commercially driven Chief Operating Officer and Clerk to the Governors (COO) with outstanding leadership abilities. Building upon Shiplake's recent successful growth, this is an exciting opportunity for a strategic visionary to work collaboratively with the Governors, Head and Senior Management Team (SMT) to plan and deliver the College's strategic business plan. With responsibility for the finance, estates, IT, operations, compliance and commercial activities, candidates will be able to demonstrate proven ability in senior leadership and financial control, strategic planning and operational delivery within large complex organisations.

The COO will lead a team of 90 staff and, as a key member of the SMT, will deliver and manage change to ensure the School's financial and commercial success. They will be a visible and empathetic leader with excellent interpersonal and people management skills, capable of inspiring and motivating high-functioning teams. A strong skill set, including finance, strategic planning and execution, and operational delivery, is required. The COO will demonstrate commercial acumen coupled with first-rate analytical and business skills.

Prior experience in the education sector is not a prerequisite, and applications are encouraged from candidates with commercial, charitable, private-sector and public-sector backgrounds. The successful candidate will, however, demonstrate empathy with independent education and a commitment to Shiplake College's ethos and values.

Interested candidates are invited to contact RSAcademics to arrange an informal and confidential discussion about the role:

• Hannah Freestone-Smith:
• Nina Lambert:

For further information about the role and details of how to apply, please visit

Closing date: 10.00am on Monday 27th January 2025.

Shiplake College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Shiplake College is also committed to equality of opportunity for all staff, and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

The safeguarding responsibilities of the role are indicated in the candidate information brochure.

RSAcademics is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and to promoting diversity and inclusion in schools.