Head of School Governance

The Head of Governance will report into Director of Governance and Risk. This role is currently operating in the Birmingham region on a permanent basis.

1^st round interviews will be taking place via the phone with 2^nd round interviews taking place in person. All interviews will begin week commencing 6^th September 2025.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so early submissions are advised.

Ark is seeking a highly motivated and experienced governance professional to join our central team as Head of Schools Governance. This is an important role responsible for running, shaping and strengthening governance across the trust, with a particular focus on innovation, development, and specialist governance. Working closely with the Director of Governance and Risk, this role ensures the operational rigour of governance and compliance models across the trust. It leads the design and delivery of frameworks that are both innovative and effective, embedding consistency and transparency in practice.  The role holds oversight of key governance processes—including admissions, complaints handling, and permanent exclusions—ensuring alignment with trust-wide policies and standards. 

In addition, the Head of Governance brings strategic insight to the development of governance solutions, evaluating emerging technologies and translating improvements into practical actions across the network, and enhancing governance effectiveness at a time of rapid change in governance practices and technologies. 

Above all, the successful candidate will be motivated by providing an outstanding quality of governance support and service to schools across Ark—bringing a practical, hands-on approach and a genuine commitment to helping school leaders navigate challenges and deliver the best outcomes for their communities. 

The role also includes leading the trust’s LGB governor recruitment and development strategy, helping to build a diverse, skilled, and engaged governance community. The successful candidate will support the implementation of new governance models and play a central role in evaluating their impact. This includes shared responsibility for governance pilots and innovation, such as the introduction of community councils in selected schools during 2025/26. 

In addition to national responsibilities including occasional travel to Ark’s London Headquarters, the appointed candidate will serve as the key governance point of contact for Birmingham and the Midlands. They will support colleagues in neighbouring regions and occasionally travel to Ark’s London offices. They will also fulfil all aspects of a governance officer role for Midlands schools, including preparing for and servicing local governing body meetings and panel governance including permanent exclusion, supporting governor recruitment and training, ensuring statutory compliance, and acting as a trusted advisor to school leaders and governors. 

The successful candidate must be located within easy reach of Birmingham and will be expected to work from schools for at least two days per week in term-time to support regular school visits and regional engagement. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide expert advice to all schools regarding admissions, exclusions 
• Fulfil all aspects of a governance officer role for Midlands schools, including servicing meetings, supporting recruitment and training, and advising school leaders and governors
• Act as the lead for specialist governance areas, including permanent exclusions, admissions, and complaints handling, ensuring consistency and compliance across all academies
• Design and deliver a comprehensive programme of governor development, with a focus on coaching, capacity-building, and succession planning
• Provide line management to members of the governance team, as required by the structure and operational needs of school governance
• Monitor and report on governance and compliance performance, contributing to trust-wide assurance and improvement processes
• Act as a key point of contact between the central governance team and local governance bodies, with additional responsibilities for Birmingham schools

Key Requirements:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent professional experience
• Strong working knowledge of governance frameworks in education, including statutory and regulatory requirements for academy trusts
• Demonstrable understanding of school governance structures, including schemes of delegation, Articles of Association, and compliance obligations
• Proven ability to interpret and apply relevant legislation, including the Companies Act 2006, Academy Trust Handbook, and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 
• Right to work in the UK
• This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check

• In addition to our current hybrid working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad
•  Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments
• 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
• 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 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

Ark is an education charity that exists to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. Our network of 39 schools reaches traditionally underserved communities in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. We educate 30,000 pupils and have nearly 3,000 teaching staff across our network. We also incubate and scale innovative ventures, which we roll out beyond our network of schools for the benefit of teachers, pupils and the education system as a whole. Current Ventures include Ark Curriculum Plus, which equips teachers with the subject expertise needed to ensure students succeed, and Ark Start, a growing chain of nurseries offering affordable, high-quality early years education.

Recently, Ark moved to new offices at EdCity – a unique not-for-profit development in West London, in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham council. EdCity is designed to bring mission-aligned organisations together to focus on improving the lives of children, especially through education. It offers leased offices, a range of venues for training and events, and an innovation hub for the education sector to connect, collaborate and learn together.