Chief Finance & Operating Officer

The Company is seeking a Chief Finance and Operating Officer to join its Executive Committee and play a pivotal role in shaping the organization's future. The successful candidate will be a strategic, collaborative, and highly credible leader with a recognized financial qualification and/or substantial experience in leading a finance function. Responsibilities include providing strategic input, leading a diverse corporate services team, and ensuring the stewardship of public funds. The role demands an individual with a proven track record in building and leading high-performing teams, delivering complex change programs, and offering clear, confident advice on financial and organizational matters. Strong operational leadership, the ability to balance immediate priorities with long-term objectives, and experience in a senior role within a complex organization, such as the public sector or a regulatory environment, are highly valued. Applicants for the Chief Finance and Operating Officer position at the company should be outstanding communicators and relationship builders, comfortable engaging with senior stakeholders across government, the higher education sector, and the wider public sphere. The role requires a leader who is ambitious, collaborative, vigilant, and vocal, and who can ensure that the organization has the capabilities, systems, and operating model necessary to deliver its regulatory objectives effectively and efficiently. The CFOO will work closely with the Board, government departments, and sector stakeholders, and must be prepared to make a tangible difference to the long-term future of the higher education sector. The position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the regulatory standards and support a diverse and independent higher education sector in England.