Dear Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in becoming the Executive Director, Finance and Performance at Teach First.
Teach First is a movement of leaders committed to ending educational inequality. We train and support brilliant teachers in some of our most disadvantaged communities, and develop and inspire them to become changemakers – Ambassadors – in schools and wider society. What started as an innovation in London 20 years ago has now become a national movement for change. By the summer of 2025, we will have recruited, trained and placed 20,000 talented teachers. As a Teach First Ambassador myself, I know the impact the charity has on participants in its programmes, and most importantly, on the children we serve.
That same impact drives us. Today, over a quarter of teachers starting teacher training in low-income communities are Teach Firsters. Our Ambassadors include 150 headteachers and principals and leaders across all sectors, including, since the last election, four MPs. Independent research proves that students taught by a Teach First teacher get better GCSE grades, are more likely to go to university, and are less likely to be out of education, employment and training. We are firmly in the top 20 graduate recruiters in the UK; and our teacher training and teacher development programmes have achieved three Outstanding Ofsted ratings.
This is a fantastic opportunity and time to join us. With turnover of c£60m, and around 680 employees, we are one of the largest UK charities tackling educational inequality. Over the last 18 months we have been through a significant period of internal change. We have recently appointed a new Chief Executive and you will join a newly formed, dynamic Executive team as one of eight leaders reporting to the Chief Executive.
This role has a broad remit for turning our strategy into reality, to deliver impact. It combines building a strong, sustainable financial base from which to deliver our work, as well as providing data and insight that enables us to monitor performance and drive decision making to achieve our strategic aims. In this role, you will steer the priorities and plans that will deliver our strategy, and lead change and transformation initiatives as we face into the future.
We are looking for an experienced, values-driven leader with a passion for our mission to tackle educational disadvantage. You will have strong financial acumen, be commercially minded and strategically astute, and have experience leading at scale and through change. You will be confident at operating in an Executive team and with Boards. We would welcome applications from a wide variety of backgrounds including Teach First Ambassadors who have gone on to take senior financial leadership positions.
Along with the rest of the Executive team you will have a key role to play in ensuring the successful realisation of our vision. We believe education is our most powerful tool to help every child fulfil their potential. You need to be able to guide, inspire and learn from your team, ensuring that our work continues to build on our success.
Whatever your background, if you think you have the skills and experience to shape the future for young people, we want to hear from you. We look forward to reading your application.
James Toop
Incoming Chief Executive