Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating OfficerSt Paul’s School seeks to appoint a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to join its Core Strategy team. Founded in 1509, St Paul’s School is one of the UK’s leading independent day schools, educating around 1,500 boys aged 7–18 on a modern riverside campus in Barnes. Working in close partnership with St Paul’s Prep School on the same site, the School combines a long and distinguished heritage with a forward-looking and intellectually ambitious approach to education. This is a newly created role, reflecting the growing scale and complexity of the School. Following a sustained period of significant capital investment, St Paul’s is in a robust financial position and now seeks to ensure that its resources are deployed with greater clarity, coordination and strategic intent. Reporting to the High Master, the COO will act as a key strategic partner, with responsibility for shaping financial strategy and ensuring that operations, infrastructure and investment are aligned with the School’s educational ambitions. St Paul’s also sits at the centre of a recently established St Paul’s School Group, bringing together a small number of partner preparatory schools. While the role will primarily be focused on St Paul’s School, the COO will contribute to the development of this wider model, supporting the effective use of resources across the Group. The successful candidate will bring substantial senior leadership experience, underpinned by strong financial acumen and the credibility to advise at Board level. They will be able to translate strategic ambition into clear financial and operational priorities, bringing coherence, discipline and forward planning to decision-making. Equally important will be personal style. The School is seeking a collaborative and intellectually credible leader, able to build trust, operate with sound judgement in a non-profit context, and contribute effectively within a collegiate and high-performing environment. Further information on