Careers and Ambition Lead

The Kemnal Academies Trust; Epping Forest; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development tracks

Career progression across TKAT

Flexible working & staff wellbeing

Job summary

King Harold Academy, part of The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT), seeks a strategic Careers & Ambition Lead to transform our whole-school careers landscape and drive social mobility. The role requires leadership across KS3/KS4 with high-impact personal guidance and elite work-related opportunities.

We offer advanced training tracks, including pathways toward the Level 6 Careers Diploma, and opportunities to build premium partnerships with local businesses, enhancing pupil life chances.

Job description

Careers & Ambition Lead

Start date: September 2026

Pay Scale: Support Staff 22-26

Hours/Weeks: 37 hours/Term time only

FTE Salary: £35,960 - £39,589 Including Fringe Actual Salary: £30,794-£33,901 including Fringe

Responsible to: Assistant Headteacher - Personal Development King Harold Academy:

Careers & Ambition Lead King Harold Academy (KHA) has a clear, ambitious vision: to be one of the kindest, hardest-working, and highest-achieving schools in the UK. We are a proud community school supported by incredible students, involved parents, and a talented, committed staff. Why Join KHA? KHA is a genuinely lovely place to work. Our staff are deeply committed to one another's professional development and to improving our pupils' life chances. We have the privilege of teaching polite, friendly, and ambitious children who enjoy school and value their teachers.

What our teachers say:

"KHA is an amazing place to work. It truly is a place where everyone demonstrates kindness, hard work, and ambition."

"Leaders look after the best interests of both staff and students... even when the weather is awful, I look forward to my day here."

"Working here feels like being part of one big family."

The Role:

Careers & Ambition Lead We are seeking an enthusiastic, strategic, and proactive Careers & Ambition Lead to completely transform our whole-school careers landscape. At King Harold Academy, Ambition is our driving core value. This role is a unique hybrid post designed for a professional who can orchestrate high-level culture, deliver transformative 1:1 guidance, and coordinate elite work-related opportunities. Investing in Potential:

We are looking for an individual with the foundational skills and experience to deliver excellent careers advice. Crucially, we also want to provide a brilliant opportunity for a candidate with great potential. If you possess a hunger to grow, exceptional emotional intelligence, and passion for driving social mobility, we will invest heavily in your development supporting you with advanced training tracks (including pathways toward the Level 6 Careers Diploma) to scale into an elite leader.

The successful candidate will be:

• Aligned with our values: Kind, hard-working, and unapologetically ambitious.
• An Inspiring Advisor: Able to conduct high-level, impactful personal guidance across KS3 and KS4.
• An Operational Connector: Driven to build premium partnerships with local businesses, organizing exceptional work-related learning.
• Growth-Oriented: Resilient, solutions-focused, and keen to develop their professional practice.

Benefits of TKAT As part of The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT), you will benefit from:

• Excellent professional development and tailored support tracks.
• Opportunities for career progression across the Trust network.
• Flexible working options and a deep focus on staff wellbeing.

Safeguarding

TKAT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Offers of employment will be subject to the full safer recruitment process, including an enhanced disclosure and barring service check.

Access to interview

Be Who You Are at TKAT - should you be selected and invited to interview please let us know if you require us to adapt the recruitment process to enable you to participate as your authentic self. We want applicants to be able to engage with us in ways that support who they are and we are committed to making adjustments within the recruitment process and within the workplace.

Our Commitment - Equal, Inclusive, Diverse

TKAT is committed to inclusion, diversity and equality of opportunity by encouraging and welcoming differences, listening to individual experiences, aspirations and accomplishments and learning how to grow better together. We welcome applications from all suitable candidates, regardless of any protected characteristic.

Flexible working

TKAT recognises the value of enabling our employees to develop their career and balance this with their commitments and interests outside of work. In TKAT we promote flexible working practices and opportunities to promote a positive work life balance.