Chief Executive Officer - Camphill School Aberdeen

BTA; Aberdeen City; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational charity in Scotland is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead strategic goals and ensure the sustainability of high-quality education, care, and therapy services. The ideal candidate will have significant senior leadership experience, particularly in residential and day placement environments. This is a unique opportunity to lead a strong community focused on helping children and young adults with additional support needs reach their potential.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading organizations in a residential and day placement environment.
• Experience in managing change and development within an organization.
• Ability to engage effectively with stakeholders including families and funders.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Board to set and deliver long-term strategic goals.
• Ensure effective governance and financial control.
• Lead a capable management team and maintain high standards of care.

Skills

Senior leadership experience

Financial discipline

Public representation

Understanding of the Camphill ethos

Job description

Overview

Camphill School Aberdeen is part of the worldwide Camphill movement, made up of more than one hundred independent charities committed to supporting individuals with additional support needs to lead meaningful lives and reach their fullest potential.

As an independent charity, Camphill School Aberdeen offers education, care and therapy services to children and young adults on both a day and residential basis. Its vision is to be recognised as a centre of excellence where children and young people can live, learn and work in an integrated community based on mutual respect and the unfolding of individual potential. Its mission is to create a place where children and young adults experience belonging, support and personal growth, within a lifelong learning culture that takes an integrated approach to health, education and care.

Today, more than one hundred children and young people depend on Camphill School Aberdeen’s sector-leading care to provide the safety and nurture they need to thrive. Many pupils who have struggled in mainstream education find here the confidence and independence that allows them to flourish. With a community of around 350 people, the School delivers a full range of services: residential and day school placements, therapeutic programmes, young adult provision, respite, craft and land-based workshops, external training and nature nurture activities.

Responsibilities

Following a significant period of growth and development, the current Chief Executive Officer, with twenty years of service, seven as Chief Executive, is now stepping down. The Board of Trustees now seeks a successor who can consolidate this progress, provide clear direction, and ensure the organisation’s financial and operational sustainability.

The new CEO will work in close partnership with the Board to set and deliver long-term strategic goals. They will ensure effective governance and financial control, maintain high standards of health and safety, and provide strong leadership to a capable management team. Above all, they will secure the continued delivery of high-quality education, care and therapy for the children and young people who depend on the School.

Candidates will bring senior leadership experience within a residential and day placement environment, ideally supporting children and adults with a range of additional support needs. They will have led organisations through periods of development and change, introduced and embedded financial discipline, and developed sustainable strategies for the long term. They will understand the distinct ethos of the Camphill movement and be comfortable representing the organisation publicly, whether with families, funders, or the media.

This is a rare opportunity to lead a well-established and values-driven community at a pivotal moment in its history. The next CEO will inherit a strong foundation and play a decisive role in ensuring that Camphill School Aberdeen continues to be a place where children and young adults with complex additional support needs can reach their fullest potential.

Qualifications

No specific list of required qualifications is provided in this description. The key criteria emphasize senior leadership experience within a residential and day placement environment, experience leading organisations through development and change, financial discipline, and the ability to represent the organisation publicly and in engaging with families, funders, or media. Candidates should understand the Camphill ethos and be able to lead in a values-driven community.

How to Apply

Please email us at [e-mail] to request an information pack and job description. You are advised to get in touch well in advance of the closing date to give us time to consider your application and pre-interview the strongest applicants.

Closing Date: Midday, Tuesday 28^th October

Interview Date: Thursday 13^th November & Friday 14^th November

This search is being conducted exclusively for Camphill School Aberdeen by BTA (Bruce Tait Associates). Our leadership team have all worked extensively in and with the voluntary sector and academia and we use this experience to match organisations and individuals to create great appointments.