Regional Director and Executive Principal

Jobtrain; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salaries

Pension schemes

Generous holiday entitlements

Healthcare cash plans

Job summary

Star Academies is seeking an experienced Principal/Executive Principal to lead a cluster of primary and secondary schools in Greater Manchester and Preston. You will line manage Principals, drive school improvement, set priorities, and coach leaders to raise standards.

The role requires strategic and operational leadership, credibility in sustained school improvement, and the ability to work across faith and non-faith contexts.

Job description

Are you a dynamic and self-driven individual with experience leading secondary and primary schools as a Principal or Executive Principal/Headteacher who is ready to lead one of our vibrant and aspirational school clusters?

About Star Central

Star Central, which is based at our head office in Blackburn, Lancashire, provides leadership, strategic direction and support to Star Academies, Star Talent Academy and our schools.

The Star Central team includes experts from a range of professional backgrounds, who work together to provide an outstanding support service to the Star community. We support our schools to provide educational and operational excellence and to cultivate a strong Star community, with the aim of nurturing today’s young people and inspiring tomorrow’s leaders.

Who we’re looking for

Star Academies is looking for a highly experienced secondary school leader with the ability and authority to lead improvements in standards across our primary and secondary schools in Greater Manchester and Preston.

You will oversee a portfolio of schools across Greater Manchester and Preston, currently five secondary and two primary schools.

Star is a mixed multi academy trust made up of Muslim, Christian and non-faith schools. The person appointed must be comfortable with and have an understanding of working in faith and non-faith settings.

You will be credible and with a proven background in sustainable school improvement, particularly with secondary schools. You will be able to identify priorities, put in place interventions to secure gains in pupil outcomes, and work with our school Principals to make it happen, and empower them to lead and build capacity.

You will have a track record of successful school leadership with a clear understanding of how to deliver the highest possible standards across schools with differing contexts and improvement journeys. You will also be able to line manage school Principals, holding them to account for standards and outcomes, and where necessary coach and guide them to improve their own practice and that of others.

The position requires an individual who can work both strategically and operationally, consistently modelling best practice in leadership and pedagogy on a daily basis, and does not adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

You will have:

• Credibility as an experienced and successful Principal with a demonstrable track record of success, in a secondary phase setting. Experience in the primary phase is desirable but not essential.
• The ability to lead, manage, develop and inspire school leaders to secure standards and outcomes consistent with the aspiration of top 5% performance nationally.
• The ability to support Principals and school leaders to manage change rapidly and sustainably.
• A proven record in school improvement, school-to-school support strategies, and how to implement them effectively.
• Strong strategic and operational planning skills.
• An understanding of the benefits and dynamics of wider partnerships in localities and regions.
• Full commitment to our mission, vision and values.
• Strong personal skills to flex in different contexts and situations to bring out the best in others.

About Star Academies

Star Academies is a high-performing multi-academy trust that runs 36 primary and secondary schools. We are a values-based organisation that works to improve the life chances of young people in areas of social and economic deprivation to help them succeed at the highest levels of education, employment and the professions. Every single day you’ll be rewarded with the opportunity to shape a young person’s future - our STAR values embody what we believe is needed to succeed.

Professional development is key to our ongoing success, so we continually invest in our employees through our professional development hub, Star Talent Academy. With a wealth of training, mentoring and progression opportunities across a large, growing group of academies, joining our team of leading education experts could propel your career to the next level.

We can also offer you a range of rewards and benefits, including competitive salaries and pension schemes, generous holiday entitlements and healthcare cash plans.

Key Dates

Closing Date: Wednesday, 14 October 2026 at midnight.

Assessment Centre Date: Friday, 23 October 2026.

Proposed Start Date: January 2027, subject to the successful candidate’s notice period.

Our Commitment

Star Academies is committed to safeguarding, safer recruitment and promoting the welfare of pupils. Our comprehensive recruitment and selection processes aim to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants. Successful candidates are subject to rigorous pre-employment checks.

We are equally committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity. We aim for our workforce to be representative of society and that each employee feels respected and able to give their best. We are committed to providing equality and fairness in our recruitment and employment practices and not to discriminate on any grounds. We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.