DEPUTY STRATEGIC LEAD OFFICER: EXTERNAL STRATEGY

Start date to be agreed with the successful candidate, but no later than 1 November 2026.

We are seeking to recruit a highly motivated colleague to the role of Deputy Strategic Lead Officer: External Strategy. This role is of great importance to our work as an organisation as we push forward with our development as a group in the mid part of the 21st century.

The Deputy Strategic Lead Officer: External Strategy will take the lead on ensuring that our outward facing operation is of the very highest standard. This will include providing strategic leadership regarding the ongoing growth of the trust and ensuring that our work with all key strategic partners including our local authority is exceptionally effective. The successful candidate will also lead a range of projects with skill and unflappability.

About You

• Proven experience of leading and delivering complex projects or strategic priorities from conception through to successful completion.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence and build effective relationships at all levels.
• Strong analytical and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, identify risks and drive actions to completion.
• A sound understanding of governance, compliance and policy development, ideally within an education or public sector environment.
• The drive, initiative and strategic mindset to support trust-wide improvement, delivering high-quality outcomes aligned to organisational priorities.

What We Offer You

• Membership of a teacher or local government pension scheme, depending on the role.
• A commitment to continued investment in our professionals, supporting every member of staff throughout their career in the trust.
• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential professional advice and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• £2k Cycle to work scheme.

About Us

GORSE has been extremely careful regarding its growth over the course of the last fifteen years. Taking into account projects which have been approved by government, we know that our trust will be made up of 16 establishments in the near future. In addition to this, we also operate GORSE SCITT and Leeds Teaching School Hub, important establishments in their own right. Ensuring that each element of the trust, including our central team, performs at its best to ensure all children, especially those whose who are disadvantaged, have the opportunity to secure the Gift of Choice, is the central mission of GORSE. Within our organisation we have established a long standing culture of excellence; we are viewed by government and a range of external partners as one of the best trusts in the country.

If you would like to know more about our Trust, please visit our website at