Chief Financial and Operations Officer
A Rare Strategic Leadership Opportunity
Two of Carmarthenshire’s leading secondary schools — Queen Elizabeth High School and Ysgol Dyffryn Aman — are seeking an exceptional individual to take on a newly created, joint role of Chief Financial and Operations Officer.
Together, our schools educate over 2,800 pupils and are driven by a shared ambition: to deliver outstanding educational outcomes while building a sustainable, innovative future for our communities.
This is a unique opportunity to shape a senior leadership role across two ambitious, collaborative organisations at a pivotal time in education.
About You
We are looking for a strategic, values-driven leader who can operate confidently maximising business operations whilst maintaining a clear focus on improving outcomes for young people.
You will:
- Bring experience of leading finance and operations in complex organisations
- Be skilled in change management, stakeholder engagement and strategic planning
- Demonstrate the ability to balance efficiency with educational priorities
- Be an excellent communicator with the ability to build trust across organisations
- Be motivated by making a meaningful, long-term impact
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in the post of Chief Financial and Operations Officer across Queen Elizabeth High School and Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.
This is a unique opportunity to join two ambitious and forward-thinking schools at a pivotal time in education. As the two largest secondary schools in Carmarthenshire, we share a strong commitment to delivering the very best outcomes for our young people while also responding creatively and strategically to the challenges facing schools today.
Both schools are proud of their strong sense of community, inclusive values and high aspirations for pupils and staff alike. We are equally proud of the collaborative relationship that exists between our schools. The creation of this post reflects our shared belief that by working together, we can strengthen operational excellence, maximise resources and develop innovative solutions that protect and enhance educational provision in an increasingly challenging financial landscape.
The Chief Financial and Operations Officer will play a vital role in shaping sustainable systems and services that allow our schools to thrive. This is not simply an operational role; it is a strategic leadership position that will help both schools continue to evolve, innovate and deliver outstanding opportunities for young people across our communities.
We are seeking a leader who is values-driven, highly skilled and excited by the opportunity to work across two dynamic organisations. In return, you will join two experienced and committed leadership teams who believe strongly in collaboration, professional trust and continual improvement.
Most importantly, you will be joining two schools that place people at the centre of everything they do — schools that care deeply about their pupils, staff and wider communities, and which are determined to remain progressive, resilient and outward-looking in the years ahead.
We hope that, having read more about our schools, you will feel inspired to apply and become part of this exciting partnership.
Yours sincerely,
Headteacher
Ysgol Dyffryn Aman
Headteacher
Queen Elizabeth High School
Croeso / Welcome
Thank you for your interest in the post of Chief Financial and Operations Officer across Queen Elizabeth High School and Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.
This is a unique, senior leadership role spanning two ambitious, community-focused schools, working in partnership to deliver the best outcomes for young people.
We are seeking an exceptional leader to provide strategic direction and operational leadership across both schools. The role is central to ensuring that finance, estates, IT, HR and wider support services run efficiently, effectively and in full alignment with educational priorities.
You will:
- Lead financial planning, performance and resource management to ensure sustainability
- Oversee infrastructure, IT and compliance, supporting high-quality learning environments
- Provide trusted strategic advice to Headteachers and Governors
- Drive efficiency, innovation and value for money across both organisations
- Lead and develop high-performing support teams, building a strong “one team” culture
As part of both Senior Leadership Teams, you will play a key role in shaping the future of our schools—ensuring that strong operational leadership underpins excellent teaching, learning and wellbeing.
This is an important and exciting time for our schools. The creation of this post reflects our ambition not only to sustain high standards, but to strengthen our partnership and build long-term, sustainable success.
If you are motivated by making a meaningful difference at scale, working across organisations, and ensuring that strong operational leadership enables outstanding education, we would warmly welcome your application.
Chair of Governors
Ysgol Dyffryn Aman
Chair of Governors
Queen Elizabeth High School
Ysgol Dyffryn Aman is a large, successful 11–18 bilingual comprehensive school located in Ammanford, serving both the town itself and a wide rural catchment area stretching across the Amman Valley and surrounding villages. The school currently has approximately 1,500 pupils on roll, with several year groups oversubscribed.
Despite its size, the school is widely recognised for its warm, inclusive and community-centred ethos. Relationships are at the heart of school life, alongside a strong commitment to high expectations, wellbeing and academic success for every learner. The school’s bilingual character is central to its identity, with around half of pupils speaking Welsh fluently and many coming from Welsh-speaking homes.
Ysgol Dyffryn Aman has a strong reputation for pastoral care, inclusion and learner wellbeing, alongside a clear focus on raising standards and securing excellent outcomes. The school was praised by Estyn for its wellbeing and attitudes to learning, reflecting the strength of its culture and values-driven approach.
As a school, we are ambitious and progressive. We embrace innovation, collaboration and new approaches that enhance learning experiences and improve organisational effectiveness. We are committed to ensuring that operational and financial sustainability supports, rather than limits, opportunities for young people.
The school is led by a highly collaborative leadership team who value professional growth, creativity and partnership working. We are proud of the positive relationships we have built with families, community organisations and other schools across Carmarthenshire.
Queen Elizabeth High School is an 11–18 English language comprehensive school located in Carmarthen, with approximately 1,300 pupils on roll, including a thriving sixth form and the highly regarded specialist provision, Canolfan Elfed.
The school combines a strong academic tradition with a deeply inclusive ethos. Everything at QEH is underpinned by its core values of Caring, Learning and Leading, with a clear focus on ensuring that all pupils feel supported, challenged and inspired to achieve their personal best.
QEH is proud of its broad curriculum, strong pastoral systems and extensive opportunities beyond the classroom. The school has a long-standing reputation for excellence in sport, performing arts, pupil leadership and community engagement, alongside a strong record of progression into higher education and employment.
As one of the county’s largest schools, QEH recognises both the opportunities and pressures facing modern education. The school is committed to embracing innovation, digital development and collaborative working to ensure resources are used effectively and sustainably while continuing to improve educational outcomes.
The school benefits from modern facilities and a highly skilled and dedicated staff team. Leaders and governors are committed to creating a culture where continuous improvement, wellbeing and operational excellence work hand in hand.
Together with Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Queen Elizabeth High School sees this partnership as an exciting opportunity to develop smarter, more sustainable approaches to school leadership and operations — ensuring both schools remain ambitious, resilient and future-focused for the communities they serve.
In terms of location, Carmarthenshire has it all. It is ideally placed along the M4 corridor, within just a few hours’ drive from main cities including Swansea, Cardiff, and Newport, as well as Bristol, Birmingham, and London further east ‐ and to the west we are just as well connected through the Pembrokeshire ports to Ireland.
We are proud of our beautiful sweeping coastline from the Burry Inlet with views over the Gower Peninsula, across miles of golden sands and blue flag beaches as far as Pendine in the west, which is famous for its flat speed racing terrain; and our rolling countryside which extends to our borders with Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Powys, Neath Port Talbot and Swansea, skirting the western edge of the beautiful Brecon Beacons.
As one of the largest local authorities in Wales, we have led an ambitious programme of investment and development which has provided first‐class services to our residents, businesses, and visitors. These include state‐of‐the‐art sporting stadiums and excellent golf courses, Parc Y Scarlets Stadium, and National Closed Road Cycling Circuit in Pembrey and Cultural attractions include, theatre, and leisure complexes, such as the National Botanic Garden of Wales, Dylan Thomas Boathouse, Burry Port Marina, Millennium Coastal Park and the recently opened Tourism Attractor facility at Pendine Seafront. It’s no wonder then that Carmarthenshire’s tourism economy is thriving, bringing in over £434million last year and growing annually.
Carmarthenshire is a truly bilingual county, with more Welsh speakers than in any other county of Wales (around 40 per cent of our 187,900 residents, according to the 2021 Census). The language is an important aspect of our history and culture, and that is why we are firmly committed to helping people live, work and access services in their language of choice, using our Language Skills Strategy to support the delivery of Welsh Language Standards. We offer a range of supportive and flexible options to allow our staff to learn Welsh or improve their existing skills. If required, we will work hard to motivate and inspire you along your Welsh language journey and support you to reach the required language level for this post. You can read more here.
We want you to enjoy working for Carmarthenshire and for it to be a rewarding experience. Our employees are at the very heart of the services we provide to the community and help us achieve our ambitions. We offer a range of benefits and working arrangements to support employees in their working and personal life. See what we offer.
This is a rare and exciting opportunity to shape a senior operational leadership role across two of the largest secondary schools in Carmarthenshire. Together, Queen Elizabeth High School and Ysgol Dyffryn Aman manage multi-million-pound budgets, extensive estates, large staffing structures and complex operational systems that support more than 2,800 pupils across two distinct school communities.
We are seeking a strategic and solutions-focused leader who can work confidently at scale while never losing sight of the core purpose of both schools: delivering the very best educational experiences and outcomes for young people.
The successful candidate will recognise both the opportunities and challenges that come with working across two established and highly successful organisations. This role requires someone who can think creatively, lead sensitively and build trust across both schools, while ensuring that operational systems are efficient, sustainable and aligned to educational priorities.
A key aspect of the role will be developing and strengthening a shared services approach across both schools. We believe there are significant opportunities to harmonise systems, policies and operational processes in ways that improve consistency, resilience and value for money, while still respecting the individual identity and culture of each school.
The successful candidate will therefore need to demonstrate the ability to:
- Lead strategic financial planning and resource management across large and complex organisations
- Identify and deliver opportunities for economies of scale and greater operational efficiency
- Develop harmonised systems and processes that improve effectiveness across both schools
- Manage operational complexity across two sites, two leadership teams and distinct school cultures
- Respond proactively and creatively to increasing financial pressures and rising operational costs
- Balance efficiency and sustainability with an unwavering commitment to educational quality and pupil experience
- Lead organisational change with clarity, professionalism and sensitivity
- Bring together systems, teams and ways of working to create a stronger, more collaborative operational structure
- Ensure compliance, governance and risk management remain robust within an increasingly complex regulatory environment
- Build strong professional relationships with staff, governors, external agencies and wider stakeholders
- Use data, technology and innovation to support strategic decision-making and continuous improvement
- Develop a culture of accountability, collaboration and high professional standards across support services
Above all, we are looking for someone who is values-driven, calm under pressure and motivated by making a meaningful difference. This role offers the opportunity to help shape a modern, collaborative and sustainable model of school operations — one that enables both schools to continue thriving in a rapidly changing educational landscape.
For further information please contact:
James Durbridge, Headteacher, Dyffryn Amman
Email: james.durbridge@dyffrynaman.org
Telephone: 01269 592441
Closing Date: 20 September
Long listing: 22 September
Remote assessment period: 24-27 September
Shortlisting: 30 September
Assessment centre: 12 October
