Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer
Eastern Education Group | Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Help shape the future of one of the East of England’s most ambitious education groups.

Pure Executive is delighted to be partnering with Eastern Education Group (EEG) on a retained basis to appoint its next Chief Financial Officer.

EEG is a diverse, ambitious and growing education group, supporting around 15,000 learners across Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. Its provision spans primary and specialist SEND education through to sixth form, further and higher education, apprenticeships and professional development.  With an outstanding track record of educational provision, EEG continues to look forward - growing and diversifying its offering, investing in its people and places, embracing innovation and sustainability, and working closely with employers and communities to create wider social and economic impact.

For the right person, this is an opportunity to help shape the future of an ambitious, forward-thinking education group and make a meaningful difference to the lives and opportunities of thousands of learners across the region. 

This appointment is about considerably more than financial stewardship.

Working alongside an ambitious and forward-thinking CEO and Senior Executive Team, the CFO will be a strategic financial and commercial partner - combining strong technical capability with commercial instinct, creativity and an enabling mindset. You will bring insight and constructive challenge to strategic decision-making, identifying how opportunities can be realised while ensuring ambition is underpinned by sound financial planning and long-term sustainability.

There is also a genuine opportunity to transform the finance function, strengthening forecasting, FP&A, scenario modelling and business partnering, while harnessing technology, data, automation and AI to improve insight, efficiency and decision-making.    

Your broader portfolio will encompass estates strategy and significant capital investment, strategic procurement, funding opportunities and major bids, risk and assurance, and long-term financial sustainability. 
   
Who are we looking for?

We are looking for an accomplished senior finance leader who brings:

• Professional qualification - ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent.
• Commercial and strategic judgement - curious, forward-thinking and comfortable contributing beyond the traditional boundaries of finance.
• Relevant leadership experience - ideally within education (FE, MAT, HE or a complex education group), although we welcome candidates from other complex, multi-site or multi-entity organisations.
• Board-level credibility - the confidence to advise, influence and challenge the CEO and Board constructively.
• An appetite for innovation - embracing technology, AI and new ways of working to improve performance and effectiveness.
• Strong people leadership - a track record of leading change, developing teams and building high-performing functions.

You may already be a CFO or an exceptional senior finance leader ready to take that next step. Above all, you will bring the adaptability to understand a new funding and regulatory environment, alongside the ambition to make a meaningful contribution to EEG's future.

Few CFO roles offer this combination of purpose, complexity, transformation and breadth.

Base salary of: £110,000 – £130,000, with benefits including hybrid working, a local government pension scheme, salary sacrifice car scheme.

Pure Executive is managing this appointment on a retained search basis. To arrange a confidential conversation or receive the full candidate briefing pack, please contact Jodie Woodrow at Pure Executive on 01223 666455.