Job Vacancy: CEO

Published: 16/03/2026

We’re seeking our next Chief Executive Officer

Literacy Pirates is a literacy charity working to ensure that children who are falling behind in class due to socio-economic disadvantage, develop their reading and writing skills, and confidence and perseverance, so they can succeed at school and beyond.

Today, Literacy Pirates is a values-driven, evidence-led organisation working with around 650 children annually through a distinctive volunteer-powered model that combines rigour and joy. Our Virtual Ship now enables us to reach children beyond London, and we are working to scale nationally to reach 3,000 children annually by 2030, while maintaining impact and reducing cost per child.

We are a financially sustainable and growing organisation, with a clear long-term strategy and secure foundations. This is an exciting time to join us as we continue to expand our reach and deepen our impact for the children who need us most.

The opportunity 

This is not a turnaround role, but nor is it a stewardship-only role. We are looking for a CEO to lead the next ambitious phase of Literacy Pirates’ journey: building on strong foundations to deliver a disciplined, digitally enabled phase of national growth. The successful candidate will not be expected to reinvent the mission or abandon the existing strategy. They will be expected to sharpen execution, increase momentum, strengthen the growth engine, and lead the organisation through the next phase of scale.

The CEO will work closely with a strong Senior Leadership Team and Board to scale the Virtual Ship, strengthen partnerships and income, protect what is distinctive about Literacy Pirates, and ensure the organisation is operationally and financially ready for sustained growth.

Role purpose 

To lead Literacy Pirates through its next phase of growth by:

• scaling the Virtual Ship nationally in line with the 2030 strategy;
• maintaining impact while improving the organisation’s economics and operating model;
• building the partnerships, income and organisational capacity needed for long-term success; and
• protecting and evolving the culture, values and quality that make Literacy Pirates distinctive.

Vision 2030 – a strategy for national growth

Our vision is that every child possesses the literacy skills, confidence, and perseverance to succeed at school and beyond.  Our ambition: by 2030, Literacy Pirates aims to reach 3,000 children annually, dramatically increasing our current reach and closing the literacy gap across London and nationally.  
Recognising the persistent educational gap linked to socio-economic disadvantage, we harness robust, evidence-based pedagogical methods to help children become successful readers and writers and, in turn, successful learners. Since 2011, Literacy Pirates has transformed the educational trajectories of over 3,500 disadvantaged children aged 8-13 who are falling behind in literacy, confidence, and perseverance. And now we are ready to reach more children, especially in more rural and isolated areas of the country. read more....

Salary: £80,000 – £85,000 Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week Location: London/​hybrid, with regular in-person presence Accountable to: Board of Trustees