Director: Maths Coaching Pilot (Maternity Cover) incubated within Axiom Maths

Salary: £85,000-95,000 per annum (pro rata)

Hours & Contract: 37.5 hours per week, fixed term (Mat cover)

Contract start date: Negotiable, but the successful candidate will need to be in place by January 2027.

Contract length: Between 9 and 12 months (ends 01.10.2027)

Location: The successful candidate can be based anywhere, but will need to come into our London office for our office day, which runs every other Monday.

Closing date: 9am: 4th September 2026

Interview date:

• Panel interview: We are aiming for these to take place on 10th September 2026.

• Informal conversation with the co-founder: W/c 14th September 2026.

Who We Are

Maths powers breakthroughs. A world-class nation needs a world-class maths pipeline.
Today, the UK has no designed pathway for its most exceptional young mathematicians.
We believe that talent is abundant, but structured opportunity is not. We will change that.

Our mission is simple and urgent: find extraordinary mathematical talent early, support it relentlessly, and ensure potential — not circumstance — determines who reaches the frontier.

Unlike the established pathways we recognise for athletes and musicians, the success of brilliant young mathematicians is still left to luck. Our national programme will identify exceptional pupils early and provide sustained coaching, stretch, and advocacy so their spark becomes momentum toward the frontier.

We’re building on proven pillars of mathematical talent development to tackle the UK’s most tractable gaps, drawing on the traditions of the Russian Maths Circles model and the longitudinal evidence from the US Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY).

Finally, we have been inspired by National Maths Stars: early results show that exceptionally gifted students from under-represented backgrounds thrive when rigorous academic stretch is paired with wraparound support and sustained 1:1 coaching.

This is a new programme, and we have secured funding for an 18-month pilot: six months to establish the foundations and one year of delivery to rigorously test the model. The pilot will evaluate feasibility, impact, and scalability, with clear milestones and transparent reporting.

We are currently incubated within Axiom Maths, giving us the operational support and community to move quickly while we validate and refine our approach.

The role

The pilot was co-founded and is led by the Director, alongside the Director of Mathematical Programmes. With the Director now going on maternity leave, we are looking for someone to lead the organisation through a pivotal stage of the pilot.

This is a critical time. By the time the successful candidate joins, the first cohorts will have been recruited. In November the pupils will have just begun their coaching sessions, and in January they will start acceleration classes. The maternity cover will therefore lead the organisation through the opening months of the delivery phase, when the model we spent the first six months building is tested for the first time with real pupils and families.

We are looking for someone who can hold the mission steady, keep the pace high, and give our team, pupils and families the confidence that the pilot is in safe hands throughout.

Core Responsibilities

Strategic and Institutional Leadership

• Ensure the strategic direction, milestones and success metrics for the pilot are met.

• Hold ultimate accountability for the delivery of the pilot.

• Continue to establish performance expectations, cultural norms and accountability rhythms.

• Guard clarity of mission and prevent drift during the pilot phase.

• Build governance, safeguarding, data and compliance systems.

• Continue to establish internal operating rhythms and decision-making structures.

• Build board relationships and governance structures.

• Own budget management and financial sustainability.

• Set the pace and momentum of the organisation, modelling urgency, clarity and disciplined execution.

Team Performance

• Lead the founding team and hold ultimate accountability for team performance and organisational standards.

• Establish clear reporting structures, accountability rhythms and performance expectations.

• Create a high-performance culture.

• Ensure delivery systems support excellence in mentoring, acceleration, advocacy and community.

Deliver the pilot to a high standard

• Own the end-to-end delivery of the pilot and ensure excellence in

  • Maths mentoring

  • Acceleration pathways

  • Family advocacy

  • Community-building

• Ensure Year 5 and Year 8 cohorts are recruited, onboarded and retained.

• Support the Director of Mathematical Programmes to develop and create the mathematical programmes and our approach to mentoring.

• Create clear reporting structures to track engagement and early outcomes across mentoring, acceleration, family engagement and community.

External Relations

• Build exceptional relationships with Multi-Academy Trusts and schools.

• Build trust with both families and pupils.

• Build strong relationships with partners in the wider mathematical ecosystem, including 1729 Maths School.

• Communicate the value proposition with clarity and authority.

• Represent the pilot as a credible, serious national intervention.

Talent Identification and Equity

• Accountable for the fairness, integrity and reputational soundness of the overall selection system.

• Ensure contextual judgement and socioeconomic equity are embedded in design and execution.

• Safeguard against ethical and reputational risks in early identification.

Shape culture and standards

• Ensure families and pupils trust us completely and expect us to deliver excellence.

• Ensure that the pilot is known for clarity, pace and high standards.

Long-term development

• Work with the Director of Mathematical Programmes to develop the academic plan for full launch following the pilot phase.

• Ensure the organisation is structurally prepared for scale beyond the pilot phase.

What We Offer

💰 Salary: £85,000-95,000 per annum (pro rata)

🏡 Hybrid team: We all work remotely for part of the week. The successful candidate will work in the office every other Monday at our office which is close to King's Cross (N7 9QH)

🧳 Travel costs: Travel to London for office days twice a month are included in the salary above, and is not covered by expenses. All other relevant travel is covered by expenses.

⏰ Flexible working: We work flexibly by default, and value outcomes not hours worked. All our team are empowered to organise their work in a way that balances their work and life.

💻 Setup costs covered: We offer a £500 allowance to purchase equipment for working from home. A laptop is also provided.

💷 Pension: 11% employer contribution

📆 Annual leave: 27 days leave + bank holidays, increasing by 1 day after 2 years tenure (up to 30 days). The office closes for 3 additional days between Christmas and New Year.

🤝 Employee assistance programme: All our employees have access to a confidential employee assistance programme, which provides information and advice on a wide range of topics affecting their work or personal life.

📚 Books: Any employee can expense the purchase of any book that they believe will help make them better at their job.

How to Apply

click on the link below and complete application.

We are committed to equity and inclusion in everything we do. We strongly encourage applications from candidates from under-represented backgrounds. If you might have qualified for a programme like this as a child, then we especially want to hear from you.