Ministers are advertising for a permanent chief executive of Oak National Academy, with the position’s pay bumped to £166,000 per year. The Department for Education has advertised for someone to run the arms-length body which develops curriculum resources for schools. John Roberts has been interim CEO of Oak since March 2025 and plans to apply for the role, Oak told Schools Week. Roberts co-founded the organisation, which was initially separate from the DfE but received government funding, in 2020. The new CEO will be paid £166,000 a year for a five-year term, significantly higher than Roberts’s starting salary of £120,000. They will also be eligible for an annual bonus of £6,806. It will put Oak’s CEO among the highest earners at the DfE. Schools director general Julia Kinniburgh and regions group director general Tim Coulson are currently paid just less, at £160,000 to £165,000 a year. Permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood, who will soon leave her role, is paid between £185,000 and £189,000 a year. ‘Outstanding individual’ sought The advert said the DfE was seeking to appoint an “outstanding individual with senior leadership experience in either the education or education technology sector, and the ability to operate across both”. The successful candidate should be a “strong strategic thinker” who can shape Oak’s future direction, “particularly through continued technological innovation”, the advert says. It comes after Ofqual chief regulator Ian Bauckham stepped down as Oak’s chair in September. He was replaced by Tom Campbell, chief executive of E-ACT multi-academy trust. Roberts worked as Oak’s director of product and engineering before becoming interim CEO in March 2025. Oak is also recruiting for new committee members. A spokesperson said they were particularly interested in candidates with expertise in SEND, people and culture. Applications close on 4 December.