Albyn School
Education
Albyn School, one of Scotland’s leading independent schools, continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of pupils, parents, and staff. As part of a broader organisational review and restructure, the creation of the Director of People & Culture role reflected the School’s commitment to fostering an inclusive, values-driven culture that supports a thriving community where both staff and pupils can flourish.
The Director of Finance role was redefined to ensure greater strategic alignment between financial management, resource planning, and long-term organisational priorities.
Both roles required a balance of strategic influence and hands-on operational delivery within a values-led educational environment, ensuring that more young people in Aberdeen and the North East benefit from the opportunities an Albyn education provides.
Working closely with David Starbuck, Head of School, we began by scoping each role in detail, defining the strategic purpose and operational impact expected within the first 12–24 months. This ensured clarity of outcomes and alignment with Albyn’s new 5-year Strategic Plan. We then developed impactful role profiles that effectively positioned both Albyn School – including its values, ethos, and strategic priorities – and each role, highlighting key priorities and deliverables.
Director of People & Culture: Our focus was on identifying individuals with the credibility and experience to lead cultural and organisational development within a complex stakeholder environment, while bringing the empathy and authenticity needed to thrive in an educational setting.
Director of Finance: We sought candidates who could balance technical excellence and regulatory rigour with the ability to act as a strategic partner to the leadership team, supporting investment decisions, long-term planning, and sustainable growth.
We built robust candidate pools for both roles through a combination of research-led executive search, targeted network outreach, and promotion of the opportunities across social media.
These activities ensured a diverse, high-calibre field, which we formally assessed before presenting the candidate pool to key Albyn stakeholders at the respective shortlist meetings.
To support Albyn’s decision-making, we designed and facilitated a structured final assessment process, incorporating an initial presentation followed by a competency- and values-based interview. Early in the campaign, David emphasised the importance of strong alignment between candidates and Albyn School’s values-driven and inclusive culture. We therefore recommended that he undertake informal first-stage interviews with a range of candidates, after which he selected those to progress to the panel interview.
We believe this approach ensured a thorough and transparent evaluation of leadership capability, cultural alignment, and future potential, providing both David and the Board Governors involved in the final panel interviews with a high level of assurance regarding the suitability of each appointable candidate.
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“These appointments were about ensuring that Albyn has the right expertise and leadership to navigate a changing educational landscape with confidence and purpose. Both bring strong values alignment and the ability to shape the culture and strategy needed for the next chapter in Albyn’s story.
Working with Douglas and the Livingston James team was a genuinely collaborative process – their understanding of our context and the calibre of candidates they brought forward made a real difference.”
To find out more about this case study and our impact, please contact our delivery team below.
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Livingston James Group comprises two bespoke sub brands: Livingston James – our executive search and leadership advisory practice, and Rutherford Cross – our specialist finance recruitment practice. This wider group structure complements our robust search and assessment process, allowing clients to access our deep-rooted network and expertise.
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