When someone calls you back
Last August, Flavio Vettese became the Diocesan Director of Education in the Diocese of Brentwood. Our team at Emmaus had supported that appointment, and it was one we were genuinely proud of.
Flavio brought over 30 years of experience in Catholic education to the role. He had previously served as Deputy Director of Schools in the Diocese of East Anglia, became CEO of a Catholic Multi Academy Trust, and in December 2025 was honoured with a Diocesan Medal by Bishop Peter Collins for his outstanding contribution to Catholic education. He is a serious leader, with a deep commitment to what Catholic schools are truly about.
I spent considerable time getting to know Flavio in the lead up to his appointment. That is how we work at Emmaus. You cannot place someone well into such a role without understanding who they are as a person, what they believe, and what kind of leader they are going to be.
So, when Flavio contacted us and asked the Emmaus team to help him find his Deputy Director of Education, I already had a good idea of what he and the diocese would be looking for. Not just a capable senior leader. The right person.
This is the appointment we are now working on together.
The role itself
The Diocese of Brentwood stretches from Harwich to Canning Town, taking in the whole of Essex, five London Boroughs and two Unitary Authorities. It is a varied, complex and genuinely significant diocese. Its 90 schools, 72 primary and 18 secondary, serve around 40,000 children and young people.
The Deputy Director of Education will work at the heart of that. This is not a desk role. It is a role that puts you alongside school leaders, Trust CEOs, governors, Local Authorities, the Regional Director, DfE and Ofsted. You will be someone who builds real relationships across a large and diverse geography, someone who understands Catholic education from the inside, and someone who can help shape what it looks like for the next generation of young people in this diocese.
The successful candidate will join a committed and experienced diocesan team at a significant moment, nationally for Catholic education, and locally for Brentwood as it looks to preserve what is distinctive about its schools whilst delivering an authentically Catholic educational landscape for the future.
This is not a role for someone who is simply looking for their next career move. It is a role for someone who feels called to it.
What we are looking for
We are looking for an experienced, practising Catholic who has operated at a senior level in education. That might be as a headteacher or deputy, within a local authority or SIP setting, in diocesan leadership, or at Trust executive level. What matters is that you understand Catholic education from within, that you have the credibility to sit alongside school leaders in moments of difficulty and opportunity, and that you are ready to serve something larger than your current context.
If you have been sitting with that question quietly, this may be worth exploring.
How we work
At Emmaus, we do not simply advertise roles and wait. Our team combines careful, targeted advertising with proactive search, direct conversations and trusted networks built over many years across Catholic, Church of England and wider Christian education nationally. We reach both those who are actively looking and those who are simply ready, even if they have not quite said so yet.
Every candidate who speaks with us will have an honest and we hope meaningful conversation. My colleagues and I take the time to understand where you are, what you are looking for, and whether this is genuinely the right moment and the right role. Everything is handled in complete confidence.
Bishop Alan Williams of Brentwood, who was so generous in his support of our work during Flavio's appointment, put it simply:
“Just over ten years ago when we last sought a DDE we went through a number of unsuccessful attempts before a successful appointment. With the assistance and accompaniment of Emmaus Leadership we appointed at the first round.”
That is what we aim for, every time.
Closing date: Monday 29 June at 5pm
If you would like to have a confidential conversation, please get in touch with me or a member of the team.
Liam Dowds, Managing Director, Emmaus Leadership
01737 652 043
ldowds@emmausleadership.me