Meet the STEP Team

James Hooper, Director of Operations

James started his career at HSBC, working in various retail and business banking roles across Hampshire and Dorset and finishing within their corporate banking division, managing a portfolio of high turnover complex corporate clients. He joined the education sector in 2011, initially working in Further Education at Southampton City College which (at the time) supported around 8,500 students, before moving into Business Manager roles in Southampton (where he oversaw the construction of a new 3FE primary school) and then East Sussex.

Joining STEP in 2017 as Head of Projects and Communication, James was initially supporting expansion into Sussex, as well as having oversight of major Trust-wide building projects, significant change projects and academy conversions/transfers. In 2018 James was appointed as Director of Operations, expanding his remit to focus on the centralisation and delivery of services across STEP and then to lead on Trust-wide risk management and data security.

James has contributed towards various DfE research projects, including access to alternative funding streams, the methodology which underpins estimated funding allocation and the (now established) Land and Buildings information collection process. He has also supported the delivery of the National Institute of Teaching’s School Trust CEO Programme, various trust-to-trust support engagements and STEP’s internal Head Teacher development programme, delivered through the STEP Ahead Teaching School Hub.  

James completed an MBA in 2016 and is currently finishing his accountancy exams with ACCA.