Email: [email protected] to request application pack
Closing date: 12/06/2026
Head of Education, Employment & Skills is a senior leadership role within the Community Programme, responsible for the strategic leadership, growth, and operational delivery of all education, employment and skills activity.
The postholder will lead a multi-strand department, directly managing a team of strand coordinators and senior staff, ensuring:
- High-quality, impactful programmes across all areas
- Sustainable income growth aligned to organisational strategy
- Strong staff performance, culture and accountability
- Full compliance with education, funding and safeguarding requirements
This role is management-first, requiring a highly capable leader who can oversee a large and diverse team while driving strategic development and innovation across education and employability provision.
Key Responsibilities
1. Leadership & People Management (Core Priority)
- Provide clear leadership, direction and accountability across all education and employability strands
- Directly manage strand leads/coordinators, ensuring:
- Regular supervision, appraisals and performance reviews
- Clear KPIs aligned to departmental and organisational targets
- Strong staff development pathways and succession planning
- Build a high-performance culture, driving standards, professionalism and collaboration
- Ensure effective workforce planning, including use of permanent and casual staff
2. Strategic Development & Growth
- Lead the strategic development of education, employability and skills provision
- Identify and deliver new income streams, partnerships and programmes aligned to growth objectives
- Develop and implement annual departmental plans, aligned to organisational strategy
- Drive innovation across:
- Alternative provision
- Post-16 and higher education pathways
- Employability and adult provision
- Utilise market insight and local need to position the organisation for sustainable future growth
3. Programme Quality & Curriculum Oversight
- Ensure all programmes meet high standards of delivery, outcomes and participant experience
- Oversee:
- Curriculum design and alignment to qualifications and frameworks
- Quality assurance processes and observations
- Learner progress, retention and outcomes
- Implement continuous improvement processes across all strands
- Work with Curriculum/CPD leads (where appropriate) to develop staff capability
4. Financial Management & Performance
- Hold accountability for departmental financial performance, including:
- Delivery against income targets
- Budget management and cost control
- Forecasting and reporting
- Work with senior leadership and finance teams to monitor performance and mitigate risks
- Ensure contracts and programmes are financially sustainable
5. Partnerships & External Engagement
- Build and maintain strategic partnerships with:
- Schools and multi-academy trusts
- Colleges and universities
- Employers and training providers
- Local authorities and commissioners
- Represent the organisation professionally across all external networks
- Ensure provision reflects local priorities in education, skills and employment
6. Recruitment & Programme Development
- Oversee student/participant recruitment across all programmes
- Develop innovative approaches to:
- Learner engagement
- Progression pathways into education, employment or training
- Support marketing and promotion of programmes in collaboration with comms teams
7. Compliance, Safeguarding & Governance
- Act as Safeguarding Lead for the Education department, ensuring:
- Safeguarding is embedded across all programmes
- Staff are trained and compliant
- Ensure compliance with:
- Awarding bodies
- Ofsted/education frameworks (where applicable)
- Funding and contractual requirements
- Maintain and review policies, procedures and operational standards
8. Reporting & Performance Monitoring
- Produce regular reports on:
- Programme performance
- Financial position
- Outcomes and impact
- Use data to drive decision-making, improvement and strategic planning
9. General Responsibilities
- Contribute to wider organisational leadership and planning
- Attend management meetings and represent the department at senior level
- Promote equality, diversity and inclusion across all delivery
- Undertake any other duties appropriate to the role
Pay: £40,613.00-£43,927.00 per year
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 12/06/2026
