Full time, permanent.
Lead negotiations. Influence change. Protect and strengthen the voice of school and college leaders.
This is a rare opportunity to lead a highly influential function, shape national industrial relations activity and make a lasting difference to the professional lives of school and college leaders.
As our Head of Industrial Relations, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring that school and college leaders have a strong and influential voice in shaping their pay, conditions and working environment. Leading our industrial relations and collective bargaining function, you will help safeguard members' rights, secure positive outcomes through negotiation, and strengthen our position as the leading professional body and trade union for education leaders. Your expertise will directly contribute to improving the working lives of members across the UK while ensuring the organisation remains legally compliant, strategically focused and highly respected within the sector.
We're seeking an experienced industrial relations, trade union or HR professional with a proven track record of leading successful negotiations at a senior level. You will bring substantial experience of collective bargaining, strong leadership capabilities, and a deep understanding of employment relations within complex organisations. You'll be a strategic thinker, an influential communicator and a confident relationship-builder who can work effectively with employers, trade unions, members and external stakeholders. A commitment to trade union principles, combined with the credibility to work alongside experienced school and college leaders, will be essential to your success in this role.
You will lead and develop the Industrial Relations team, ensuring the delivery of a high-quality, consistent service to members nationwide. Working closely with employer groups, trade unions and local representatives, you will oversee negotiations, represent members at key joint negotiating committees, resolve disputes, and help secure the best possible terms, conditions and benefits for members. You will also provide strategic advice across the
organisation, ensure compliance with relevant legislation and trade union requirements, support the development of local representatives, and contribute to the organisation's broader industrial relations strategy.
ASCL is an equal opportunities employer and offers a very generous package of benefits including
- Flexible working: Flexible working – a combination of working from home, attending external meetings and events and being in-person at our Leicester HQ as necessary.
- Generous leave: 33 days annual leave + bank holidays.
- Pension: 9% employer contribution.
- Professional development: Ongoing training and peer support.
- Expenses covered: Travel, home-working allowance, and equipment provided.
- Inclusive culture: We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities.
We encourage applications regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
This is a home-based role with travel across England and Wales to meetings and events as required. Reasonable travel expenses, IT and telephone equipment will be provided.
If you’re ready to lead a team that makes a real difference to education leaders and organisations across the UK, we would love to hear from you.
INTERESTED?
The closing date for application is 4pm on Wednesday 5 August 2026.
Interviews will be held in-person, at ASCL HQ in Leicester on Wednesday 19 August 2026.
Start date: Tuesday 1 December 2026 but dependent on individual circumstances.
TO APPLY
To download the job description and person specification, follow the link on the 'Apply here' button above (which will take you to Networx Recruitment's website). From there, please complete your email address in the top right-hand box and click on the green 'Apply Now' button and follow the online application process. If you have any queries, please contact Angela Stewart, Workplace and Facilities Manager in the first instance on 0116 299 1122
INDHIGH
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) is the leading professional association and trade union for all school and college leaders. We are proud to support and represent more than 20,500 school and college leaders of primary, secondary and post-16 education from across the UK.
Our members are responsible for the education of more than four million young people and children. We work to shape national education policy, provides advice and support to our members and deliver first-class professional development.
