Head of Destinations in London

About The Role

Reports to: Director of Sixth Form

Start date: August or September 2026

Location: Currently operating hybrid working in our West London office

Contract: Permanent, Full time

Interviews will take place 21st & 22nd May 2026

The purpose of this role is to lead our network team and our schools in the next phase of our work on careers and destinations. You will build on our network strategy, oversee further codification and implementation of principles and approaches that ensure all Ark leavers, whether post‑16 or post‑18, are ready to progress to high‑quality destinations that facilitate their career of choice.

Network Destinations Goals

• Increasing achievement against the Gatsby Benchmarks and Ark's excellence framework for careers education.
• Challenging network goals for progress in Unifrog.
• Increased achievement against the Ark Primary Careers Framework.
• Further increasing the number of sixth‑form students progressing to top third universities, apprenticeships and super‑selective HE pathways.
• Long‑term improvement in sustained post‑16 and post‑18 destinations.

Key Responsibilities

• Curate and develop the messaging, goals and objectives for all destinations work within the Sixth Form and Destinations Team.
• Work with colleagues across schools and the central team to articulate plans for developing destinations support and CEIAG and to coordinate the delivery of work under the SFD strategic objectives.
• Further develop our destinations strategy across all phases in primary and secondary, within our Sixth Form & Destinations Strategy, with particular focus on work in KS3 to KS5:

• Achievement against the Gatsby Benchmarks and the aligned Ark excellence criteria for CEIAG.
• KS5 Destinations Support (including employability and work readiness).
• Highly competitive post‑18 pathways (including universities and apprenticeships).
• Ark University Bursary year students – support through university to early career.

Knowledge & Skills

• Knowledge of Gatsby Benchmarks and DfE expectations around careers advice and guidance for young people.
• Experience & knowledge of post‑18 destinations advice and guidance, gained from leadership of staff in a school or college context (or equivalent experience in the education sector).
• Line management and/or coaching experience, and experience of developing staff.
• Experience of basic finance processes including budgeting and financial planning and successfully developing strategy and vision.
• Experience of working with and influencing a range of senior stakeholders (e.g. Principals, Regional Directors or equivalent).

Qualification Criteria

• Educated to degree level.
• QTS (Desirable).

Benefits

• Hybrid working model: minimum two days per week in our West London office with flexibility to work remotely for remaining days.
• Employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether in the UK or abroad.
• Flexitime policy allows you to work around core hours 10:00–16:00.
• 27 days annual leave plus.