Head of Student Services

Department: Guildhall School of Music & Drama

Office Location: Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Level of DBS required for this role: Enhanced barred list check children

Salary: £59,060 to £66,670 (including Inner London Weighting and Inner London Supplement) plus £10,000 Market Forces Supplement

Contractual Hours: Full-time, 35

Basis: Permanent

Workplace category: Hybrid

Guildhall School is a vibrant, international community of musicians, actors and production artists in the heart of the City of London. Ranked as number one in Arts, Drama & Music by the Complete University Guide 2025, and in the top four in the world for Music and Performing Arts by the QS World University Rankings 2025, we deliver world‑class professional training in partnership with distinguished artists, companies and ensembles.

We are seeking an exceptional higher education professional to join Guildhall School of Music & Drama as Head of Student Services. This is a senior leadership role within the Student & Academic Services Directorate, responsible for leading and developing the School’s student services provision. You will ensure that students receive effective, inclusive and well-coordinated support throughout their time at Guildhall, helping them to thrive creatively, personally and academically.

Working with colleagues across the School, you will continue to improve services so they are responsive to students’ needs and support the wider aims of the School. Reporting to the Director of Student & Academic Services and Registrar, the Head of Student Services will lead a broad range of student-facing services, including student welfare, disability support, counselling and mental health, accommodation and hardship advice, safeguarding, sexual violence prevention and response, and related areas of student support.

You will provide clear strategic and operational leadership and day‑to‑day oversight for these services, ensuring that students receive effective and efficient support throughout their time at Guildhall School. Working with colleagues across the School at all levels, you will continue to develop services so they are responsive to students’ needs, informed by evidence and good practice, and able to support students through the particular demands of specialist performing arts education.

The role will also involve engaging with developments across the higher education sector, identifying opportunities to strengthen practice, lead change and innovation, and represent Guildhall School in conversations about the future of student support.

About you

You will be an experienced student services leader with a strong track record in student support, wellbeing, disability, safeguarding, student advice and welfare within a higher education professional services setting. You will be able to combine strategic leadership with sound operational judgement, particularly in areas where student needs may be complex, sensitive or high risk.

You will bring a strong understanding of the UK higher education student services landscape, including student wellbeing, mental health, disability support, safeguarding, inclusion, equality duties, confidentiality, data protection and relevant regulatory expectations. You will have a collaborative and credible leadership style, with experience of improving services in ways that make a real difference to students’ experience and outcomes.

You will have experience of leading specialist teams, managing complex cases, and supporting service improvement, policy development, and transformation. You will also be confident advising senior colleagues on policy, risk and service responses, ensuring that Guildhall School’s approach remains thoughtful, proportionate and aligned with sector developments and regulatory expectations.

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to student services at a world‑leading UK conservatoire. You will help shape support that reflects the creativity, intensity and ambition of specialist performing arts education, while ensuring students are treated with care, respect and professionalism.

We are looking for an empathetic, resilient and trusted leader who can build strong relationships, navigate complexity and work collaboratively with students, academic departments, external partners and specialist services. Through this work, you will help create the conditions in which students can flourish at Guildhall School and progress into sustainable and fulfilling futures in the creative industries.

What we offer

This is an excellent opportunity to play a visible senior role in supporting student wellbeing, inclusion, safeguarding, service quality and regulatory assurance within a distinctive specialist institution. You will work closely with senior colleagues, academic leaders, students, committees and external partners, contributing to effective decision‑making, institutional planning, service enhancement and the continued development of a supportive student experience.

You will join a committed and collaborative Student & Academic Services leadership team and lead a team of skilled specialist colleagues who make a direct and meaningful contribution to student support and success. This role would suit a highly capable student services professional who enjoys working across strategy, people leadership, casework, safeguarding, policy, evidence, partnership working and service improvement.

Guildhall School welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. We are particularly keen to encourage interest from people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, Black, Asian, and other global majority backgrounds who are currently under‑represented at Guildhall School. In recognising the positive value of diversity, we want to better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve.

The Guildhall School is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk and expects all employees, workers, and volunteers to share this commitment.