Quality, Improvement & Workforce Lead in Harlow

Permanent, Full Time

£49,435 to £58,158 per annum

Location: Harlow

Working Style: Fixed-base worker

*Closing Date: 25th August 2026*

Please note this is a fixed-base role. Whilst you will be contractually based in your preferred ACL office, the role allows for some home-working and a requirement to attend ACL sites 2-3 days per week, in line with business need.

Adult Community Learning (ACL) Essex is Essex County Council’s provider of lifelong learning experiences for Essex residents. ACL Essex offers qualifications to help people move nearer to, enter or progress within the workplace or gain skills to enhance life chances, as well as providing high quality apprenticeship training and assessment for those in employment across Greater Essex. The service focuses many of its programmes and activities on the hardest to reach communities within Essex. ACL Essex learners have access to a diverse range of accredited and non-accredited courses which encourage creativity, healthy lifestyles, social inclusion and engagement.

The Quality, Improvement and Workforce Lead ensures that ACL Essex meets and exceeds quality standards, drives continuous improvement and develops and maintains a skilled, motivated workforce. The role manages quality assurance processes, self-assessment and improvement planning, and oversees workforce development policies that build teaching excellence and compliance with statutory and funding requirements. The postholder collaborates with sector, safeguarding and performance leads to embed best practice, monitor outcomes and ensure that learners experience high-quality provision aligned to council priorities.

The post holder will demonstrate strong leadership and quality assurance expertise, with the ability to embed best practice and drive continuous improvement across teaching and learning. They will need excellent analytical skills to interpret performance data and inform improvement planning, alongside strong communication and influencing skills to collaborate effectively across teams. Operating in a dynamic environment, the role requires resilience, adaptability, and the ability to balance short-term compliance requirements with long-term workforce development goals.

Role responsibilities

• Manage the development and delivery of the quality assurance policy so that Adult Community Learning (ACL) provision meets the expectations set out in the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) and other relevant standards.
• Oversee self-assessment and improvement planning processes, including the annual Self-Assessment Report (SAR) and maintaining an up to date and effective Quality Improvement Plan (QIP), ensuring actions are evidence-based and monitored for impact.
• Manage internal quality processes, observation of teaching and learning, and moderation activities to maintain consistency and compliance across all curriculum areas.
• Lead workforce development planning and implementation, including professional development programmes, teaching qualifications and continuous improvement initiatives for staff that continually builds a skilled and motivated workforce that meets service quality standards.
• Collaborate with safeguarding, sector and performance leads to ensure that quality and workforce strategies align with learner needs, funding requirements and council priorities.
• Use Management Information Systems (MIS) and learner voice data to monitor performance, identify risks and inform improvement actions.
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, funding rules and external audit standards, and contribute to strategic planning and risk management.
• Promote digital innovation and inclusive practice in teaching, learning and workforce development to improve learner outcomes and staff capability.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Educated to RQF Level 6 (or equivalent by experience) in a relevant field such as education management or quality assurance, with evidence of continuing professional development.
• Strong understanding of quality assurance frameworks, including the Education Inspection Framework (EIF), and experience of leading self-assessment and improvement planning in Further Education (FE) or adult learning contexts.
• Proven experience in workforce development, including planning and delivering professional development programmes and supporting teaching excellence.
• Knowledge of funding and regulatory frameworks relevant to Adult Community Learning (ACL), including guidance from the DfE.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence decisions and collaborate across functions.
• Commitment to inclusion, digital innovation and continuous improvement, with the ability to interpret complex data and translate insight into actionable plans.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.