Head of Colleges in Lancaster

We are seeking an exceptional educational leader to join the Education Senior Leadership Team as Head of Colleges, providing strategic leadership across a growing group of six specialist college sites: Liverpool, Lancaster, Blackpool, Ulverston, Cardiff, West Sussex, and Carlisle. The position requires regular travel across these education services.

This is a rare opportunity to influence the lives of hundreds of young people and adults, lead talented College Principals, and shape an ambitious further education strategy that delivers outstanding outcomes, exceptional learner experiences, and sector-leading practice. As Head of Colleges, you will be at the forefront of driving quality, innovation, and continuous improvement across our college provision.

Working closely with the Director of Schools, Director of Safeguarding, Director of Care, and the wider Executive Team, you will ensure a seamless learner journey from school through to further education, creating meaningful pathways that empower learners to achieve their full potential.

Why become a Head of Colleges?

Our colleges play a vital role in preparing learners for adulthood, employment, independence, and lifelong success. We are ambitious about what our learners can achieve and equally ambitious about the quality of education we provide. As Head of Colleges, you will lead that ambition. You will inspire and develop a team of College Principals, drive exceptional educational standards, and create a culture where excellence, inclusion, and learner success are at the heart of every decision.

This is more than an operational leadership role. It is an opportunity to shape strategy, influence organisational direction, and leave a lasting legacy across multiple sites.

Head of Colleges will be Responsible For:

• Strategic Leadership
  • Developing and delivering an ambitious vision for our college provision.
  • Contributing to organisational strategy as a key member of the Education Senior Leadership Team.
  • Creating strong alignment between schools and colleges to ensure clear progression pathways for learners.
• Quality and Improvement
  • Driving excellence in teaching, learning, assessment, and learner outcomes.
  • Leading quality assurance, self-assessment, and improvement planning across all college sites.
  • Ensuring outstanding preparation for Ofsted inspections and embedding a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Using performance data to drive measurable improvements in achievement, retention, attendance, and progression.
• Leadership and Culture
  • Providing inspirational leadership, support, and challenge to College Principals and senior leaders.
  • Building leadership capacity, succession planning, and talent development across the college group.
  • Fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and high performance.
• Partnership Working
  • Working closely with colleagues across education, care, safeguarding, and support services.
  • Building strong relationships with employers, local authorities, external partners, and regulatory bodies.
  • Representing the organisation confidently within the wider education sector.

Requirements of Head of Colleges:

• You are an accomplished senior leader with significant experience in further education or multi-site educational provision.
• You have a proven track record of improving educational outcomes, leading successful quality improvement programmes, and navigating organisations through Ofsted inspections with confidence and credibility.
• Significant senior leadership experience within further education.
• Deep knowledge of the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework.
• Experience leading quality improvement and driving measurable outcomes.
• Strong strategic thinking combined with operational excellence.
• Outstanding leadership, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience managing senior leaders within complex organisations.
• A commitment to inclusion, learner success, and educational excellence.

Essential Qualifications for Head of Colleges:

• PGCE or equivalent teaching qualification.

Desirable Qualifications:

• SENCO qualification.
• NPQH or equivalent leadership qualification.

What We Offer:

• A highly influential leadership role with genuine organisational impact.
• The opportunity to shape and develop a growing college provision.
• A collaborative and values-driven Executive and Senior Leadership Team.
• The chance to improve life outcomes for learners every day.
• Professional autonomy alongside strong organisational support.
• Ongoing leadership development opportunities.

Location: This is a multi-site leadership role requiring regular travel across our six college locations. Flexibility is essential, including occasional early morning, evening, and off-site meetings.

Join Us: If you are an ambitious and inspirational education leader who believes every learner deserves the opportunity to thrive, we would love to hear from you. Together, we can create exceptional educational experiences and life-changing opportunities for the learners we serve.

Safeguarding Commitment: All appointments are subject to robust safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (including relevant barred list checks where applicable), satisfactory references, and any other pre-employment checks required for the role. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates who share our values and commitment to making a positive difference.

Salary for Head of Colleges: £80-£90,000. Expenses can be reimbursed as per our company expenses policy for e.g. hotel accommodation and mileage plus there will be a £3k car allowance.

For more information on the role of Head of Colleges, contact Mick Hull, Fieldview Care Recruitment Solutions.