Curriculum Lead - Vocational Programmes in City of London

Responsible to: CEO

Location: Croydon (with oversight across all vocational provision)

Salary: £45,000 – £50,000

Contract: 1.0 FTE

Hours: Monday – Friday (9.00am – 5.00pm)

Job Purpose

The Curriculum Lead – Vocational Programmes is responsible for the strategic oversight, quality assurance and continuous improvement of all vocational and apprenticeship programmes delivered by the organisation, excluding Study Programme provision. The postholder acts as the overall caretaker and guardian of vocational curriculum quality, ensuring programmes are coherent, compliant, effective, and aligned to awarding body requirements, Ofsted Inspection Framework, learner outcomes, progression pathways and organisational priorities. This is a non-teaching role. The postholder does not deliver teaching or provide cover, but works closely with senior leaders, curriculum teams and awarding bodies to ensure high standards of curriculum intent, implementation and impact across vocational provision.

Key Responsibilities

• Curriculum Oversight & Quality Assurance

• Lead on the intent, implementation, impact and continuous review of all vocational programmes, ensuring they remain relevant, compliant and quality and outcomes-focused.
• Ensure vocational curricula are aligned to awarding body specifications, funding rules, inspection frameworks and internal quality standards.
• Act as the strategic lead for vocational quality, identifying strengths, risks and areas for improvement across provision.

• In conjunction with the Vice Principal, monitor and evaluate learner outcomes, retention, achievement and progression across vocational programmes.
• Lead and contribute to Course Performance Reviews, ensuring data-informed actions are implemented and monitored.
• Support improvements in learner achievement, including higher grades where applicable.

• Act as the organisational lead for awarding body engagement relating to vocational provision, including registrations, standards compliance and quality assurance activity.
• Oversee internal verification, standardisation and external quality assurance processes, ensuring readiness and compliance at all times.
• Ensure all vocational programmes meet regulatory, safeguarding and funding requirements.

• Provide professional leadership and guidance to vocational curriculum managers and teaching teams, without undertaking delivery.
• Support teams to embed high-quality teaching, learning and assessment through monitoring, feedback and improvement planning.
• Contribute to staff development by identifying common development needs and supporting quality improvement initiatives.

• Support the Vice Principal with curriculum planning, resource forecasting and risk management related to vocational provision.
• Contribute to organisational planning, inspections, self-assessment and quality improvement planning.
• Represent vocational provision internally and externally as required.

• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the seniority and purpose of the role.

Person Specification

Essential

• Qualifications

• Teaching qualification (PGCE or equivalent), or significant vocational curriculum leadership experience.
• Willingness to undertake further training as required.

• Proven experience of leading vocational curriculum quality and assurance processes.
• Experience of working with awarding bodies, including EQA processes.
• Demonstrable success in improving learner outcomes and programme performance.
• Experience of analysing curriculum performance data and implementing improvement actions.
• Experience of managing/understanding apprenticeships.

• Strong understanding of vocational education, compliance and quality frameworks.
• Excellent organisational, administrative and IT skills.
• Confident decision-maker with strong problem-solving ability.
• Ability to work independently and strategically in a senior role.

• Professional, credible and confident communicator.
• Resilient, adaptable and solution-focused.
• Committed to high standards, safeguarding and continuous improvement.
• Motivated and proactive, with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.

Desirable

• Experience supporting or mentoring curriculum managers or teaching staff.
• Experience contributing to inspection readiness and self-assessment processes.

Equal Opportunities Statement: We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and positively welcome applications from all suitably qualified and experienced people. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees.

Safeguarding Statement: We are committed to safeguarding, prevent and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff to share this commitment. As part of our safeguarding & prevent commitment, appointment to any post is subject to satisfactory references being obtained, receipt of a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure, online checks and other onboarding requirements in line with the Keeping Children Safe in Education Guidelines.

Disability Statement: The organisation encourages the development of an environment in which diversity is valued. An important part of putting this into practice is a commitment to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of disability in all employment matters, to increase employment opportunities for people who have a disability and to ensure that its recruitment and selection processes are fully accessible.

The ideal of accessibility underpins this Statement and includes not only access to the built environment, but also to information and services. Furthermore, it means independent access, or, at least, access with minimal assistance. An important step towards becoming more welcoming to people with disabilities is understanding that services, methods of working and the built environment may themselves be enabling or disabling. All Organisation staff, students, visitors, and contractors are expected to treat people with disabilities with respect. Discrimination in recruitment, selection or employment is treated seriously by the Organisation and could provide grounds for disciplinary action. Furthermore, individuals who discriminate on the grounds of disability may be liable under the Equality Act 2010.