Head of Curriculum (Innovation) in London

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Makers

Head of Curriculum (Innovation)

Head of Curriculum (Innovation) in London

London Full-Time No working from home possible

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Makers’ mission is to build a better future. We transform lives and organisations through pioneering training which keeps pace with global tech shifts.

Tech and AI are reshaping jobs, the economy and society. Ensuring this transition is effective, equitable and inclusive will be a driver of human wellbeing into the next century. We believe talent is everywhere and the future belongs to those who can adapt and learn.

We are here to help people do this - across tech and in every job being remade now by AI. As a committed B-Corp with the best training results in the country, we believe we uniquely bring the heart and the hard- won expertise to do this.

Why this role exists

AI is driving technology to move quickly, and the needs of our enterprise clients are becoming more varied and specific.

At Makers we are bringing new products to market in rapid response to the changing landscape, and updating existing products on increasingly tight and regular cycles. At the heart of this shift - AI. Many of our new products are AI related and many of the changes to our products reflect shifts in the nature of tech work brought about by AI.

Makers need a senior leader who is fascinated by these shifts in technology, has the personal motivation to stay on the cutting edge of the AI landscape, and can turn those shifts into compelling training solutions for clients.

You will bring the latest innovations in AI and technology to bear in our curriculum. When we are creating a new product or putting through significant changes, you will be present to shape and understand the need, with access to our early / pilot clients.

And you will see all new products through their first delivery cycle, ensuring the pilot with our first client(s) goes as planned, using feedback from learners, coaches and clients to improve the experience as it runs. Once the curriculum has been tested and shown to work, you will hand it to the Head of Curriculum Product with a clear view of what worked, what needs to change and what is ready to scale.

You will bring exceptional levels of curiosity and the ability to stay current in a changing AI landscape, combined with strong technical judgement.

You will be able to understand how people learn and be confident working directly with clients. In particular, you will be able to deliver great training both to junior entry level AI engineers and to middle to senior managers. You will have this broader range.

Where this role starts and stops: Head of Curriculum Innovation owns discovery, bespoke design, the first live delivery and improvements during the pilot. Your counterpart, Head of Curriculum Product will support with running the process of curriculum development using standard protocols for good practice, and will take over fully when the curriculum is ready to become part of the core portfolio.

What You Will Own

Understanding the client need: A clear view of the client context, technical environment, skills gap and outcomes that matter.
Bespoke curriculum design: Technically credible, well-designed learning that responds to a specific client need.
Technical input to client proposals: Clear curriculum plans and tailored proposals that help Makers respond confidently to enterprise opportunities.
Exploring emerging technology: Hands-on testing of new technology and modern engineering practice to find useful ideas for future learning.
The first delivery:The quality and effectiveness of the first live cohort, including hands-on leadership or direct delivery support.
Client satisfaction during the pilot: Client and sponsor confidence through the first delivery, with quick and thoughtful responses to what we learn.
A clear handover to Curriculum Product:The evidence, materials and context needed to decide what is ready to become part of the core portfolio.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

Keep Makers up to date with technology

Keep close to the technologies, engineering practices and changing skills needs shaping the organisations Makers serves.
Run focused experiments with areas such as generative AI agents, modern engineering stacks and cloud-native workflows.
Turn what you learn into practical ideas for the curriculum, helping Makers decide where to move early, where to keep exploring and where to wait.

Understand the client problem

Join executive and technical client conversations to understand the business context, technology stack, skills gap and what the client needs to achieve.
Ask the questions that surface the real problem, challenge assumptions constructively and distinguish a learning need from a wider organisational issue.
Turn those conversations into a clear curriculum brief covering the audience, outcomes, technical scope, delivery approach, constraints and measures of success, while being honest about what learning can achieve.

Design curriculum for the client

Create clear curriculum plans and tailored proposals that respond directly to the client brief.
Define the learning outcomes, content, sequence, practical activities, assessment approach and delivery model needed for the first cohort.
Make sensible choices about pace, depth and technical ambition based on the learners, the client environment and the time available.
Work with Commercial colleagues so proposals are technically credible, grounded in good learning design and clear enough for clients to make confident decisions.

Stay close to the first delivery and improve it

Lead or directly support delivery of the first cohort so that the original client need is not lost between design and the learner experience.
Give the people involved in the pilot the context, materials and technical guidance they need to deliver well.
Stay close to learners, coaches and client sponsors throughout the pilot, using their feedback and the results you see to identify issues early.
Make sensible changes during delivery where they protect outcomes or client trust, remaining accountable for quality and satisfaction through the first cohort.

Learn from the pilot and hand over what works

Review the pilot with the client, delivery colleagues and Head of Curriculum Product.
Bring together learner outcomes, feedback and lessons from delivery into clear conclusions and recommended changes.
Be explicit about what has been validated, what still needs testing and what should not be scaled.
Hand over the successful curriculum, supporting evidence and the thinking behind it, so Curriculum Product can take ownership of compliance, release readiness and ongoing improvement.

What we are looking for

Significant industry experience as a senior software engineer, technical consultant, solutions architect or in a similarly credible hands-on technology role.
Experience getting underneath the needs of enterprise clients, including through conversations with senior technical and business leaders.
A track record of turning an unclear business or skills need into a clear technical solution, curriculum design or learning proposal.
Evidence that you can learn emerging technology quickly, prototype with it and make sound judgements about its practical relevance.
Hands-on experience leading, teaching, coaching or directly supporting a first delivery, pilot cohort or comparable live learning experience.
Experience using learner, client and delivery feedback to improve a pilot and make a clear recommendation about what happens next.
Experience as a technical educator or coach is highly desirable, but we are equally interested in senior practitioners who can show strong learning design and facilitation skills.

Benefits and Perks

We have a minimum holiday policy, rather than a maximum. We encourage our team to take at least 25 days a year (excluding UK Bank Holidays), including a Winter and Spring break when we shut down between late December and January, and mid year for a week. The whole company takes a break, so you’ll have peace of mind in knowing that nobody is working, not just you;
We embrace holistic health at Makers, where mental health matters and is just as important as physical health, which is why we offer unlimited fully paid wellness leave from day 1;
Private Medical Insurance (after passing probation);
£500 Learning & Development allowance per annum and paid time off dedicated to your training & learning;
Join daily meditation sessions run for the staff and students;
Company pension contributions;
Enhanced parental pay & leave - up to 20 weeks fully paid maternity leave, up to 8 weeks fully paid paternity & secondary caregiver leave, and up to 20 weeks fully paid adoption leave;
Access to a Perks at Work account which provides access to a range of shopping and other leisure discounts.

What We Value

Connect to our mission - Excited about our mission at Makers to change lives, and helping to create an environment where our team can do their best work and thrive.
Have a growth mindset - You love learning, are open to new opinions and approaches, and enjoy continuously developing yourself and others.
Prioritise joy - You care about others and are able to empathise, communicate effectively, overcome challenges and help create a supportive and joyful place to work.
Value trust over fear - You value trust in your working relationships and are able to work in an environment that values transparency, open feedback, clear communication, and challenging the status quo as key foundations.

At Makers, diversity and inclusion are core to our mission. Ensuring our people feel included and valued is critical for us to live the Makers' values: Growth, Trust, and Joy. We are actively working towards fostering a strong culture of belonging for both our students and our people and encourage applications from all backgrounds, abilities, communities, and industries. We see the value behind the new ideas you could bring to help us achieve our mission.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding
At Makers, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all learners. We believe everyone deserves a safe, inclusive and supportive environment in which to grow.

Every member of our team is expected to uphold our Safeguarding and Prevent policies, alongside the standards that protect our community.

All successful candidates will be required to complete appropriate pre-employment checks, including DBS screening relevant to the role.