Director of Development & Learner Success in Lisburn

MCS Group is delighted to be partnering with Belfast Metropolitan College, Northern Ireland’s largest further and higher education college, as they seek to appoint a Director of Development & Learner Success on a full-time permanent basis. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in delivering Belfast Met’s “Partner of Choice” strategic objective, leading business development, skills innovation and learner success strategies while ensuring outstanding outcomes for learners, employers and the wider community.

About Belfast Met

Belfast Metropolitan College is the largest and longest established further and higher education college in Northern Ireland, attracting 20,000 learner enrolments in 2024/25, with student satisfaction rates of 95%. The College employs approximately 941 teaching and support staff and has an annual turnover in excess of £75m. Belfast Met has a dual mandate to promote economic growth and social inclusion. The College’s vision, mission, aims and values are fully aligned with Government priorities and growth areas identified for Northern Ireland, shaping the policy and delivery context for the organisation.

The College is committed to ensuring that every learner, irrespective of background, gains the skills to get a job, keep a job or get a better job; that every business is supported to grow and innovate; and that those with barriers to learning have the opportunity to learn and grow to achieve their potential. This is the Belfast Met ethos.

About the Role

Founded in 1906, Belfast Met has long been at the heart of the city’s economic and industrial growth, providing the skills, knowledge and innovation that power local industry and transform lives. Today, their mission remains the same: to lead the city to work through a commitment to their values of Collaboration, Ambition, Respect and Excellence.

As Further and Higher Education continues to evolve, Belfast Met is ambitious about its future, driving innovation, strengthening employer engagement and positioning itself as a key strategic partner across skills, economic development and social mobility. The College continues to diversify income streams, expand apprenticeship and business support provision, and enhance learner experience across every stage of the learner journey.

Belfast Met are now looking for a strategic, commercially minded and inspirational leader to join the Executive Leadership Team as Director of Development & Learner Success. Reporting directly to the Principal and Chief Executive, you will lead a broad portfolio spanning business engagement, apprenticeships, skills development, learner success and strategic partnerships.

You will play a central role in shaping and delivering innovative business, skills and employability programmes that align with regional economic priorities and employer needs, while also ensuring learners receive an exceptional and inclusive experience from admission through to progression and achievement.

The successful candidate will lead on the delivery of the College’s “Partner of Choice” strategic objective, driving collaboration with employers, government departments, regional partners and the wider FE sector to support inclusive growth, workforce development and social mobility across Northern Ireland.

The successful candidate will bring significant senior leadership experience gained within a large and complex organisation, alongside a strong track record of operational delivery, stakeholder engagement and income generation across diverse funding streams and partnerships. While experience within Further or Higher Education is advantageous, what matters most is the ability to lead transformational change, build high-performing teams and deliver strategic outcomes in a complex and evolving environment.

For this role candidates will need to demonstrate that they meet the criteria below:

• A degree or equivalent with a demonstrated commitment to continuous professional development.
• A minimum of five years’ experience in the last eight years at Senior Management level or above in a large and complex organisation, with responsibility for business and skills programmes and external income generation across a diverse range of funding mechanisms.
• Demonstrable evidence within the above role/s of:
• Working to co-ordinate cross-sectoral services with links to learner success supporting inclusion and social mobility.
• Effective leadership and management of operational delivery of a range of skills, apprenticeships and business programmes with complex grant conditions, contract terms, compliance and reporting obligations.
• Building relationships across a broad range of external stakeholder groups for the benefit of the organisation.
• Experience of managing multidisciplinary teams, including objective setting and performance management to optimise performance.
• Demonstrates the ability to lead others with energy and enthusiasm, to command respect and to provide an environment where others feel motivated to achieve outstanding results.
• Possession of a full driving licence and have the use of a car for business purposes or have access to a form of transport which will permit them to meet the requirements of the post in full.

Desirable experience, knowledge and skills

• Demonstrable experience of personal level budget responsibility of at least £5million per year, and the ability to work with financial information for decision-making purposes.

This is a key public appointment and an opportunity to make a lasting impact on learners, communities and the future economic prosperity of Northern Ireland.

To speak in absolute confidence about this opportunity please contact Alex Noble, Head of Executive Search on 028 9693 2668, or to request a Candidate Pack for the Director of Development & Learner Success role select ‘Apply Now’, or email . Applications will close on Friday 5th June at 12pm. Should you wish to make an application for the post please send your CV & Cover Note to the above address.

MCS Group is committed to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion for all, being the first recruitment agency in NI to achieve Bronze Diversity Mark accreditation. If you have a disability which means you require a reasonable adjustment to be considered at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us and we will endeavour to facilitate the request.

Even if this position is not right for you, we may have others that are. Please visit MCS Group to view a wide selection of our current jobs.