Chief Executive & Principal | South Staffordshire College

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Chief Executive & Principal South Staffordshire College

Shape the next chapter of South Staffordshire College. Building on financial stability, a positive culture and the ambition of our people, this is an opportunity to provide inspirational leadership, shape the College’s future and make a lasting difference to learners and communities.

• Location: Staffordshire
• Salary: Up to £174,000

South Staffordshire College is seeking a Chief Executive & Principal to build on our achievements and shape our next stage of development. Following Claire Boliver’s planned retirement, this is an opportunity to lead an organisation with financial resilience, a capable leadership team and a shared commitment to helping learners succeed.

Our ambition is to keep improving; to strengthen the quality of education we provide, extend the opportunities available to our communities and ensure that growth and investment deliver lasting benefits. Working closely with our Board of Governors, you will help shape and bring these ambitions together in a clear long-term vision, connecting curriculum, people, partnerships and resources around the needs of our learners.

We are looking for a leader who will be present in college life, listen to colleagues and students, and understand what makes each of our five colleges distinctive. You will combine this visibility with the strategic confidence to lead a complex organisation, champion our role externally and make sound decisions about our future.

For an experienced educational leader – who values collaboration, inclusion and continuous improvement in teaching, learning and the student experience – this role offers the opportunity to build on substantial progress and make a lasting contribution to our learners, employers and communities.

About the role

As Chief Executive & Principal, you will bring strategic clarity and educational ambition to South Staffordshire College, turning a shared vision into meaningful progress for learners, staff and the communities we serve.

Working closely with the Board of Governors, Executive Leadership Team and staff across the College, you will translate that vision into clear priorities and action, ensuring that decisions remain focused on improving outcomes and opportunities for learners.

A key priority will be to work collaboratively with Governors to establish a clear and ambitious vision for the College’s future, translating this into meaningful priorities for curriculum development, investment and organisational growth. This will ensure we remain responsive to the evolving needs of learners, employers and the communities we serve, whilst preserving the values and culture that have contributed to our success.

You will champion a culture of continuous improvement, building on existing strengths and supporting colleagues to deliver consistently high-quality teaching, learning and support. With the learner experience at the heart of your leadership, you will ensure that quality improvement is purposeful, evidence-informed and focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for students. You will provide visible leadership for safeguarding, wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion, while championing the continued development of the curriculum.

The role presents significant opportunities to further enhance higher education, strengthen progression pathways and respond creatively to evolving skills priorities. You will encourage innovation across the College, ensuring that developments in technology and digital learning are harnessed in ways that enrich educational experiences and deliver meaningful impact for learners.

Beyond the organisation, you will act as an influential ambassador for South Staffordshire College, developing trusted relationships with employers, schools, universities, local authorities, regional partners and neighbouring colleges. Through this you will enhance the College’s reputation and maximise its contribution to skills development, social mobility and economic growth. An appreciation of the distinct communities served by the College’s five colleges will be fundamental to this work.

Internally, you will build on the College’s positive and inclusive culture, providing leadership to the Executive and Senior Leadership Teams while empowering colleagues across the organisation to succeed. Through visible, authentic and collaborative leadership, you will maintain high levels of engagement, trust and accountability, ensuring that organisational decisions remain connected to the experiences of students, staff and stakeholders.

As Accounting Officer, you will be responsible for the effective stewardship of public resources, maintaining the highest standards of financial probity, governance and regulatory compliance. You will ensure that financial resilience, estate development and commercial opportunities are aligned to the College’s educational mission, enabling South Staffordshire College to continue investing confidently in its future.

Ultimately, this is an opportunity to build on the strengths of a successful college, shape a shared vision for its future and make a lasting difference to learners, communities and the wider region.

Who we are looking for

We are seeking an authentic, collaborative leader with significant senior and strategic leadership experience within further education or a comparable education-focused organisation. You will bring a proven track record of setting and delivering strategy, leading improvement, navigating change and developing high-performing teams and cultures.

You will recognise the transformative power of vocational education and the vital role colleges play in widening opportunity, advancing social mobility and supporting economic growth. You will bring educational and curriculum credibility, together with the ability to lead a broad and diverse portfolio of provision and champion learners with different aspirations, starting points and support needs. As an active ambassador for the College, you will build our profile, extend our influence and develop productive relationships across the communities and sectors we serve.

You will combine this educational focus with sound financial and commercial judgement. You will understand the funding, accountability and regulatory environment within which colleges operate and be confident working with governing boards, funding bodies and external stakeholders. You will be able to balance ambition with pragmatism, ensuring resources are deployed effectively whilst maintaining a clear focus on quality and learner outcomes.

You will bring experience of curriculum innovation, strategic partnerships, commercial development and income diversification, alongside the ability to identify sustainable opportunities for growth. You will also be able to recognise and respond to emerging challenges and opportunities across the education and skills landscape.

Just as important as your experience will be your leadership style. We are looking for someone who is visible, approachable and calm under pressure; a leader who listens carefully, values the expertise of others and builds trust through openness, integrity and authenticity. You will bring fresh thinking and new perspectives while taking the time to understand and build upon the College’s many strengths.

You will be inquisitive, reflective and evidence-led, willing to challenge constructively, test assumptions and use insight to inform decision-making. You will communicate a compelling vision for the future, inspire confidence in others and create an environment in which colleagues feel supported, empowered and accountable for delivering it.

We welcome applications from experienced Chief Executives, Principals and Group Principals, as well as exceptional senior educational leaders who are ready to take the step into their first Chief Executive & Principal appointment. Previous experience as a Chief Executive and Accounting Officer is desirable rather than essential; you will need to demonstrate the credibility, judgement and leadership capability to fulfil the responsibilities of the role.

Above all, you will share our belief in the potential of every learner and bring the ambition, integrity and commitment to public service needed to lead South Staffordshire College successfully into its next chapter.

Peridot Partners and South Staffordshire College are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and our client expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and an enhanced disclosure (child and adult workforce), and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made.

Thank you for your interest in becoming the next Chief Executive Principal of South Staffordshire College.

This is an exciting and important time for our College. We have seen sustained year on year growth in learner numbers and continue to invest in the quality and breadth of the opportunities we provide. Last year saw the opening of our new site in Tamworth, and recent success in securing significant capital investment provides further opportunities to develop and enhance our estate.

Our ambitions extend well beyond our physical estate. We are actively developing provision in growth sectors including advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, and civil engineering to ensure that our curriculum responds to the skills needs of our local and regional economy. We have a Higher Education strategy that will see us growing our offering and income, providing opportunities that respond to the needs of employers and creating new pathways for our learners. Across everything we do, we will remain focused on delivering a relevant, high-quality curriculum that creates opportunities and secures the best possible outcomes for every individual.

Central to all of this is our commitment to inclusion. We are proud of the opportunities we provide for learners from a wide range of backgrounds, including our high needs, Futures learners. Our next leader will share our absolute commitment to raising aspirations, developing the wider skills needed for employment and ensuring that every learner can achieve their potential.

Our staff will be fundamental to delivering these ambitions. We have an engaged and positive workforce, with a flexible approach to delivery and a strong commitment to wellbeing. The College’s capable and experienced leadership team is backed by a highly supportive governing body. We want our new Chief Executive Principal to recognise the importance of all our people, to develop and empower them and to create an environment in which colleagues can continue to grow, thrive and deliver their very best for our learners.

We are therefore seeking an exceptional leader who can build confidently on the growth and progress already achieved while bringing the strategic foresight to identify and realise the opportunities ahead. You will bring an excellent understanding of the further education and skills sector, strong and influential networks, and the credibility to represent and champion the College with employers, education providers, local and regional partners, government and our wider communities.

For the Board, how this is achieved matters just as much as what is achieved. We are looking for a balanced, strategic and people focused leader who can combine ambition with sound judgement. You should be someone who listens, brings people with them, easily collaborates and who is unafraid to challenge and be challenged. Above all, you must share our unwavering commitment to providing outstanding educational opportunities and securing the best possible outcomes for every learner we serve.

If you are excited by the opportunity to lead a growing, ambitious and distinctive College, and believe you have the leadership capability, experience and vision to help shape our next chapter, I hope you will consider joining us.

Andrew Elsby-Smith
Chair of Governors
South Staffordshire College

About us

South Staffordshire College is a vocational college serving learners, employers and communities across Staffordshire. Our five colleges have distinct identities and local relationships, brought together by a shared commitment to quality, inclusion and a positive student experience. From our provision in Cannock and Lichfield to our land-based offer at Rodbaston and our investment in Tamworth, we respond to the different needs and opportunities of the communities we serve.

Our provision supports young people taking their first steps towards a career, adults developing new skills, apprentices learning in the workplace and students progressing to higher-level study. We recognise that success looks different for every learner, and that effective education combines ambitious teaching with the support people need to achieve and move forward.

Our breadth is one of our strengths. Alongside our wider vocational and technical offer, our land-based provision at Rodbaston is an important part of the College’s identity. We also have substantial provision for learners with special educational needs and disabilities, including Futures provision for learners with severe disabilities. Ensuring that these learners are fully represented in our ambitions is central to our inclusive mission.

Recent investment has strengthened our facilities, including the completed Tamworth development and provision in rail, civil engineering and infrastructure. We are also exploring the contribution of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and digital innovation to teaching and learning. Our next Chief Executive & Principal will help us connect these developments with a coherent strategy for future skills, learner progression and sustainable growth.

Our values guide the way we work:

• Supportive: providing a friendly, inclusive environment and strong support for students and staff.
• Transparent: communicating clearly and openly across the college community.
• Ambitious: prioritising high achievement, skills development and world‑class education.
• Respectful: creating a safe, diverse environment where everyone belongs and is valued.
• Sustainable: planning for long‑term financial health and working towards becoming a carbon‑neutral organisation.

These values shape our culture, our relationships and the impact we strive to make in every community we serve.

We understand that different members of the community have different access needs and have made some modifications to the way we do business to accommodate people from diverse communities and abilities.

We offer the following amenities:

• Step free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms, and an accessible workstation
• Accessibility dogs are welcome
• Interviews can be held in meeting rooms that support hearing loops
• Papers and materials can be presented in different formats
• A sign language interpreter can be accessed for interview
• Working patterns and locations can be adjusted

We are a disability confident employer and hold silver accreditation for Investors in Diversity (2025)

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 30th November 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: Friday 11th November 2026
First stage interviews: Thursday 7th January 2027
Second stage interviews: Thursday 14th January 2027

Peridot and South Staffordshire College are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions.We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.

The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018.

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