Head of School (Health) in Birmingham

• Description
• About School of Coding & AI

School of Coding & AI (So C&AI) is one of the UK’s fastest growing education providers, delivering high quality, career focused programmes across Business, Computing, STEM, Health and Social Care.

We work with schools, universities and sector partners to provide education that leads to real outcomes. Our focus is simple: student first, always.

We are now looking for a Head of School, Health to lead the strategic development, academic quality and continued growth of our Health and Social Care, Public Health and related Higher Education provision.

About the Role

Reporting to the Dean, the Head of School, Health will provide senior academic leadership across So C&AI’s Health portfolio, ensuring the school delivers high quality teaching, strong student outcomes and programmes that are relevant to the needs of the health, care, public health and wider community sectors.

This is a key leadership role for someone who understands the importance of academic quality, student support, professional standards and sector relevance within health-related education.

The postholder will be responsible for shaping the direction of the Health School, strengthening curriculum quality, improving teaching and assessment practice, and ensuring provision is academically robust, compliant and commercially sustainable.

Working closely with the Dean, Subject Leads, academic teams and professional services, the Head of School, Health will build a high-performing academic area with clear standards, effective governance and a strong focus on student success.

The role will require confident leadership across academic quality, regulatory compliance, safeguarding awareness, student conduct, risk management and student support escalation.

The successful candidate will be expected to use data to drive improvement, including student continuation, completion, attainment, progression, satisfaction and graduate outcomes.

They will also play an important role in developing external partnerships, identifying opportunities for new provision and ensuring programmes remain aligned to workforce needs, employer expectations and the wider health and social care landscape.

This is a senior role for someone who can bring structure, credibility and momentum to a growing School, while maintaining high standards, strong governance and a student-centred approach.

• What You’ll Be Doing
• Strategic Leadership
• Set and deliver a clear academic and commercial strategy for the Health School.
• Lead the growth and development of Health and Social Care, Public Health and related provision.
• Shape the School’s portfolio so that programmes remain relevant, career-focused and aligned to sector and workforce needs.
• Identify opportunities for new courses, pathways, partnerships and areas of growth.
• Contribute to senior leadership forums and wider organisational strategy.
• Ensure the School’s direction aligns with So C&AI’s priorities, student outcomes, regulatory expectations and external sector needs.
• Academic Quality & Student Experience
• Own teaching quality, learning outcomes and the overall student experience across the Health School.
• Ensure programmes are delivered to a consistently high standard, with clear expectations around teaching, assessment, feedback and academic support.
• Use data, including NSS, continuation, completion, attainment, progression and graduate outcomes, to identify risks and drive improvement.
• Strengthen student engagement, student voice and the use of feedback to improve provision.
• Embed inclusive, accessible and high-quality education that supports students from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Work with academic and professional services teams to ensure students receive clear, joined up and timely support.
• Curriculum, Practice and Sector Relevance
• Lead curriculum development across Health and Social Care, Public Health and related areas.
• Ensure programmes reflect current sector practice, public health priorities, employer expectations and the needs of local and regional communities.
• Support the development of applied learning, employability, professional skills and practice-focused teaching.
• Ensure students are prepared for progression into health, care, community, public health and related professional environments.
• Work with academic teams to strengthen assessment design, learning materials and programme delivery.
• Encourage scholarship, professional practice and knowledge exchange that enhances teaching quality and student outcomes.
• People Leadership
• Lead and develop academic teams across the Health School.
• Build a high performing, accountable and engaged culture.
• Support Subject Leads and academic staff to deliver strong teaching, student outcomes and operational performance.
• Oversee workforce planning, staff deployment and academic resource planning.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, development and performance management within the school.
• Create a culture of professional standards, collaboration, continuous improvement and student-centred decision making.
• Financial & Operational Management
• Own and manage the Health School budget.
• Ensure financial sustainability and delivery against agreed targets.
• Use student numbers, income, staffing, delivery and performance data to make commercially sound decisions about growth, resourcing and sustainability.
• Optimise the use of staff, space, teaching resources and delivery models.
• Plan effectively for growth, changes in demand, delivery capacity and operational risk.
• Respond effectively to changes in funding, student numbers, sector requirements or regulatory expectations.
• External Partnerships & Profile
• Build and manage relationships with employers, universities, public health bodies, care providers, professional organisations and wider sector partners.
• Develop partnerships that support curriculum relevance, student progression, employability and community impact.
• Represent the Health School externally and strengthen its reputation across the sector.
• Identify opportunities for applied learning, guest speakers, employer engagement, placements or practice-based activity where relevant.
• Work with partners to ensure provision remains responsive to workforce needs and sector expectations.
• Governance, Compliance & Risk
• Ensure full compliance with internal policies, academic regulations and external regulatory requirements.
• Contribute to academic governance, quality assurance and assurance reporting.
• Support preparation for reviews, inspections, validations and regulatory submissions where required.
• Lead on risk management within the school, including academic risk, student support escalation, safeguarding awareness and health and safety.
• Ensure clear processes are in place for student conduct, concerns, complaints, appeals and support referrals.
• Maintain high standards of documentation, decision making and accountability across the school.

Requirements

Essential

• Senior leadership experience within Higher Education, health education, public health, health and social care, or a closely related sector.
• Ph D or equivalent qualification, or equivalent senior professional standing.
• Strong academic or professional credibility within Health and Social Care, Public Health or a related discipline.
• Proven track record of improving academic quality, student outcomes, team performance or portfolio growth, including experience using measures such as continuation, completion, attainment, progression, student satisfaction and graduate outcomes to drive improvement.
• Experience using student data and performance indicators to identify risks and drive improvement.
• Experience managing budgets, resources and staffing at scale.
• Experience working within regulated, accredited or quality-assured education environments.
• Strong understanding of academic governance, quality assurance and student experience within Higher Education.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Ability to lead change, build teams and create clear accountability.
• Clear commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and widening participation.
• Experience with inspections, reviews or frameworks such as QAA, Of S, Ofsted, TEF, PSRBs or equivalent.

Desirable

• Professorial status or equivalent professional standing.
• Experience leading large, multi-site or multidisciplinary academic teams.
• Experience developing new courses or expanding academic provision within Health and Social Care, Public Health or related disciplines.
• Experience building external partnerships across academia, employers, public health, care, community organisations or the wider health sector.
• Experience contributing to Of S, TEF, KEF, validation, review or regulatory submissions.
• Experience of placement, practice-based learning or professional practice requirements, where relevant.
• Understanding of safeguarding, student conduct, fitness to practise or professional standards within health-related education.

Benefits

• Salary £60,000 per annum plus a performance related bonus of up to £15,000.
• Generous annual leave entitlement.
• Pension scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Strong CPD and development opportunities.
• Company and social events.
• Retail discounts through Bright Exchange.
• Free onsite Parking.