At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and enhance career guidance for students, ensuring they have the best opportunities.
- Company: The Pingle Academy, dedicated to student success and career aspirations.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, wellbeing initiatives, and health support.
- Other info: Join a diverse team committed to equality and creating an inclusive environment.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in students' futures by guiding their career paths.
- Qualifications: Experience in career education and strong leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 25800 - 29262 £ per year.
Location: Coronation Street, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 0QA
Contract Type: Permanent
Contract Term: Full‑Time
Salary: £25,800.00 - £29,262.00 Annually (Actual)
Hours Per Week: 32.5
Weeks Per Year: 39
Closing Date: 25th Jun 2026, 9:00am
Start Date: September 2026
Positions Available: 1
About This Role
We are seeking to appoint an exceptional, experienced and highly committed non‑teaching Careers and Aspirations Lead. This pivotal role is responsible for ensuring the highest standards of information around careers, progression and opportunities for our students are planned and implemented. The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight of careers provision across the academy, ensuring that this essential provision is coherent, age appropriate, aspirational and linked to both the local and global workforce in an ever‑changing world.
Responsibilities
- Working closely with senior leaders, pastoral teams, external agencies, market force leaders and business and our key stakeholders – students and families – you will lead the academy’s career provision, ensuring robust systems, processes and tracking are in place to guide our students, particularly those most vulnerable, into suitable pathways.
- You will work closely with a key senior leader to shape the provision and lead on the implementation, coordinating wider one‑to‑one support focusing on the wider complementary offer within our academy.
Qualifications & Experience
- Significant experience of career education, ideally within an educational or related setting.
- Strong understanding of the Gatsby Benchmark and an ability to differentiate between compliance and excellence, with knowledge of labour market information.
- Awareness of progression routes, including further education, higher education, apprenticeships, technical qualifications, and employment pathways.
- Ability to lead, influence and support colleagues in maintaining the highest standards of ICAG practice.
- Ability to oversee the administration of work experience at KS4 and KS5.
- Knowledge of Unifrog and the ability to utilise its potential.
- Strong organisational, communication and record‑keeping skills.
- Skilled at scrutinising information through rigorous data analysis, identifying potential NEETS and destinations.
- Possess a solution‑focused and resilient approach.
- Ability to build strong, trusting relationships with students, families, colleagues and local business links.
- Ambition to forge international connections to broaden and ignite our offer.
Benefits
- Professional development and CPD through our Professional Growth Model
- Removal of performance‑related pay
- Commitment to dignity and respect in the workplace
- Collaborative working through leadership and staff networks
- Trust‑wide approach to reducing workload
- Wellbeing initiatives supported by our Wellbeing Champion Network
- Employee Assistance Programme and mental health support services
- Access to Benenden Health’s self‑pay private healthcare service
- Discounted gym membership with Everyone Active
- Cycle to Work scheme
- BHSF health cash plan
- Eye care vouchers
- Flu vaccination vouchers
Additional Information
Please note that we do not hold a sponsorship licence and, therefore, are unable to employ individuals residing outside of the UK or candidates living within the UK who require continued sponsorship to work in the UK. All applicants must provide documentation proving their right to work in the UK.
Equality and Diversity
We welcome a broad range of perspectives with a commitment to equality of opportunity by recruiting a diverse workforce, and creating an inclusive environment and a culture of belonging for everyone in Affinity Learning Partnership. We encourage applications from underrepresented communities irrespective of age, disability, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, marriage or civil partnership status, or neurodivergent status. We are happy to make reasonable adjustments wherever possible through the recruitment process.
Careers Leader at The Pingle Academy in Swadlincote employer: The Pingle Academy
The Pingle Academy is an exceptional employer dedicated to fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment in Swadlincote, Derbyshire. With a strong commitment to professional development, our Careers Leader will benefit from tailored CPD opportunities, a collaborative culture, and comprehensive wellbeing initiatives, ensuring a rewarding career path while making a meaningful impact on students' futures.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Careers Leader at The Pingle Academy in Swadlincote
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at The Pingle Academy on LinkedIn. A friendly chat can give us insider info about the role and the culture, plus it shows our genuine interest.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by researching the Gatsby Benchmark and how it applies to careers education. We want to impress them with our knowledge and ideas on how to elevate their career provision!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Get a mate to do a mock interview with us. This helps us articulate our experience and passion for supporting students in their career journeys, making us stand out.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure our application gets noticed and shows we’re serious about joining The Pingle Academy team.
We think you need these skills to ace Careers Leader at The Pingle Academy in Swadlincote
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your experience aligns with the role of Careers Leader. We want to see how you can bring your unique skills to our academy and make a real difference for our students.
Showcase Your Experience:Don’t hold back on sharing your significant experience in career education! We’re looking for someone who understands the Gatsby Benchmark and can differentiate between compliance and excellence, so let us know how you've done this in the past.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. We appreciate well-structured applications that are easy to read. Use bullet points if necessary to make your key achievements stand out!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us directly and is considered promptly. Plus, it shows you’re tech-savvy, which is a bonus!
How to prepare for a job interview at The Pingle Academy
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you’re well-versed in the Gatsby Benchmark and current labour market trends. Brush up on career education practices and be ready to discuss how you can implement these effectively at The Pingle Academy.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've led teams or projects in the past, especially in educational settings. Highlight your ability to influence and support colleagues, as this role requires strong leadership to maintain high standards.
✨Connect with the Community
Demonstrate your understanding of local and global workforce needs. Be ready to discuss how you would build relationships with local businesses and external agencies to enhance career opportunities for students.
✨Be Solution-Focused
Think about challenges you might face in this role, such as supporting vulnerable students. Prepare to share your strategies for overcoming these obstacles and how you would ensure all students have access to suitable pathways.
