Head of Student Development in Sheffield

The Sheffield College is a large, vibrant, and diverse further education college. We are proud of how the College contributes to meeting local skills needs and transforms lives through learning. We have high aspirations and standards for ourselves, our students, and our apprentices (students). This role is key in supporting our strategic ambition to ensure the College is a great place to learn and ensuring our students gain the attributes, skills and qualifications they need to go further.

This role will specifically support our ambitions to provide all students with the best possible experience across the college through leadership of our student induction, tutorial, and cross-college enrichment (SHAPE) offer. The postholder will support the development and implementation of college-wide culture, policy and practice to foster a safe, positive, and respectful student experience.

The key objectives for the role include:

• Ensuring there is an effective college-wide induction, tutorial and enrichment offer, that meets the needs of our students, in line with the Sheffield College guarantee
• Increasing student satisfaction with induction, tutorial and cross-college enrichment
• Ensuring that students understand our high expectations through transition, induction and tutorial activities, which contribute to improved student behaviour across college
• Ensuring that key policies and procedures remain up to date, and are enhanced further relational practice and trauma-informed approaches at their core and are consistently implemented across college
• Ensuring direct reports, and other relevant staff (for example, Personal Tutors) participate in role specific professional development
• Supporting curriculum leadership teams to achieve relevant and stretching key performance indicators as agreed through the colleges annual Business Planning process

Main Responsibilities:

As a member of the College Leadership team, reporting to the Director of Student Services, this post will contribute to the Colleges common goals. To achieve these specific duties include, but are not limited to:

• Being a champion of, and contributing to the delivery of the Sheffield College Guarantee
• Leading a whole organisational approach to induction, including supporting initial assessment
• Ensuring there is a clear and consistent approach to tutorial by provision type, which positively impacts on student outcomes
• Ensuring mandatory content for induction and tutorial is approved, communicated and scheduled for delivery by academy and sector teams
• Collaborating with academy and sector teams to ensure that all students benefit from a purposefully sequenced, relevant, modern and impactful PSHE curriculum
• Developing a programme of cross-college enrichment activities which support students to develop skills and attributes
• Engaging external partners to provide opportunities and learning for students which enrich and enhance their experience at college
• Ensuring the delivery of an effective staff CPD programme which enables a trauma-informed, inclusive and relational approach whenever engaging with students
• Contributing to the development and leading the implementation of policies related to student induction, tutorial and enrichment
• Supporting the development, and leading the implementation of our Parent/Carer Engagement procedures and processes
• Working with appropriate teams to further develop our data capture and reporting mechanisms for key metrics
• Accessing and analysing key data, ensuring that improvement actions are targeted and reviewed to ensure positive impact on key metrics
• Providing dynamic, visible, and effective leadership and direction, ensuring that a solution focused, and supportive culture of continuing professional development inspires, enables, empowers, and motivates staff to achieve high standards of performance
• Supporting the development of the College brand. Recognising, developing, and working with Marketing to effectively promote new opportunities for the area and college, which support the strategic plan and maximise the college brands potential
• Supporting value for money by contributing to the strategic direction of the annual business planning for student attendance and behaviour
• Ensuring that environmental sustainability is a key consideration in the areas of responsibility working towards the Colleges environmental strategy and net zero ambition
• Deputising for the Director of Student Services when required, representing the college at events

Being an active member of the Colleges Leadership Team, you will work collaboratively with other members of that team to deliver The Sheffield Colleges strategy and objectives. The portfolio of responsibilities will be reviewed so that it evolves as part of the Colleges strategic growth and success. You will carry out other duties as may be commensurate with the post which do not change the character or purpose of the post which are necessary to maintain high quality standards of business practice.

Line Management and Cross College Working:

You will be part of the Colleges Leadership Team and will need to work collaboratively with members of the team across the College to deliver the Colleges strategy and objectives. You will be required to participate in cross-college teams and working groups on key projects. You will attend relevant internal committees and groups, representing safeguarding, student well-being and Student Experience. This will include regular attendance at college operational groups, College Leadership Team meetings and other corporate meetings by invitation, preparing and presenting papers as required.

Other Responsibilities:

You will act as a role model to colleagues, ensuring that the responsibilities of the post are carried out in a way that reflects the standards, vision, and values of the College. To proactively promote and support the College to fulfil its statutory, corporate, and moral responsibilities regarding Safeguarding, EDI, General Data Protection Regulations, Audit and Health and Safety. To act as a member of key College committees or boards as deemed appropriate. To take part in the College Duty Manager rota, supporting the management of campuses on a regular basis. To be an active member of the Colleges communal first aid team. To provide mental health and wellbeing support to students as required.

If you want to find out more about the role please contact us.

What we can offer you:

As the successful candidate, you will be offered a salary of between £47,578 - £52,457 per annum based upon a combination of the skills, knowledge and experience that you can bring to the role.

Our benefits:

• Enhanced Pension contributions scheme with SYPA - 18.6%
• Annual leave - 37 Days (273.8 hours) + 8 Bank Holidays (59.2 hours) - this includes a discretionary Christmas closure period
• Health and wellbeing, we offer Employee assistance programme through Bupa
• Occupational Health through PAM
• Free eye tests for VDU users
• Free Parking is available at the majority of our campuses

Further information can be found on our Benefits and Career Development pages.

Disability Confident:

We are a Disability Confident employer and are committed to removing barriers for applicants with a disability during our recruitment process, upon appointment and as an employee. Please review our Recruitment Guidelines for Disabled Candidates which provides further information on reasonable adjustments and how the Disability Confident scheme works in practice. If you require any reasonable adjustments or any support at any point throughout the process, please contact us.

Armed Forces Covenant:

As part of our commitment through the Armed Forces Covenant, we pledged to support the Armed Forces Community. Recognising the value Personnel, Veterans and military families contribute to our community and country.

Safeguarding:

We are an employer who is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students. Successful applicants will be required to have an enhanced DBS check and will be subject to safer recruiting procedures. Further details on our safer recruiting procedures, including the employment of ex-offenders can be found here.

Next Steps:

To apply: Click apply online and follow the links to complete the online application. For queries regarding the application process, please contact the Recruitment Team. CVs are currently not accepted. As a Leader in Diversity employer, we encourage applications from everyone and value diversity in our workforce. Closing date: 7th April 2026. Please be aware if we have a high number of applications, we may decide to close the vacancy earlier.