Head of Operations (Apprenticeships & Skills)

Based: London / Home

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Are you detail-oriented with a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach? Do you have significant operational leadership experience within apprenticeships or regulated education? Have you got a strong understanding of apprenticeship delivery models, funding rules, and regulatory requirements? Then apply for our Head of Operations (Apprenticeships & Skills) role, based in our London office/ Home Based.

Role Overview:

The Head of Operations is responsible for the effective, compliant, and efficient operational delivery of Walbrook’s apprenticeship and skills provision. The role leads the day-to-day operation of apprenticeship programmes across Levels 3–6 and modular provision aligned to the Growth and Skills Levy, ensuring a high-quality learner and employer experience, strong operational controls, and consistent readiness for inspection and audit. The postholder translates organisational strategy into operational delivery, providing clear leadership, oversight, and decision-making across teams, systems, and processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Operational Delivery
  • Lead the end-to-end operational delivery of apprenticeship and skills programmes, from onboarding through completion and outcomes.
  • Ensure delivery models are effective, scalable, and consistently applied across programmes.
  • Act as the senior operational escalation point for delivery issues and constraints.
  • Ensure operational processes are clearly defined, embedded, and continuously improved.
• Compliance, Readiness & Risk
  • Ensure operational compliance with ESFA funding rules, apprenticeship regulations, and contractual requirements.
  • Maintain oversight of operational readiness for audit and inspection activity, working closely with Compliance and Quality teams.
  • Ensure gateway readiness processes are robust, consistent, and effectively applied.
  • Identify and manage operational risks, escalating material issues where appropriate.
• Inspection & Quality Interface
  • Support inspection preparation and activity through coordination of operational evidence and staff readiness.
  • Work with Quality colleagues to embed inspection-ready practice into day-to-day operations.
  • Ensure operational actions arising from inspection feedback or internal review are implemented effectively.
• Performance & Management Information
  • Set and oversee operational KPIs relating to learner progress, retention, timeliness, achievement, and delivery health.
  • Ensure accurate and timely operational reporting to senior leadership.
  • Use data to identify trends, delivery pressures, and improvement priorities.
  • Drive operational improvement based on performance insight.
• Lead, manage, and develop apprenticeship and skills operations teams
  • Set clear expectations, accountability, and performance standards.
  • Support induction, development, and performance management of staff.
  • Ensure new roles, processes, and systems are embedded effectively.
• Stakeholder & Internal Collaboration
  • Work closely with Employer Engagement, Compliance, Quality, Finance, and Academic teams to ensure joined-up delivery.
  • Act as the operational interface between apprenticeship delivery and HE academic systems and processes.
  • Support strong employer relationships through consistent, high-quality operational delivery.
  • Act as a Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) for apprenticeship and skills provision.
  • Ensure safeguarding processes, referrals, and escalation routes are effective and understood.
  • Support learner wellbeing, CIAG, and support arrangements through operational oversight.
  • Maintain appropriate safeguarding training and up-to-date knowledge.
  • Contribute to apprenticeship strategy, translating growth plans into operational delivery models.
  • Support the launch of new standards or programmes, ensuring operational readiness.
  • Identify and implement systems, tools, or technologies to improve scalability and learner experience.

Skills and Qualification:

• Significant operational leadership experience within apprenticeships or regulated education.
• Strong understanding of apprenticeship delivery models, funding rules, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience leading and developing operational teams.
• Strong data literacy and ability to use performance information to drive improvement.
• Experience supporting Ofsted inspection.
• Experience operating across FE and HE delivery environments.
• Familiarity with learner management systems and operational reporting tools.

Personal Attributes:

• Credible and calm operational leader.
• Comfortable making decisions and holding boundaries.
• Detail-oriented with a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach.
• Collaborative and improvement-driven.

We support our staff to create work-life balance which works for them and welcome candidates looking for career flexibility. We are open to discussing flexible working at interview stage.

Safer Recruitment

Before applying for this role, please read our Safer Recruitment Policy - www.walbrook.ac.uk/about-us/vacancies.

Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check

For regulatory purposes, the successful candidate will be required to undergo an Enhanced+Barring (Children) DBS check.

Before applying for any role please read our Recruitment Privacy Policy found on our website. You will find the link by clicking about us and selecting Work with Us.

To apply, please send your CV with a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role, to recruitment@walbrook.ac.uk. Please note: CVs submitted without a covering letter will not be considered.

If you are shortlisted for interview, you will need to complete and submit an application form as part of our Safer Recruitment Policy. This will be sent to you if you are successful in the next stage.

Please note: depending on the number of applications we receive, we may close this advert early. Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, it may not be possible to respond to applicants who are unsuccessful.

As part of your salary and benefits package, you’ll receive:

• Enhanced pension plan
• Occupational sick pay (enhanced above SSP)
• Private medical insurance (dependent on job family)
• Buying of annual leave (discretionary)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Free eyesight tests and vouchers towards the purchase of glasses
• Life insurance (8x basic salary)
• Perkbox membership (retail, lifestyle and entertainment discounts)
• Season ticket and health club interest-free loans

Time-off / Leave Benefits:

• Generous holiday entitlements, increasing with length of service
• Exceptional absence days (paid discretionary time off)