Head of Academic Enhancement and Innovation

Location: Brighton / Sheffield / Remote (hybrid working)

Remit: Group

Hours of work: 35 hours per week

Reports to: COO

Remuneration: £53,000 - £58,000 p.a.

About WaterBear - The College of Music

WaterBear is a college of music with campuses in Sheffield and Brighton, and a thriving online provision. The college is an innovator in the sector, with a unique approach to brand, collaborations and a flexible course delivery model. We are a College of Falmouth University and benefit from a close strategic relationship with our university partner. All courses at WaterBear have music at their heart. The student demographic includes a number of mature professionals with established careers, as well as younger, highly motivated degree and master’s students. Our on-board student population numbers approximately 1,000 (as at September 2025), and is set to grow to around 1200 from September 2026. Appointment to this post is an opportunity for the successful applicant to become an integral part of this exciting team, and fundamental to the WaterBear story.

Job Role and Purpose

The Head of Academic Enhancement and Innovation is a senior, group-wide role with responsibility for ensuring that every aspect of the student experience – from teaching and curriculum to events, industry engagement, and campus environments – is cohesive, inspiring, and unmistakably aligned with the WaterBear brand and ethos. The successful candidate will work closely and collaboratively with the respective leaders of education, careers and industry and estates / facilities teams across all campuses, ensuring a supportive and helpful approach, in the spirit of continuous improvement, enhancement and innovation. They will exert influence through collaboration, evidence and credibility, as opposed to hierarchy, and act as a connector across the teams, working in a non-siloed way. Particular attention to the continued development of our newer Sheffield campus will be a key focus of the postholder, ensuring it matures whilst maintaining the same high standards, reputation, and appeal as our more established Brighton campus.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Academic Enhancement and Quality Improvement

• Lead college-wide academic enhancement activities to improve teaching, learning, and assessment.
• Identify cross-course themes, risks, and opportunities using data, student feedback, and outcomes.
• Design and implement targeted interventions to address areas of inconsistency or underperformance.
• Support course teams in developing and delivering improvement plans.
• Embed a culture of continuous improvement rather than periodic review.
• Play a central role in the annual review of the freelance teaching faculty, recommending and helping source high-quality faculty members.
• Ensure industry-focussed activities are explicitly linked to relevant classroom delivery and curriculum, fostering an intrinsic approach to industry engagement.

• Work alongside existing academic leadership to support effective quality assurance processes.
• Ensure enhancement activity aligns with and meets the conditions of registration set by the Office for Students.
• Translate regulatory and external examiner insights into practical improvements.
• Contribute to quality reporting, reviews, and submissions where required.
• Maintain clear separation between assurance (checking) and enhancement (improving).

• Lead periodic, structured curriculum review activities across programmes.
• Ensure curriculum alignment with current and emerging music industry practices and thinking.
• Support development of new programmes, modules, and short-course offerings.
• Embed employability, portfolio careers, and industry-readiness within the business curricula.
• Establish and manage a structured pipeline for new ideas and innovation.
• Design, implement, and evaluate pilot initiatives (e.g. new delivery models, technologies, partnerships).
• Explore and integrate emerging practices in music education and technology.
• Ensure innovation activity is purposeful, manageable, and aligned to strategy.

• Drive the development and improvement of tutor training activities.
• Design and deliver initiatives to improve teaching effectiveness across the freelance teaching faculty.
• Support industry practitioners in developing strong pedagogical approaches.
• Undertake regular lesson observations and facilitate peer observation, sharing of best practice, and reflective teaching.
• Identify and scale high-impact teaching methods across courses and campuses.

• Maintain awareness of developments in UK higher education and music industry practice.
• Build relationships with local and nationwide industry partners to inform curriculum development and innovation.
• Contribute to external networks, partnerships, and collaborative opportunities.
• Support positioning of WaterBear as the leading forward-thinking and industry-relevant music HE provider.

• Carry out regular “vibe-checks” at each campus to ensure consistent look and feel, ensuring the WaterBear brand is being effectively expressed throughout.

• Analyse student journey data (continuation, completion, progression) across programmes.
• Analyse progression rates into industry, ensuring Graduate Outcomes Scores (GOS) remain high.
• Oversee the annual NSS, working closely with education teams to ensure high-level engagement and outcomes.
• Ensure student feedback is systematically reviewed and acted upon, closing the feedback loop by evidencing and communicating changes to students.
• Work collaboratively with student support functions to improve outcomes.
• Develop tangible alumni-specific activities, designed to promote meaningful engagement and dialogue with all WaterBear alumni.

• Provide regular reports as required by the executive team.
• Provide activity updates against KPIs at regular SMT meetings.
• Use data and insight to inform enhancement priorities and decision-making.
• Track impact of enhancement and innovation initiatives over time.
• Support senior leadership with evidence-based recommendations.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• At least 5 years’ experience in higher education management
• Knowledge and experience of UKHE regulatory frameworks
• Experience of Quality Assurance and Improvement processes
• Qualified to Degree level
• Strong ability to connect creative, academic, and operational elements
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on, detail-oriented approach
• Skills in leadership, influence, and cross-team collaboration
• Passion for innovation, quality, and student outcomes
• Highly organised and able to implement processes and procedures
• High-level skills in communication, motivation and training
• Strong organisation skills
• Willingness to adopt a flexible approach to working
• Reliable with excellent time keeping and time management
• Accuracy and efficiency in data capture and reporting.

Desirable:

• Solid understanding of current music industry practices
• Knowledge and experience of the portfolio career model for creatives
• Established music industry networks
• Music performance experience
• Postgraduate-level qualification(s).

WaterBear is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and identities.

Please apply in writing with a cover letter and CV to jobs@waterbear.org.uk

Application deadline: Sunday 31st May, 2026

Interviews: June 2026.