Curriculum Lead: ESOL

West Sussex County Council; Mid Sussex; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days leave

Local government pension scheme

Hybrid working

Job summary

West Sussex County Council is seeking a qualified ESOL subject specialist to lead English language provision across the county. You will shape an ambitious curriculum, oversee delivery and improvement, and maximise funding opportunities while aligning with local labour market priorities.

You will provide leadership to a team of ESOL tutors, ensure high-quality teaching and learner outcomes across community settings, and work with partners to support social inclusion and employability across West

Qualifications

• Relevant teaching qualification and experience in ESOL provision.
• Experience in curriculum planning, QA and learner journey improvement.
• Understanding of funding models, monitoring and reporting.
• Strong communication and stakeholder relationship skills.
• Ability to interpret legislation and guidance for accurate reports.

Responsibilities

• Delivering Curriculum leadership, including planning, development and managing tutors.
• Leading accredited and non-accredited ESOL provision meeting funding rules.
• Contribute to safeguarding practices and create a culture of safeguarding.
• Track, monitor and report on progress against targets.
• Collaborate with Adult Learning to improve the learner journey.
• Support marketing and promotion of the programme.
• Produce progress reports for Senior Officers, partners and audits.

Skills

Curriculum leadership

Teaching qualification

Stakeholder engagement

Funding knowledge

Reporting & compliance

Communication

Education

Level 4 CET / CTLLS or equivalent

Job description

As a qualified ESOL subject specialist, you will have experience of managing accredited and non-accredited ESOL provision, including the delivery of nationally recognised ESOL qualifications. You will have a strong understanding of post-16 and post-19 funding, including the Adult Skills Fund and 16-19 funding, alongside knowledge of Ofsted requirements, quality standards, curriculum development and learner progression pathways.

You will understand the important role ESOL plays in supporting social integration, community cohesion, employability and access to wider services, and be committed to removing barriers to participation for diverse learner groups.

Working collaboratively with colleagues, employers and stakeholders, you will use your expertise to shape a responsive and innovative curriculum that meets learner aspirations, supports workforce development and reflects the priorities of the communities we serve.

If you are passionate about delivering outstanding learning opportunities and have the vision and expertise to drive curriculum excellence, we would love to hear from you.

Salary: £41,177 to £44,253 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week)

Location: County Hall, Chichester or County Hall North, Horsham

Interview Date: Tuesday 24 November and Thursday 27 November 2026

This is a hybrid role, and the ability to work effectively across both office and home based environments is a requirement.

Regular attendance at your designated base office is mandatory, alongside home working in line with agreed working arrangements. The role also requires occasional travel to other West Sussex County Council sites across the county. As some locations may not be easily accessible by public transport, flexibility to travel is essential. Pool cars and bikes are available for business use.

Working arrangements will be discussed as part of the recruitment process; however, candidates must be able and willing to meet the hybrid working requirements of the role.

About the job

As Curriculum Lead, you will play a key role in shaping and leading English language provision across West Sussex. You will oversee the design, delivery and continuous improvement of an ambitious curriculum that supports learner success, meets community needs, aligns with local labour market priorities and maximises funding opportunities.

You will provide effective leadership, guidance and support to a team of ESOL tutors ensuring consistently high-quality teaching and learning and excellent outcomes for learners at all levels across community settings throughout West Sussex.

There will be some key responsibilities likely to feature in this role, including:

• Delivering Curriculum leadership, drawing together a range of activities to include curriculum planning, curriculum development, quality improvement and managing a team of tutors.

• Leading the development and delivery of accredited and non-accredited ESOL provision, ensuring programmes meet awarding organisation requirements and funding rules.

• Contribute to effective safeguarding practices and lead by example to ensure a culture of safeguarding.

• Track, monitor and report on progress against targets.

• Work with Adult Learning colleagues to continuously improve the 'learner journey.'

• Contribute to the marketing and promotion of the programme.

• Produce and present progress reports to Senior Officers, government bodies, partners and stakeholders, and support audits and contract monitoring visits to ensure compliance and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• Relevant teaching qualification / experience for the provision being delivered, for example minimum of level 4 (CET / CTLLS or equivalent).

• Previous experience of a curriculum leadership role, drawing together a range of activities to include: curriculum planning, quality assurance and improvement of the 'learner journey,' and managing a team of tutors.

• Understanding of benefits monitoring, risk management and mitigation.

• Experience of funding models and associated administrative tasks and statutory responsibilities.

• Sound communication and interpersonal skills in order to interact effectively with partners and stakeholders and create effective working relationships.

• Research, analyse and interpret complex information, legislation and guidance to make sound, evidence-based judgements and produce clear, accurate reports.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please download the job description and person specification.

Rewards and Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 27 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 5 years' service (pro rata for part time plus the opportunity to buy additional leave and an excellent local government pension scheme

A range of discounts give our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.

For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is 207

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, satisfactory references, and a health check.

Any candidates wishing to apply for this position, who would require sponsorship can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for the post by assessing their circumstances against criteria specified on gov.uk website.

Equity, inclusion, accessibility and diversity is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all cultures, ethnicities, identities, backgrounds and lived experiences, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application helppage.