Director of Learning and Teaching

LIPA; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme

Generous holiday entitlement

Complimentary tickets to LIPA productions

Job summary

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) is seeking an exceptional Director of Learning & Teaching to join its Executive Leadership Team. This pivotal role will lead the development of an innovative curriculum across undergraduate and postgraduate provisions, ensuring excellence in teaching and student outcomes.

The successful candidate will possess a degree and postgraduate qualification in a relevant creative discipline, and extensive experience in higher education and the creative industries. This is a significant opportunity to shape the future of creative learning.

We offer generous holiday entitlement, access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, and a vibrant creative community.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience of specialist higher education and the creative industries.
• Strong track record of leadership in learning and teaching.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of an innovative, practice-informed curriculum.
• Ensure excellence in teaching, curriculum quality, and student outcomes.
• Champion values and drive continuous improvement in the learning environment.

Skills

Strategic and operational leadership in learning and teaching

Curriculum development and academic innovation

Impact on student success and quality enhancement

Education

Degree and postgraduate qualification in a relevant creative discipline

Job description

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) is internationally recognised as a world-leading centre of excellence for creative learning and vocational training across the performing arts and wider creative economies. We are renowned for the quality of our teaching, our professional‑standard facilities, and the achievements of our graduates and alumni.

Founded by Sir Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone‑Witty OBE, and based in Liverpool’s historic Georgian Quarter, we are an independent higher education institution with a distinctive heritage and global outlook. Our purpose is to inspire, and develop performers, practitioners, technicians, managers and creative leaders for sustained careers who will influence and inform the future of the creative industries. Our learning environment integrates world‑class teaching, project‑based learning and industry collaboration to prepare graduates for meaningful and sustainable careers across the UK and internationally.

This is a pivotal moment in our development. We have secured probationary New Degree Awarding Powers, are expanding our academic portfolio and campus, and are celebrating our 30th anniversary.

The Role

We are seeking to appoint an exceptional Director of Learning & Teaching to join the Executive Leadership Team. The postholder will play a central strategic and operational role in embedding our New Degree Awarding Powers and advancing a cohesive, high‑performing creative learning environment.

The successful candidate will lead the continued development of an innovative, practice and industry‑informed curriculum across undergraduate and postgraduate provision, ensuring excellence in teaching, curriculum quality and student outcomes. The role carries institution‑wide responsibility for academic quality and standards, curriculum development and enhancement, teaching innovation and professional practice, and the delivery of an outstanding and inclusive student experience. You will champion our values and drive continuous improvement, fostering a culture of ambition, collaboration and professional excellence across all areas of provision.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will hold a degree and postgraduate qualification in a relevant creative discipline and bring extensive experience of specialist higher education and the creative industries. You will demonstrate a strong track record of strategic and operational leadership in learning and teaching, curriculum development and academic innovation, alongside clear evidence of impact on student success, quality enhancement and institutional performance.

This is a significant opportunity to shape the future of our creative learning environment at a defining point in our journey and to influence the development of the next generation of creative professionals.

Our Strategic Framework

Our strategic direction is shaped by six interconnected themes: Excellence, with the ambition to be globally recognised for creative learning and vocational training; Equity, embedding inclusion, belonging and opportunity across the institution; Environment, ensuring sustainability across finance, campus, technology and operations; Empowerment, enhancing the experience of students, staff and alumni; Employability, embedding career readiness and industry relevance across learning; and Entrepreneurship, fostering creativity, innovation and enterprise.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to being a diverse, inclusive and forward‑thinking employer. Equity and inclusion are integral to our culture, decision‑making and academic practice. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and particularly encourage interest from groups currently under‑represented within our community, including people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, and those identifying as female, non‑binary or trans. Appointments are made on merit.

Join Us

You will join a vibrant creative community defined by collaboration, professional practice and student‑centred learning. Working alongside committed colleagues and talented students, you will contribute to the continued evolution of one of the world’s leading centres for creative education and vocational training.

We offer access to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, generous holiday entitlement, complimentary tickets to LIPA productions, and the opportunity to join a unique international community of creatives and cultural leaders.

The successful candidate will ideally be available to start September 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Closing date for applications: Friday 10 April 2026 at 12.00 noon

CV’s will not be accepted.