Group Head of Employability

Blue Octopus; Kingston upon Thames; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent educational institution in Kingston upon Thames is seeking a Group Head of Employability to lead employability initiatives across the college group. The role involves strategic leadership, developing employer engagement, and ensuring students benefit from meaningful interactions to enhance their employability skills. The ideal candidate holds a relevant degree and has extensive experience in managing staff and projects within education. An attractive benefits package is offered, including generous annual leave and a robust pension scheme.

Benefits

Generous annual leave

Excellent pension scheme

Subsidised sports facilities

Professional development and training

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing and developing staff at a senior level.
• Strong understanding of employability frameworks across FE and HE.
• Experience in leading employer engagement strategy.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for employability across the College Group.
• Develop and implement key initiatives for student employability.
• Monitor progress towards targets and ensure compliance with regulations.

Skills

Leadership

Employer engagement

Curriculum development

Quality assurance

Strategic planning

Education

Degree in employability, education, or business

Job description

South Thames Colleges Group are seeking a Group Head of Employability to provide strategic leadership for employability across the College Group, ensuring a consistent, high-quality approach to employer engagement and work placement opportunities across all colleges. A key aspect of this role is the line management of Heads of Employability within each college, ensuring cohesive planning, delivery, and evaluation of employability-related activities.

The role involves the overall development and implementation of a range of key initiatives to ensure all students benefit from meaningful employer interactions and are supported in developing essential employability skills. You will be responsible for preparing the College Group for the introduction and effective delivery of T Levels, including the planning and quality assurance of industry placements.

You will monitor the progress made by the colleges toward achieving set targets and ensure that health and safety regulations are adhered to, and that robust systems are in place for recording, reviewing, and quality assuring placements. Coordinating employer-led activities for all learners (16–19, T-Levels, apprentices, and HE students) such as Employability Weeks, Careers Fairs, industry-specific events, and guest speaker programmes, you will develop and maintain strategic relationships with employers, employer networks, and industry representatives to enhance opportunities for student progression into work or further training.

As our Group Head of Employability, we would like you to hold a degree or appropriate professional qualification relevant to employability, education, or business and have proven experience of successfully managing and developing staff, including at a senior or cross-organisational level. With sound knowledge of curriculum frameworks across FE and HE, and T Levels, you will have a strong understanding of curriculum development, accreditation, validation, and progression pathways.

With an in-depth understanding of multiple industry sectors relevant to the college group and a record of meaningful employer engagement, you will have a thorough understanding of quality assurance and improvement processes, with the ability to apply these across multiple sites to enhance learner outcomes. You will have significant experience of leading employer engagement strategy, with a proven track record of building and sustaining partnerships and experience of work-based learning provision, including T Levels, apprenticeships, and vocational placements.

Closing date for the return of completed applications is 17th August 2025.

Interviews will take place week commencing 25th August 2025.

The benefits package includes generous annual leave of 37 days plus up to 8 additional days over Christmas/New Year as well as an additional 5 days Wellbeing leave to enhance employees’ physical and mental health. There is an excellent pension scheme that receives a significant financial contribution from the employer (Teachers Pensions or Local Government Pension Scheme), subsidised sports facilities and professional development and training plus a salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme.

South Thames Colleges Group is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.

As outlined in the Public Sector Equality Duty of the Equality Act 2010, we are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

As part of our due diligence checks on prospective employees, successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references, an online search and proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

The South Thames Colleges Group is made up of Carshalton College, Kingston College, Merton College and South Thames College, which merged on 1 August 2017. South Thames Colleges Group is one of London’s largest providers of post-16 education and training and is an ongoing and significant contributor to its local communities. We aim to put students’ success at the heart of everything we do.

We are looking for hard-working and collaborative people who can join our team and help challenge our students to progress and achieve.