Head of Apprenticeship Quality

LT Selection; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 58,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm is seeking a Head of Apprenticeship Quality to lead strategic initiatives and ensure compliance across apprenticeship programs. The successful candidate will possess strong leadership experience in apprenticeship quality within higher education and demonstrate a track record of managing high-performing teams. This senior role is based in Manchester and offers hybrid working arrangements as part of the employment terms. Strong knowledge of Ofsted and other regulatory frameworks is essential.

Qualifications

• The candidate must have senior-level experience in apprenticeship quality within a Higher Education or complex training environment.
• Confidence in influencing across faculties at the institutional level is required.
• In-depth knowledge of Ofsted, DfE, and OfS frameworks is essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for apprenticeship quality.
• Lead compliance with DfE, Ofsted, OfS, and ESFA frameworks.
• Oversee quality assurance and continuous improvement planning.

Skills

Senior leadership experience within apprenticeships, quality, or compliance

Strong stakeholder management skills across academic, employer, and professional services settings

Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams

Education

Experience of inspection frameworks and regulatory requirements

Job description

Job Description

Head of Apprenticeship Quality

Location: Manchester (Hybrid)

Salary: £58,225 – £67,468 (Grade 10)

Contract: Fixed-term / Contract

Hours: Full-time

About the Organisation

LT Selection is proud to be recruiting exclusively on behalf of our client. We believe that everyone we connect with an employer positively impacts the further education, skills, and employment sector.

Our client is a large, high-performing UK university with a nationally recognised apprenticeship unit. The organisation has achieved Outstanding outcomes across all inspection categories and continues to demonstrate exceptional employer and apprentice satisfaction. Working with hundreds of employers across public, private, and SME sectors, the apprenticeship provision delivers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes that are academically rigorous, employer-led, and impact-driven.

This role sits within a senior leadership team responsible for sustaining excellence, managing risk, and future-proofing apprenticeship quality as provision continues to scale.

The Role

The Head of Apprenticeship Quality will provide strategic leadership across all apprenticeship programmes, ensuring outstanding quality, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement.

This is a senior, trust-based leadership role with responsibility for safeguarding inspection outcomes, strengthening systems and processes, and enabling academic and professional services teams to deliver consistently high-performing provision.

The post holder will act as a key point of assurance for apprenticeship quality, regulatory alignment, and employer confidence.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for apprenticeship quality in line with the organisation’s Apprenticeship Strategy, Education Strategy, and long-term institutional plan
• Lead and maintain compliance with DfE, Ofsted, OfS, ESFA, and associated regulatory frameworks
• Oversee quality assurance, self-assessment, and continuous improvement planning across apprenticeship provision
• Support and challenge academic teams to deliver high-quality programmes with strong success rates and positive learner outcomes
• Build and sustain effective partnerships with employers, academic faculties, and professional services teams
• Embed robust systems and processes that reduce organisational risk and enhance the apprentice journey
• Prepare the organisation for inspection activity and ongoing regulatory scrutiny
• Lead, motivate, and develop teams responsible for quality, compliance, and assurance

About the Candidate

The successful candidate will bring senior-level experience in apprenticeship quality within a Higher Education or complex training environment.

You will be confident operating at institutional level, influencing across faculties, and providing assurance to senior stakeholders. Experience of inspection frameworks and regulatory requirements is essential.

Essential experience includes:

• Senior leadership experience within apprenticeships, quality, or compliance
• In-depth knowledge of Ofsted, DfE, and OfS frameworks
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams
• Experience managing quality systems, self-assessment, and improvement planning
• Strong stakeholder management skills across academic, employer, and professional services settings

Desirable:

• Experience as an Ofsted Inspector or equivalent
• Recent, hands-on experience of HE apprenticeship provision

Working Arrangements

The organisation supports flexible and hybrid working arrangements, which can be discussed as part of the recruitment process. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout recruitment and employment.

Safeguarding Statement

This organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of learners and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The role is subject to appropriate pre-employment checks, including eligibility to work in the UK.

Requirements

Apprenticeship quality leadership, higher education apprenticeships, Ofsted frameworks, OfS compliance, DfE compliance, ESFA funding rules, quality assurance systems, self-assessment report SAR, quality improvement plan QIP, inspection readiness, regulatory compliance, apprenticeship governance, employer engagement, academic stakeholder management, curriculum quality assurance, assessment and EPA oversight, learner journey improvement, risk management, safeguarding and prevent duty, continuous improvement, data-driven quality improvement, quality audits, programme assurance, staff performance management, leadership and team development, HE quality frameworks, apprenticeship strategy delivery