Head of Colleges

Salutem LD Bidco Ltd/ Salutem LD Bidco II Ltd/ Sal; Lancaster; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Influential leadership role

Shape college provision

Collaborative leadership team

Impact learners

Autonomy with support

Leadership development

Job summary

Salutem Care and Education seeks an exceptional educational leader to join the Education Senior Leadership Team as Head of Colleges, providing strategic leadership across six specialist college sites and shaping an ambitious further education strategy that delivers outstanding outcomes for hundreds of learners and adults. You will lead College Principals and drive excellence across multiple sites.

You will champion quality, innovation, and continuous improvement, ensuring a seamless learner

Qualifications

• SEN experience required across education provision.
• Significant senior leadership experience within education.
• Deep knowledge of the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework.
• Experience leading quality improvement and driving measurable outcomes.
• Strong strategic thinking with operational excellence.
• Outstanding leadership, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience managing senior leaders within complex organisations.
• Commitment to inclusion, learner success and educational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Developing and delivering an ambitious vision for our college provision.
• Contributing to organisational strategy as a key member of the Education Senior Leadership Team.
• Creating strong alignment between schools and colleges to ensure clear progression pathways for learners.
• Driving excellence in teaching, learning, assessment, and learner outcomes.
• Leading quality assurance, self-assessment, and improvement planning across all college sites.
• Ensuring Ofsted readiness and embedding a culture of continuous improvement.
• Providing inspirational leadership, support, and challenge to College Principals and senior leaders.
• Building leadership capacity, succession planning, and talent development across the college group.
• Fostering collaboration, accountability, innovation, and high performance across sites.
• Working with education, care, safeguarding, and support services; building partnerships with employers and local authorities.

Skills

SEN experience

Senior leadership

Ofsted knowledge

Quality improvement

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder engagement

People management

Inclusion focus

Education

PGCE or equivalent teaching qualification

SENCO qualification

NPQH or equivalent leadership qualification

Job description

About The Company

Shape the Future of Specialist Education at Salutem At Salutem Care and Education, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to live the life they choose. As one of the UK's leading providers of specialist care, education, and support services, we deliver life-changing outcomes for children, young people, and adults across England and Wales. From residential care and supported living services to schools and colleges, our teams work every day to help individuals achieve their ambitions, maximise their independence, and realise their potential. We are proud to be recognised as a Top Employer United Kingdom 2026 and one of the Top 10 Global Inspiring Workplaces 2026—a reflection of our commitment to creating an environment where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.

About The Role

Transform Lives. Shape Futures. Lead Excellence. We are seeking an exceptional educational leader to join our Education Senior Leadership Team as Head of Colleges, providing strategic leadership across our growing group of six specialist college sites. This is a rare opportunity to influence the lives of hundreds of young people and adults, lead talented College Principals, and shape an ambitious further education strategy that delivers outstanding outcomes, exceptional learner experiences, and sector-leading practice. As Head of Colleges, you will be at the forefront of driving quality, innovation, and continuous improvement across our college provision. Working closely with the Divisional Director, and wider Executive Team, you will ensure a seamless learner journey from school through to further education, creating meaningful pathways that empower learners to achieve their full potential.

Why This Role Matters

Our colleges play a vital role in preparing learners for adulthood, employment, independence, and lifelong success. We are ambitious about what our learners can achieve and equally ambitious about the quality of education we provide. As Head of Colleges, you will lead that ambition. You will inspire and develop a team of College Principals, drive exceptional educational standards, and create a culture where excellence, inclusion, and learner success are at the heart of every decision. This is more than an operational leadership role. It is an opportunity to shape strategy, influence organisational direction, and leave a lasting legacy across multiple sites.

What You'll Be Responsible For

Strategic Leadership

• Developing and delivering an ambitious vision for our college provision.
• Contributing to organisational strategy as a key member of the Education Senior Leadership Team.
• Creating strong alignment between schools and colleges to ensure clear progression pathways for learners.

Quality and Improvement

• Driving excellence in teaching, learning, assessment, and learner outcomes.
• Leading quality assurance, self-assessment, and improvement planning across all college sites.
• Ensuring outstanding preparation for Ofsted inspections and embedding a culture of continuous improvement.
• Using performance data to drive measurable improvements in achievement, retention, attendance, and progression.

Leadership and Culture

• Providing inspirational leadership, support, and challenge to College Principals and senior leaders.
• Building leadership capacity, succession planning, and talent development across the college group.
• Fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and high performance.

Partnership Working

• Working closely with colleagues across education, care, safeguarding, and support services.
• Building strong relationships with employers, local authorities, external partners, and regulatory bodies.
• Representing the organisation confidently within the wider education sector.

About You

You are an accomplished senior leader with significant experience in further education or multi-site educational provision. You have a proven track record of improving educational outcomes, leading successful quality improvement programmes, and navigating organisations through Ofsted inspections with confidence and credibility. You will bring:

• Special Educational Needs experience
• Significant senior leadership experience within education.
• Deep knowledge of the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework.
• Experience leading quality improvement and driving measurable outcomes.
• Strong strategic thinking combined with operational excellence.
• Outstanding leadership, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience managing senior leaders within complex organisations.
• A commitment to inclusion, learner success, and educational excellence.

Essential Qualifications

• PGCE or equivalent teaching qualification.

Desirable Qualifications

• SENCO qualification.
• NPQH or equivalent leadership qualification.

What We Offer

• A highly influential leadership role with genuine organisational impact.
• The opportunity to shape and develop a growing college provision.
• A collaborative and values-driven Executive and Senior Leadership Team.
• The chance to improve life outcomes for learners every day.
• Professional autonomy alongside strong organisational support.
• Ongoing leadership development opportunities.

Location

This is a multi-site leadership role requiring regular travel across our six college locations. Flexibility is essential, including occasional early morning, evening, and off-site meetings. You will need to work a majority of your time at our Lancaster school.

Our Core Values

• Supportive: Helping everyone reach their full potential.
• Ambitious: Striving for the best outcomes.
• Loyal: Prioritising our staff and the people we support.
• Unique: Innovating without compromising quality.
• Transparent: Fostering openness and mutual respect.
• Engaging: Partnering with everyone involved.
• Meaningful: Offering fulfilling opportunities.

Still not convinced?

• Recognised as a Top Employer United Kingdom 2026 by the Top Employers Institute.
• Named among the Top 100 Global Inspiring Workplaces by Inspiring Workplaces.
• Proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer.

Why Choose Us?

• Emotional Support: 24/7 Employee Assistance, mental health resources, meditation apps, and bereavement support.
• Medical Support: Free Online GP access, Health Cash Plan, Cancer Cover, and Menopause support.
• Financial Support: Flexible pay with Wagestream, utility bill savings, Money Helper, and Life Assurance.
• Physical Support: Online workouts, Cycle to Work scheme, gym discounts, and National Trust activities.

Safeguarding Commitment

At Salutem Care and Education, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to protecting and promoting the welfare of the children, young people, and adults we support, and we expect all colleagues to share this commitment.

All appointments are subject to robust safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (including relevant barred list checks where applicable), satisfactory references, and any other pre-employment checks required for the role.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates who share our values and commitment to making a positive difference