Head of Student Support and Development

This post is based across all centres of Kirklees College Hours: 37 hours per week, 52 weeks per year Are you a dedicated, professional practitioner, highly experienced in delivering outstanding support for students in a post 16 setting? Kirklees College is a large successful FE college, currently Ofsted graded as Good, operating across Kirklees with centres based in Huddersfield and Dewsbury. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work within modern buildings, with excellent on site facilities, such as a fully equipped gym, hair & beauty salon and fine dining restaurant. This is a new and exciting opportunity to lead a large and well-regarded team of student support professionals delivering specialist services to students at all levels of study. Contributing to the shape and delivery of student support and development across Kirklees College, you will support the strategic and operational delivery of a range of statutory, regulatory and sector level agendas relating to supporting diverse student experience and need. You will be an excellent communicator who can demonstrate professional knowledge and substantial experience of effectively managing the delivery of a portfolio of student support services, including embedded mental health and well-being services, tutorials, additional learning support, positive behaviour and equality and diversity in a further education context. With experience of leading and contributing to strategic and policy development, you will build effective working relationships with staff and students to influence decisions and behaviour for sustained impact. You will enjoy engaging with complexity and have the capacity to respond with agility and adaptability to opportunities and challenges; working within appropriate professional boundaries to manage conflicting or competing requirements and difficult situations with care and confidence. Suitable candidates should have minimum of level 2 qualifications in literacy (e.g. GCSE English at grade A*-C), Numeracy (e.g. GCSE Maths at grade A*-C) and IT or able to demonstrate equivalent level of ability. You should also be educated to degree level or equivalent. Candidates must have knowledge and experience of supporting young people and adults in FE and HE, with special educational needs and disabilities, have a good working knowledge of SEND and a sound knowledge of ALS funding. As a learning organisation and as part of our commitment to your continued professional development we may require you to complete an apprenticeship standard or framework that relates to this opportunity. If you have supplied an e-mail address, should you be shortlisted for interview, we will contact you via your e-mail address. If you have any queries about this post please e-mail Kirklees College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As a College we are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community. As an employer, we are committed to exploring opportunities for flexible working and ensuring the work-life balance and wellbeing of our workforce. Visit the Jobs page on our website for further information. With the current situation surrounding Covid19, we are keen to hold interviews remotely to ensure an efficient appointment process.