Strategic Lead - Skills for Work - New Directions College
| Posting date: | 24 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £44,075 to £50,269 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 09 March 2026 |
| Location: | Reading, Berkshire |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Reading Borough Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: |
Summary
Are you an ambitious Further Education leader ready to shape the future of adult learning in Reading? At New Directions College, we’re looking for an exceptional Strategic Lead – Skills for Work to drive performance, innovation and impact across one of our largest curriculum areas. This is a pivotal leadership role with the opportunity to make a tangible difference to learners’ lives, local employers and the wider community.
We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.
We support hybrid working, it’s important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you’ll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.
To find out more about New Directions College visit: https://www.newdirectionsreading.ac.uk
About The Role:
You will provide strategic and operational leadership across our diverse Skills for Work provision, including:
Arts, Crafts & Wellbeing
Employability & Hospitality (including SEND provision)
Early Years & Digital Skills
Apprenticeships and vocational programmes
You will lead curriculum development, quality improvement and performance management to ensure outstanding teaching, learning and assessment across all programmes.
You’ll champion a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring strong learner outcomes, excellent compliance, and a consistently high-quality experience.
As a Senior Leader within the College, you will:
Lead and develop Curriculum Leads, Lead Tutors and delivery teams
Drive performance against recruitment, attendance, retention and achievement targets
Oversee Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) across the College
Build strong partnerships with employers, schools and community stakeholders
Ensure full compliance with funding and audit requirements
Lead self-assessment and quality improvement planning
About You:
We’re seeking a confident, strategic FE leader with:
A degree (or equivalent) and recognised teaching qualification (DTLLS or equivalent)
Proven operational leadership experience within Further Education
A strong track record of curriculum planning, design and quality improvement
Experience leading and developing staff to achieve high performance
Knowledge of funding compliance, audit requirements and data integrity
Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
A genuine commitment to inclusion, equality and improving life chances
You’ll be ambitious, resilient and highly organised — able to balance strategic vision with operational delivery.
Additional Information:
Enhanced DBS check required (including barred lists for children and vulnerable adults)
Some evening and occasional weekend working required
Annual leave restrictions apply during key term start periods and Ofsted inspections
You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.
Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:
Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do
Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential.
Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way.
Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed.
Our offer:
We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition are strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.
A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:
Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
A wide range of flexible working opportunities
Modern working environment at New Directions College in Reading
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work
Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax
For more information on this position please contact Lisa Welch – Adult Learning & Skills Manager and Principal of New Directions College – lisa.welch@reading.gov.uk
Closing Date: Monday 9th March 2026
Interview Date: To be confirmed
Interview Setup: In person at New Directions College, 330 Northumberland Avenue, Reading, RG2 8DH
We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.
We support hybrid working, it’s important to us that working arrangements are designed to enable our employees to excel and within this role you’ll have the opportunity to work in a way that suits your lifestyle.
To find out more about New Directions College visit: https://www.newdirectionsreading.ac.uk
About The Role:
You will provide strategic and operational leadership across our diverse Skills for Work provision, including:
Arts, Crafts & Wellbeing
Employability & Hospitality (including SEND provision)
Early Years & Digital Skills
Apprenticeships and vocational programmes
You will lead curriculum development, quality improvement and performance management to ensure outstanding teaching, learning and assessment across all programmes.
You’ll champion a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring strong learner outcomes, excellent compliance, and a consistently high-quality experience.
As a Senior Leader within the College, you will:
Lead and develop Curriculum Leads, Lead Tutors and delivery teams
Drive performance against recruitment, attendance, retention and achievement targets
Oversee Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) across the College
Build strong partnerships with employers, schools and community stakeholders
Ensure full compliance with funding and audit requirements
Lead self-assessment and quality improvement planning
About You:
We’re seeking a confident, strategic FE leader with:
A degree (or equivalent) and recognised teaching qualification (DTLLS or equivalent)
Proven operational leadership experience within Further Education
A strong track record of curriculum planning, design and quality improvement
Experience leading and developing staff to achieve high performance
Knowledge of funding compliance, audit requirements and data integrity
Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
A genuine commitment to inclusion, equality and improving life chances
You’ll be ambitious, resilient and highly organised — able to balance strategic vision with operational delivery.
Additional Information:
Enhanced DBS check required (including barred lists for children and vulnerable adults)
Some evening and occasional weekend working required
Annual leave restrictions apply during key term start periods and Ofsted inspections
You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.
Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:
Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do
Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential.
Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way.
Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed.
Our offer:
We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition are strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.
A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:
Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
A wide range of flexible working opportunities
Modern working environment at New Directions College in Reading
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work
Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax
For more information on this position please contact Lisa Welch – Adult Learning & Skills Manager and Principal of New Directions College – lisa.welch@reading.gov.uk
Closing Date: Monday 9th March 2026
Interview Date: To be confirmed
Interview Setup: In person at New Directions College, 330 Northumberland Avenue, Reading, RG2 8DH
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.