Vice Principal - Chief People Officer South & City College Birmingham

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Vice Principal - Chief People Officer South & City College Birmingham

Transforming lives through education. Shape the people, culture and services that will drive South & City College Birmingham's journey towards becoming an exceptional college.

• Location: West Midlands

South & City College Birmingham is seeking an outstanding Vice Principal - Chief People Officer to join its executive leadership team at a pivotal moment in the College's journey. This newly created role offers a rare opportunity to shape organisational culture, drive workforce transformation and build the leadership capability needed to deliver our ambition of becoming an outstanding college.

Leading the people agenda across a large, diverse and values-driven organisation, you will champion a culture of high performance, inclusion and continuous improvement, ensuring our staff are empowered to deliver exceptional outcomes for learners and communities across Birmingham.

We are looking for a strategic, influential and inspirational people leader with a proven track record of organisational development, cultural transformation and executive leadership within a complex environment. Above all, you will be passionate about people and excited by the opportunity to create a lasting legacy in an organisation where education changes lives every day.

Who we are

At South & City College Birmingham, education changes lives. As one of the largest further education colleges in the region, we serve thousands of learners across Birmingham and play a vital role in developing the skills, aspirations and opportunities that strengthen communities and support economic growth.

We are ambitious for our students, our staff and our future. Guided by our vision to become an outstanding college, we are focused on creating an organisation where excellence, innovation and inclusion underpin everything we do. Our strategic plan sets out a clear commitment to delivering exceptional learner experiences, building strong partnerships and ensuring the College remains responsive to the changing needs of employers, communities and the wider economy.

This is a pivotal moment in our journey. Significant developments across the education sector, including qualification reform, workforce challenges and changing legislative requirements, require us to think differently about how we attract, develop and support our people. At the same time, we are committed to strengthening organisational effectiveness, embedding a high-performance culture and ensuring our talented staff have the opportunity to thrive.

Our governors and executive leaders recognise that achieving our ambitions depends upon investing in our people. As a result, we are creating additional executive leadership capacity and making a significant commitment to organisational development, culture and workforce transformation. This is an organisation with a strong educational mission, a collaborative leadership culture and a genuine desire to improve. For the right leader, there is a unique opportunity to make a visible and lasting impact on the College's future direction and success.

About the role

This is a newly created executive leadership position and one of the most strategically important appointments the College will make in the coming years.

As Vice Principal - Chief People Officer, you will join the executive leadership team at a defining moment for the organisation. Created in response to a recognised need for greater executive-level people leadership, the role will provide the strategic capacity required to drive culture change, strengthen organisational effectiveness and develop a workforce strategy fit for the future.

While the portfolio includes responsibility for corporate services functions, this is first and foremost a people and culture leadership role. Approximately 90% of the strategic focus will be centred on workforce development, organisational culture, leadership capability and transformational change. You will take ownership of the people agenda, shape a long-term workforce strategy and lead the implementation of key organisational improvement initiatives, including recommendations arising from a major HR review.

Working closely with the Principal, Mike Hopkins, Deputy Principal, Jacqui Maher, and governors, you will act as a trusted strategic partner and influential advisor, helping to shape executive decision-making and organisational priorities. You will build confidence across the College, strengthen accountability, enhance staff engagement and create an environment where people can perform at their very best.

Success in the role will be measured not only through improved HR practices and organisational systems, but through the lasting cultural legacy you create. Within your first year, you will have established credibility, strengthened workforce planning and begun embedding meaningful culture change. Over time, you will help build a more engaged, capable and future-focused organisation that is equipped to achieve its educational ambitions.

This is not a maintenance role. It is a rare opportunity to shape a newly created executive position, influence organisational culture at the highest level and play a transformative role in the future success of a major educational institution.

Who we are looking for

We are seeking an exceptional people leader who combines strategic vision with the ability to deliver meaningful and lasting organisational change.

You may already be operating as a Chief People Officer, Executive HR Director, Director of People and Culture or a senior Organisational Development leader within a complex organisation.

Experience within further education would be advantageous, but we are equally interested in outstanding leaders from higher education, healthcare, local government, multi-academy trusts and other large, values-driven public sector environments. What matters most is your ability to lead transformation, build organisational capability and influence culture at scale.

You will bring deep expertise in people leadership together with a strong track record of delivering strategic workforce initiatives, organisational development programmes and cultural transformation. You will be comfortable leading through complexity, balancing long-term strategic priorities with immediate operational challenges, and inspiring confidence across diverse stakeholder groups.

Personally, you will be collaborative, visible and authentic. You will build trust quickly, establish credibility with governors and colleagues, and possess the resilience and emotional intelligence needed to navigate organisational change. You will know how to bring people with you, creating alignment, engagement and shared purpose even during periods of significant transformation.

Most importantly, you will be motivated by the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy. You will see beyond improving HR processes and recognise the opportunity to shape organisational culture, strengthen leadership capability and influence the future direction of the College. This is a role for someone who wants to make a meaningful difference, not only to an organisation, but to the thousands of learners and communities it serves.

Peridot Partners and South & City College Birmingham are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and our client expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made.

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for considering South and City College Birmingham - we are delighted to welcome you as a candidate for the position of Vice Principal - Chief People Officer.

We appreciate your interest in joining our college and contributing to our commitment to excellence in education, innovation, and student success.

This is an exciting time for our college as we continue to develop outstanding learning experiences and create opportunities for our diverse student community.

We are pleased that you are considering becoming part of our leadership team and helping to shape our future direction.

As one of Birmingham's leading further education providers, we are proud of the positive impact we have on our learners, staff, employers, and the wider community.

We look forward to learning more about your experience, vision, and aspirations during the selection process.

Lucy Jeynes
Chair of Corporation