Assistant Principal - Apprenticeships

Assistant Principal - Apprenticeships

Reporting to: Deputy Principal / CEO - Skills and Partnerships

Salary: Management Salary Scale Points 24-26 (£76,348-£79,518 per annum)

Annual Leave: 36 days per annum, plus bank holidays

Contractual Hours: 37 hours per week

Basis: Full-time, permanent

Pension: Teachers' Pension Scheme / Local Government Pension Scheme

Location: Middlesbrough College Main Campus, TS2 1AD

Role Overview

We are seeking an ambitious Assistant Principal to provide visionary leadership of our Apprenticeships Faculty. The successful candidate will drive outstanding quality across apprenticeship provision, delivering innovative, responsive curricula and building strong, sustainable employer partnerships. You will ensure the faculty makes a clear and measurable contribution to regional skills priorities, consistently meets performance targets, and remains inspection ready at all times. The role carries significant strategic influence, with active involvement in high profile collaborations including the Institute of Technology, Local Growth Plans and the Net Zero agenda, positioning apprenticeships at the heart of economic growth and future skills development.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide clear strategic direction, performance management and professional development for all Faculty staff.
• Lead change programmes with high engagement, transparent communication and timely delivery.
• Promote a safe, inclusive and values driven culture with a strong focus on student experience and staff wellbeing.
• Ensure high quality TLA through robust quality cycles, developmental observation, instructional coaching and targeted CPD.
• Lead Faculty self assessment (SAR) and annual Quality Improvement Plan (QIP); secure at least EXPECTED with a trajectory and ambition to deliver STRONG/EXEMPLARY.
• Drive and monitor consistency in compliance to apprenticeship funding rules, across all departments, to ensure that we meet the DfE Apprenticeship Accountability Framework Measures.
• Prepare and lead for inspection in your area; contribute to cross college inspection.
• Lead line reports in annual and in year curriculum planning and review; align to employer demand, LSIP priorities and progression pathways, working closely with the Business Development team.
• Achieve strong progression to employment, apprenticeships or further/higher education; monitor destinations and act on insights.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Essential

• GCSE/Level 2 (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics.
• Evidence of recent and relevant Professional Development.

Desirable

• Degree or relevant Level 6 or above qualification in a related field, or substantial industry/professional equivalence.
• Qualified teacher status (e.g. PGCE/Cert Ed or equivalent) with substantial and successful teaching experience.
• Management/Leadership qualification.

Experience

Essential

• Successful leadership of curriculum teams in FE or skills settings, with demonstrable quality improvement and strong outcomes.
• Proven track record of curriculum planning and delivery to financial and quality targets.
• Leading and motivating teams through change; managing performance and underperformance.
• Building strategic employer partnerships and delivering apprenticeships/work based learning.
• Strong understanding of FE curriculum policy, qualification reforms and sector accountability frameworks.
• Experience in managing apprenticeship provision across a range of sectors.
• Expertise in outstanding TLA, digital pedagogy and assessment strategies.

Desirable

• Financial management and budget ownership in a complex, multi disciplinary faculty.
• Experience of Higher Technical/HE provision and large scale external projects.

Please see the person specification for full details.

Benefits

• Substantial annual leave entitlement plus holiday purchase scheme.
• Health & Wellbeing: free gym membership, 24/7 counselling for you and your family.
• Family friendly policies: flexible hours and a supportive work environment.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): confidential support including counselling, legal and financial advice.
• Professional development: extensive training, mentoring, and career progression opportunities.
• Funded CPD opportunities, regular staff development training, and paid volunteering days.
• Access to discounted hair and beauty treatments at our onsite salon.
• College benefit scheme - College Extras: up to 15% cashback at top retailers & restaurants, discounted gift cards for big brands, home & tech upgrades via salary sacrifice, cycle to work scheme, discounted onsite car parking.

Contact

For further details and to discuss the role in more detail, please contact Gary Potts, Deputy Principal - Skills & Partnerships, on .

Safeguarding

Middlesbrough College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all students. All staff are expected to share this commitment. If you're successful, you'll be required to complete thorough pre employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references. All roles within the College carry safeguarding responsibilities, including promoting student welfare, reporting any concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), and modelling safe and appropriate conduct in line with College policies.

All posts at Middlesbrough College involve regulated activity and are therefore exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.

Equality & Diversity

Middlesbrough College is an equal opportunities employer, committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is valued. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and make recruitment decisions based on skills and experience. As a Disability Confident employer, we actively support applicants with disabilities.