Director of Student Services

Director of Student Services Application Deadline: 7 December 2025 Department: Principalship Employment Type: Permanent Location: Liverpool Reporting To: Reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive Compensation: £66,620 / year Description Job Title: Director of Student Services Department: Principalship Salary: £66,620 per year Job Type: Permanent, 35 hours per week The post-holder will have leadership responsibility, as part of the SLT, for a wide range of student-facing services, including library services, front of house services, student financial support and nursery provision. Reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive Key Responsibilities Consistently work to support the College to meet its goals. Across all service areas, provide dynamic and effective leadership and management for the provision of Student Services including developing new services in line with changing student and organisational needs. Manage the LRC Services Manager, to provide an effective and responsive Library service, meeting the needs of its users and the organisation with a commitment to enhancing the student experience. Manage the Reception Manager, to provide an effective and responsive front of house service, ensuring efficient daily operations, and maintaining high service standards. Manage the Student Finance Manager, to provide an effective and responsive Student Finance service meeting the needs of its users and the organisation with a commitment to enhancing the student experience To keep up dated on relevant funding rules and policies relevant to the discretionary learner support offered by the College. To prepare the learner support policy for the year for SLT approval taking into account the relevant funding rules, student need and cost implications. Manage the Childcare Manager, to provide an effective and responsive Nursery service meeting the needs of its users and the organisation with a commitment to enhancing the student experience. To monitor Ofsted requirements for nursery provision and ensure the College is meeting all statutory requirements. Have responsibility for the monitoring and control of expenditure and resources against budgets and achieve agreed set targets. To monitor and manage all areas discretionary learner support budget to ensure delivery in line with budget. Create, update and implement departmental policies and procedures as required to develop and maintain services, and communicate these policies to internal and external stakeholders. Ensure compliance with all mandatory legislation, organisational policies, procedures and financial regulations, and external bodies legislation as required To develop, implement and continuously review strategies to drive improvement in student services. Ensure that quality standards relating to all aspects of the area's responsibility are developed, maintained, monitored and enhanced using regulatory assessments and audits and other quality assurance processes. Promote effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, notably students, parents, partnership organisation, local communities and businesses, and representatives of other partner organisations in a way that will promote a positive image of the College. Ensure that all external contracts with partnership organisations and businesses, used to deliver services, are regularly monitored, reviewed and assessed for their overall value and benefit, making changes as required. Work in conjunction with other service providers to support key cross college activities and events – e.g. enrolment, recruitment activity, examinations. Professional Practice and Values To contribute fully to the mission and values statement of the College Group ensuring its effective implementation in all aspects of College life. To take a proactive approach and responsibility for personal professional development, Health & Safety, and meeting other regulatory compliance (e.g. GDPR, Safeguarding), thereby enabling safe and professional working practices to be observed at all times. To support cross college actives as required, particularly during key enrolment and invigilation periods. Carry out any other relevant and appropriate duties as determined by the needs of the service and as appropriate to the grade. Due to the changing nature of our work, this role profile serves as a framework to outline the main areas of responsibility. You may be required to undertake other activities of a similar nature that fall within the remit of your area of work. Skills, Knowledge and Expertise Essential Criteria Educated to degree level or equivalent Experience of managing a customer oriented environment in an educational setting. Experience and knowledge of customer care procedures. Deep understanding of the FE and HE landscape, including sector challenges and opportunities. Professional management qualification High level of digital literacy Ability to work both as part of a team and as a manager at strategic level. Ability to show an understanding of, and commitment to College policies and procedures, particularly equality and diversity. Ability to demonstrate a clear commitment to professional updating and skills acquisition throughout career pathway Significant experience of managing large scale organisational change programmes Significant experience in budget management, including cross departmental budgets and project funding High Level of interpersonal and communication skills Extensive people management experience including an in depth understanding of the contract of employment, performance management systems and core HR processes Ability to provide accessible and inspirational leadership to a diverse and dynamic team of staff Positive personality – self-motivated with a ‘can do’ attitude Ability to produce high quality, accurate and timely written reports and business cases as required Ability to be flexible and adapt workload/priorities to meet the demand of the organisation Ability to perform a variety of functions within a team with a positive approach to change Clear personal commitment to meeting and surpassing customer expectations at all levels Desirable Criteria Deep understanding of the FE and HE landscape, including sector challenges and opportunities. Professional management qualification Ability to use academic information systems Please Note This role may close earlier than the advertised deadline if we receive sufficient applications. Early submission is strongly encouraged. Benefits Why Join The City of Liverpool College? As a valued member of our College community, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive range of benefits, dedicated wellbeing support, and meaningful opportunities for professional growth and development. Here are some of the benefits available to you: Generous holiday allowance 40 days annual holiday allowance, plus 1 annual wellbeing day Pension Scheme You'll be part of the Local Government Pension Scheme, with generous employer contributions of up to 20.20%. Employee Benefits Platform As part of your role, you’ll have access to the COLC Employee Benefits Platform, a one-stop hub for a wide range of perks designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance, and everyday savings. You’ll be able to access discounts at major supermarkets, fashion and lifestyle retailers, tech stores, travel providers, and more. You’ll also benefit from the Cycle to Work Scheme, cinema and leisure discounts and tech and home appliance discounts, with the option of spreading the cost through salary sacrifice. The platform is part of our commitment to supporting you in every aspect of your working life – and beyond. Health and Wellbeing As part of our commitment to supporting your health and wellbeing, all employees have access to the Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – a completely confidential support service available 24/7, 365 days a year. Whether you’re facing personal challenges, looking for advice, or simply need someone to talk to, Health Assured is here to help. Through Health Assured, you can access a 24/7 confidential helpline, face to face, online or telephone counselling, as well as structured support for a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, relationships, bereavement, legal and financial concerns. You'll also have access to the online wellbeing portal, a secure, user-friendly platform offering a wide range of self-help resources, health assessments, articles, and guidance covering emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing, and to the Wisdom App, which offers mood trackers and wellbeing tools, meditation guides, fitness videos, and self-help modules as well as daily wellbeing tips. You’ll also be entitled to a free eye test through our voucher scheme with Specsavers, which covers a full eye exam (worth up to £25) and even includes £45 towards a pair of glasses. We also offer free flu vaccinations to help keep you feeling your best all year round. Travel We offer interest-free loans to help you buy annual travel passes from Merseytravel and Merseyrail. That means you can enjoy the savings of up to two months' free travel—without having to cover the full cost upfront. It’s all about making your commute more affordable and less stressful. Flexible Working We offer flexible working options depending on business need to support our employee's work-life balance. Professional Development We’re passionate about helping you thrive, offering a mix of formal and informal professional development opportunities—designed to sharpen your skills, expand your knowledge, and accelerate your career. College Benefits Our excellent sports and fitness facilities can be used free of charge by staff. You can also access a range of discounted hair and beauty treatments at our Academy and Graduate Hair & Beauty Salons, and a staff discount at our Academy Restaurant.