Director of People and Organisational Development - Sunderland College

Reporting to the Principal and Chief Executive, this is a unique opportunity for a high performing, ambitious, qualified and highly skilled HR professional, who has proven experience in promoting excellence within HR and organisational development.

This post is for someone who is a natural self-starter, has a desire to achieve great things and most importantly wants to positively impact upon the future of Sunderland College. It must be someone with a high degree of vision and experience and who demonstrates cultural leadership behaviours together with a track record of both initiating and managing strategic and operational change.

Sunderland College is in the process of setting a bold vision, pulling the organisation together to create a new strategy where learning is aligned with performance. You will inspire and guide our employees, play an integral role in helping us achieve our strategic objectives leading onto an impressive and exciting future.

We want all our people to feel the College is one of the best places to work in the country. Working closely with the Principal and senior leadership team, your role is to shape our 'people-strategy' together with our leadership team and create the conditions for our people to be brilliant. It means that the way we develop our people must be inspiring, uplifting and challenging.

You will manage and lead all employees and resources within our HR function, further developing, implementing and sustaining a high performing, cost effective, customer focussed, professional HR function across the College. We want HR best practice further developed and delivered at organisational, Faculty, departmental and customer levels.

Most importantly you will be expected to embody an outstanding commitment of self and to fully engage others to develop, maintain and support a culture of equality and diversity in employment, in which all people are treated equitably and can realise their potential.

Sunderland College is a Further and Higher Education College based in the City of Sunderland; and one of the largest Colleges in the North-East region. It is a multi- College estate with 4 College campuses. Annually the College delivers education and training to c12,500 students ranging in age from 14-16, 16-18, and 19 years and above. Delivery spans all education routes including GCSEs and A levels, professional and technical education, apprenticeships, higher education and international.

Over the last 15 months the College has been scrutinised as part of the Governments national review of post 16 education, and also by the British Council, the Quality Assurance Agency and OFSTED. In each instance it has achieved impressive outcomes. The last OFSTED inspection report in June 2016 describes the College's leadership as strong, evident in; "Excellent communications and a highly visible leadership team [that] underpin collaborative working across the College"; "A culture of high expectation"; and "A highly inclusive culture". The College also competes nationally and regionally and has recently achieved Gold for the Better Health at Work Award.

For this post applicants should be able to demonstrate in their personal statement practical examples of how you fulfil the person specification.

Due to the nature of this post you will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure Check. We are big advocates of diversity so applications are welcome from anyone who's suitably qualified.

If you would like to discuss this exciting opportunity further then please contact Sara White (PA to the Principal) on

To apply please click on the apply button above or below.

For more information on the role please email or call to request an application pack.

All applications must be received by 12 noon, Wednesday 31 May 2017

It is anticipated that interviews will take place on 08 June 2017.

We are working towards equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to PREVENT and safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.