Head of Motor Vehicle and Engineering

Location: Tresham College - Corby Campus

Benefits: 35 days annual leave plus Bank holidays, Teacher’s pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses.

About the role:

We are currently seeking a Head of Motor Vehicle and Engineering to join our Engineering department at The Bedford College group.

As a Head of Department, you play an important role in the success of our students through:

• Leading the management of all aspects of the operation and developing the Department working within the College’s management framework to deliver high quality learning programmes with high levels of student success and an unbeatable student experience
• Proactively contributing to achieving the College’s Strategic Plan
• Leading on the growth of both the Motor Vehicle and Engineering departments
• Being an aspirational leader in order to introduce new and exciting courses particularly new T –Levels and Higher Education provision across both departments
• Designing a curriculum which is exciting, relevant and maximises student employability.
• Growing provision in line with the priorities identified in the College’s Strategic plan
• Regularly reviewing and monitoring the Department’s curriculum and taking action to meet key student recruitment targets (enquiries, applications, recruitment, attendance, retention, achievement, destinations).
• Ensuring that student success rates and value added are maximised, are above national rates and contribute positively to performance tables
• Ensuring that students are set stretching targets and that student progress is tracked and monitored across all elements of a student’s study (using agreed College systems).
• Monitoring and taking action to meet key student outcome targets (attendance, retention, achievement, high grades, progression, destinations).
• Fully implementing the College’s Student Involvement Strategy engaging with students on all types of provision (Further Education, Higher Education, Apprenticeships)
• Holding focus group meetings with students and acting on feedback to improve provision and informing staff and students of changes made due to feedback.
• Managing the production of reporting systems to employers and parents.
• Working with Advanced Practitioners and teaching staff to ensure the continuous professional development of all teaching and support staff within the Department.
• Monitoring the Department’s staffing budget and ensuring services are delivered effectively within budget.
• Proposing developments to the staffing within the Department including:
  • defining new/revised teaching roles when vacancies arise
  • proposing innovative staffing approaches to curriculum delivery
  • Identifying and implementing productivity improvements
• Managing the supplies and services budget for the Department to ensure that this remains within budget and contributes to the achievement of the budgeted contribution factor for the Directorate.
• Organising the Department’s timetabling and teaching cover to ensure effective utilisation of resources including monitoring and checking efficient use of all staffing and rooms, monitoring and updating timetable information.
• Carrying out any other associated duties appropriate to the post.
• Being responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and for raising any concerns in line with College procedures.
• Being responsible for promoting equality and diversity in line with College procedures.
• Being responsible for following health and safety requirements in line with College policy and procedures.
• Participating proactively in training and development including qualification development required in the job role.

About you:

• Hold a Degree level qualification in a related subject
• Have English and Maths or similar at GCSE grade A-C or equivalent
• Hold a recognised teaching qualification (PGCE, Cert Ed or equivalent)
• Have evidence of high performance in previous roles/jobs
• Have relevant work experience in the sector to underpin subject leadership with credibility and authority
• Have recent experience of successful management/ team leadership in Further and Higher Education
• Possess the ability to effectively lead and manage a team of professionals
• Possess the ability to set and achieve both personal and team goals to ensure the achievement of internal and external targets through the effective management and monitoring of team objectives and deadlines
• Possess the ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships and personal boundaries with children, young people and vulnerable adults
• Are flexible in your approach to work and working times (external events/Open Evenings)

For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.

Interviews to be held: 11 March 2025

Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:

• Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
• Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
• Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
• Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
• Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
• Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.

About The Bedford College Group

The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.

Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.

Safeguarding our Students

The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.

Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.

Job Description:

JDPS- HOD Engineering and MOV.docx