Salary: £47,804 – £57,059 (per annum)
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37 hours per week
Location: All campuses
We are seeking a highly driven and inspiring leader to join our Personal Development Team. This pivotal role leads a dynamic, high‑visibility cross College department focused on delivering exceptional pastoral support and driving attendance. The post holder will champion a proactive, learner‑centred culture, ensuring teams are consistently present, responsive, and equipped to support learners in overcoming barriers and fully engaging with their studies. The role also carries significant safeguarding responsibility, serving as an active and essential member of the College Be Safe Team.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide strong, positive and inspirational leadership at College Leadership Team (CLT) level to promote quality improvement in response to feedback from learners, parents, partners, employers, staff, inspectors and accrediting bodies on the quality of services;
- Lead a highly visible team at the forefront of daily college life, ensuring learners are supported, challenged, and consistently guided to meet the highest expectations.
- Oversee an effective tutorial provision, ensuring that all learners receive their induction and tutorial entitlement and are set challenging targets which are effectively monitored and lead to positive outcomes;
- Lead the design and implementation of strategies to drive improved attendance, retention and achievement that exceed College targets and develop effective strategies for raising levels of attendance and punctuality to support the retention and attendance of learners and monitor the effectiveness of attendance management strategies working closely with curriculum leaders across the College;
- Ensure that strategies to manage learner behaviour and attitudes are effective across all College; and
- Be an active member of the College’s Safeguarding Team and be a named contact for safeguarding issues.
Key Person Specification Requirements:
- Degree and/or a comparable professional qualification (or equivalent);
- PGCE/Cert Ed/Level 3 Education and Training (or equivalent);
- GCSE Maths and English (or equivalent level 2 qualification)
- Experience of coordinating or managing a personal develop / learner services support team;
- Experience of the issues facing young people and implementing strategies to meet these needs;
- Experience of dealing with / assisting with young people with challenging behaviour and / or Safeguarding & Vulnerable Learners e.g. LAC, SEN, Trauma experienced;
- Experience of supporting learners with pastoral, welfare and mental health concerns;
- Effective communication skills – proven experience and ability to communicate effectively with learners, parents/carers, staff and outside agencies with a sensitivity to the different needs of all connected to the College;
- Experience of introducing quality improvements and managing change; and
- Enhanced DBS check.
Please see the Job Description and Person Specification attached for further details.
If you’re interested in this new opportunity, you can apply by sending a completed application form to recruitment@ccsw.ac.uk by 9am on 11 March 2026.
We do not consider applications submitted through recruitment agencies.
The selection process will take place on 19 March 2026.
Benefits:
- Access to world-class facilities
- Access to new qualifications to support your career in education such as short online courses in the areas below. If you’re interested in learning more about this, please email recruitment@ccsw.ac.uk.
- Equality and Diversity
- Information, Advice and Guidance
- Understanding Safeguarding and Prevent
- Principles of Customer Service
- Financial support offered to obtain your teacher qualification
- Extensive upskilling and professional development opportunities
- Competitive salary
- Pension scheme with generous employer contributions (28.68% for TPS and 21% for LGPS)
- Up to 51 days of annual leave, including bank holidays, Christmas closure, and a dedicated Wellbeing Day
- Onsite fitness and childcare facilities
- Employee benefit platform
- Onsite Costa, café, shop, restaurants and hair and beauty salon
- Free onsite parking
- Employee Referral Scheme
- Staff Awards
If you wish to discuss any aspects of the role prior to making an application, then please email recruitment@ccsw.ac.uk where arrangements will be made for a discussion with the relevant department.
About Us
Cheshire College – South & West is the largest provider of post-16 education in the region, offering exciting opportunities to over 11,000 learners and 1,000 Apprentices, who all have access to world-class facilities as a result of a £160m investment in the latest technology and real working environments, at modern Campuses in Crewe, Ellesmere Port and Chester. The College is in the process of implementing a £30m capital investment programme to ensure learners continue to have access to the best possible resources and environment.
Cheshire College is a dynamic, high quality and financially robust College, which provides learners with the skills, experience and qualifications that will prepare them for their future career or higher-level study, encouraging them to become confident individuals who will make valuable contributions to businesses and the local economy.
There is a fantastic atmosphere at our three Campuses in Crewe, Ellesmere Port and Chester, providing an environment to get involved in exciting activities and an opportunity for learners to make new friends.
The College is proud of its strong links with local Employers such as Bentley Motors, Vauxhall Motors, SP Energy Networks, Ecolab and Unilever to ensure learners have access to work placements and industry professionals as well as ensuring the curriculum offer remains current and relevant to local, regional and national needs.
Crewe Campus
Our impressive facilities are the perfect place for learners to meet new friends and be immersed in an environment that is ideal for learning. As well as our modern classrooms, the Crewe Campus boasts:
- A multi-purpose sports hall;
- Climbing wall;
- Fitness gym;
- TV and radio studios with specialist equipment;
- Mock aircraft cabin;
- Award-winning restaurant, The Academy;
- Hair, beauty and barbering salons;
- Professional Centre Stage theatre and engineering and construction workshops; and
- New Institute of Technology (Construction began 2024).
Ellesmere Port Campus
Our impressive facilities are the perfect place for learners to meet new friends and be immersed in an environment that is ideal for learning. As well as our modern classrooms, the Ellesmere Port Campus boasts:
- Construction & Engineering Centre (Refurbished Summer 2022);
- Award-winning restaurant, Academy West (Refurbished Summer 2023);
- Mock aircraft cabin;
- Fitness gym;
- Hair, beauty and barbering salons (Refurbished Summer 2023); and
- Professional theatre.
Chester Campus
Our impressive facilities are the perfect place for learners to meet new friends and be immersed in an environment that is ideal for learning. As well as our modern classrooms, the Chester Campus boasts:
- Digital Hub (Constructed Summer 2022);
- Impressive Visual Arts Workshops (Refurbished Summer 2022 and 2023);
- Science Laboratories.
Cheshire College South and West is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. Successful applicants will be required to provide a DBS Disclosure, Right to Work evidence and original qualification certificates. Online checks will be carried out and references will be sought.