Academy Director for ESOL and International English

Sheffield

16/01/2026

Academy Director for ESOL and International English

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

Salary

£51,950 - £60,224 per annum

Contractual hours

37

Basis

Full time

Package

42 Days hours) + 8 Bank Holidays (59.2 hours) - this includes a discretionary Christmas closure period
28.68% Employer Pension Contribution into Teachers Pension Scheme

Date posted

09/12/2025

Job reference

RR

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Job description

About us

The Sheffield College is a further and higher education institution dedicated to providing academic, vocational, and professional qualifications to approximately 13,000 young people and adults annually. Our mission is to transform lives through learning, advocating for inclusivity and diversity at every stage.

Our Academy model enables focused, sector-specific curriculum leadership. We are now recruiting for a new Academy Director to lead our English for Speakers of Other Languages provision. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of education and skills in Sheffield and the wider region.

About the role

As Academy Director for ESOL, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across curriculum for both programmes for young people and for adults. You will be responsible for driving quality, leading curriculum innovation and ensuring students develop the technical and employability skills to succeed in a rapidly evolving industry.

This is a permanent role.

This is a critical leadership role at a time of national reform and opportunity. You will lead on how the Academy supports the achievement of the college's five-year strategic plan, including our response to priorities such as the green skills and the sustainability agenda, supporting the region's transition to a low-carbon future. From employer collaboration and curriculum reform to local labour market alignment and progression planning, your leadership will ensure the Academy remains agile, ambitious and responsive.

The Academy delivers a wide range of full-time and adult provision, including new technical qualifications, employer-led initiatives and high-quality work experience. You will also play a key role in preparing our young people aged 16 to 18 for exciting and rewarding future careers within the sector, helping them build the knowledge, confidence and skills to progress into apprenticeships, employment or higher study. The role will involve close collaboration with our Apprenticeship+ lead, ensuring clear pathways into skilled trades and sustainable employment through well-aligned programmes and employer partnerships.

With a dedicated team of curriculum managers and teaching staff, and strong external partnerships, the Academy is well positioned for its next stage of growth and development.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for a confident and committed leader who shares our values and vision for technical education. You will bring:

• A strong track record of curriculum and quality leadership in Further Education or a similar setting

• Experience of leading and managing diverse teams to deliver high-quality provision and student outcomes

• An understanding of the construction and building technologies sector, including its challenges, skills gaps and sustainability priorities

• A commitment to inclusive practice, student voice and raising aspirations

• Excellent planning, communication and stakeholder engagement skills

• The ability to balance strategic priorities with operational delivery, using data to inform decisions and drive improvement.

You will be an experienced teacher and / or manager, confident in navigating change and leading innovation in line with qualification reform and employer needs.

Main Responsibilities

As a member of the College Leadership Team, you will contribute to shared strategic goals while leading your Academy to achieve excellence. Key responsibilities include:

• Leading on the delivery of a high-quality student experience, resulting in strong achievement, progression and employability outcomes

• Developing a relevant and innovative curriculum offer that reflects student needs, local skills priorities and qualification reforms

• Driving improvements in teaching, learning and assessment across the Academy

• Leading curriculum development and business planning processes to achieve growth, quality and financial targets

• Managing performance, budgets and resources effectively, ensuring value for money

• Building and maintaining strong employer, university and community partnerships

• Promoting environmental sustainability across curriculum and operations
  
  Supporting staff development and fostering a culture of inclusion, ambition and continuous improvement

If you want to find out more about the role please contact Matthew Goodlad, Vice Principal Young People -

What we can offer you

As the successful candidate, you will be offered a salary of between £51,950 - £60,224 per annum based upon a combination of the skills, knowledge and experience that you can bring to the role.

Our benefits

• Enhanced Pension contributions scheme with TPS %
• Annual leave - 42 Days hours) + 8 Bank Holidays (59.2 hours)- this includes a discretionary Christmas closure period
• Health and wellbeing, we offer
• Employee assistance programme through Bupa
• Occupational Health through PAM
• Free eye tests for VDU users
• Free Parking is available at the majority of our campuses

Further information can be found on ourBenefits andCareer Development pages.

Disability Confident

We are a Disability Confidentemployer and are committed to removing barriers for applicants with a disability during our recruitment process, upon appointment and as an employee. Please review our Recruitment Guidelines for Disabled Candidates which provides further information on reasonable adjustments and how the Disability Confident scheme works in practice. If you require any reasonable adjustments or any support at any point throughout the process, please contact

Armed Forces Covenant

As part of our commitment through the Armed Forces Covenant,we're pledged to support the Armed Forces Community. Recognising the value Personnel, Veterans and military families contribute to our community and country.

Safeguarding

We are an employer who is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students. Successful applicants will be required to have an enhanced DBS check and will be subject to safer recruiting procedures. Further details on our safer recruiting procedures, including the employment of ex-offenders can be found here Safeguarding

Next Steps:

To apply: Click and follow the links to complete the online application. For queries regarding the application process, please contact the Recruitment Team at are currently not accepted.

As a Leader in Diversity employer, we encourage applications from everyone and value diversity in our workforce.

Closing date: 16th of January 2026

Please be aware – If we have a high number of applications, we may decide to close the vacancy earlier.