Head of Department

**Head of Department - Sport**:
**Gateshead**:
**Contract**:Permanent**
**Salary**:
**Exciting Leadership Opportunity to Shape the Future of Sport, Public Services and Wellbeing at Gateshead College.**

Are you an ambitious and visionary leader with a passion for sport, public service, health and wellbeing? Are you ready to drive change and take an established department on an exciting journey of growth and transformation? If so, this is your moment.

We’re looking for a dynamic and future-focused Head of Department to lead our Sport & Uniformed Public Services team into its next exciting chapter. This isn’t just a job — it’s a chance to inspire, innovate and lead a department with real purpose and impact.

You will be responsible for a diverse and ambitious curriculum offer that currently includes Sport, Personal Training and Fitness, Outdoor Adventure, Sport Science, Uniformed Public Services and Criminology.

You’ll also have strategic and operational oversight of our College Sport Academies provision which includes Men’s Football Academy, Women’s Football Academy, Basketball Academy, DiSE Boxing Academy, Men’s Rugby, Woman’s Rugby, Athletics and Performance Academy.

You will also manage any strategic relationships with subcontractors and partners such as sporting professional bodies and clubs, Community Sports Partnerships for example **Start2Finish, Gateshead Football Club, Newcastle Eagles, Newcastle United Football Club** and seek to create more opportunities to benefit our learners and communities.

In addition, you will oversee the day-to-day operation of our Sport Academy Campus, ensuring excellence in curriculum delivery, learner experience and resource allocation.

**What We’re Looking For**:
We need a bold leader who can build on our strong foundations and take the department forward by expanding into the fast-growing areas of health, sport science, and wellbeing, developing a responsive, employer-driven and diversified portfolio responding to the regions skills needs.

You’ll be passionate about using sport and public services education to change lives, improve health outcomes, and open up career opportunities for our learners across a wide range of sectors - from the armed forces and emergency services to the health, fitness and wellness industries.

**The Role You will be**:

- Leading and managing a motivated team of curriculum managers and teaching staff across a multi-disciplinary portfolio
- Driving innovation and excellence in curriculum design and delivery, ensuring that our offer is current, relevant, and aligned with regional and national priorities in sport, health, and public service
- Building strong partnerships with employers, industry leaders and community organisations, to develop new opportunities, secure outstanding progression pathways, and create real-world learning environments
- Overseeing the day-to-day operations of our Sport Academy Campus, ensuring it remains a vibrant, safe, and high-performing environment for learners and staff
- Taking an active role in cross-college initiatives, contributing to our strategic direction, and championing inclusion, health and wellbeing across all aspects of college life

**We’re Looking for Someone Who**:

- Is an experienced leader in further or higher education, with a strong understanding of the sport, public services, or health & wellbeing sectors
- Has a proven track record of curriculum innovation, quality improvement and managing change in a dynamic environment
- Has experience working with external stakeholders and building strong employer, community or civic partnerships
- Brings excellent communication, leadership and team-building skills
- Is outcomes-driven, with a deep commitment to learner success, progression and career readiness
- Has the drive to develop new curriculum pathways in areas such as sport science, fitness, mental health, wellness, or rehabilitation services

**Qualifications & Experience**:

- Educated to degree level (or equivalent)
- Teaching qualification or equivalent professional experience
- Strong Maths, English and digital skills
- Significant experience of managing curriculum teams
- Experience of budget and resource management, with a focus on sustainability and impact
- Experience manging external and internal partnerships effectively

Ready to lead a department where sport, public service and wellbeing come together to make a real difference? Then we want to hear from you

Join our outstanding management team and help shape a future-facing department that inspires excellence, supports ambition, and delivers real results for our learners and our region.

In return, your hard work and commitment will be rewarded with:

- Generous holiday allowance, 38 days plus Bank Holidays
- Mental health and wellbeing support, with 24/7 access to an employee assistance programme and counselling services for you and your dependents
- Career average pension with the Local Government Pension Scheme or Teacher