Higher Education Recruitment
With hundreds of education providers across the sector offering higher education degrees and training across every subject imaginable, higher education providers and universities are unique centres of knowledge generation and teaching that inspire and shape the lives and opportunities of over three million students every year in the UK.
Your higher education organisation needs the best leaders and governance experts to fulfil the needs of your students.
Email us to learn moreValues-led higher education leadership and board recruitment
At Peridot Partners, we are proud to partner with higher education providers—from small specialists to large global institutions—committed to providing inclusive, high-quality education to their students and widening participation and opportunities to people across society.
In an evolving landscape of policy changes and competition and as creators of the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs, higher education recruitment must continually attract diverse and talented leaders to maintain the highest standards across the institution, from teaching and research to professional services and governance.
At Peridot Partners, we provide a bespoke and personal approach to higher education recruitment for executive, academic and professional services leaders.
We specialise in the appointment of experts and professionals from across every sector and industry imaginable to Governing Councils and Committees to provide a diversity of experience and thought that will ensure the highest standards of governance and support the development of ambitious strategies that will elevate standards, student experience and institutional reputation.
We can support you with the appointment of:
- Non-executive directors:
- Governing Council Members / Governors
- Chairs and Vice / Deputy Chairs of Council
- Committee Chairs
- Committee Members
- Executive, academic and professional leaders
- Vice Chancellors and Chief Executives, Deputy Vice Chancellors and Pro Vice Chancellors
- Deans, Chief Officers, Directors, Heads, and Managers
Specialist higher education areas we recruit to include:
- Council, Board and Committee Members, including Chairs
- Governance and legal professionals
- Registry, Academic and Student Services
- Corporate functions, including Finance and HR
- Academic Heads and Deans
- Quality
- Research, Innovation, Partnerships
- Teaching and Learning
- Employer Engagement, Employability and Careers
- Apprenticeships
- Alumni and Development
“It was a great experience working with Sophie Carney from Peridot. It was a very personalised experience and Sophie took time to get to know me and my motivations. Sophie was very clear about the nature and scope of the role and was able to answer all of my questions. Sophie kept me updated throughout the process. I was really pleased about the way this recruitment was managed and would have no hesitation in working with Peridot again.”
Director of Academic Development, University College of Estate Management
“Peridot is excellent to work with, we set a brief of the appointment of independent governors with an EDI focus. They were able to source a set of excellent candidates, and we appointed two Independent Governors and a Co-opted Committee Member. All will add strength and diversity to our Governing Council. Peridot Partners is very professional and customer-centric, they are open to feedback, tailoring searches and plans to match desired appointments.”
University Secretary and Registrar, University of Derby on the appointment of Governing Council and Committee Members
Our higher education appointments
Our leadership appointments include
Lincoln Bishop University |Vice Chancellor and CEO, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Operations), Chief Finance Officer, Chief Data Officer
Cambridge Muslim College | Chief Executive Officer, Registrar, HR Manager, Director of Development and Communications
Institute of Law Jersey | Chief Executive and Dean
King’s College London | Director of Policy Impact – The Policy Institute, Director – Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO)
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | Head of Employer Engagement, Corporate Engagement Manager, Head of Prospect Research
National Institute of Teaching | Director of Registry Services
Northern College of Acupuncture (NCA) | Principal and CEO
University of Oxford | Head of Major Gifts – Sport
Queen Mary University of London | Research Impact Manager
Robinson College | Domestic Bursar, Development Director
University of Derby | Director of Student and Academic Services, Assistant Academic Registrar (FE & Skills), Head of Student Services, Head of Business Engagement and Employability, Head of Quality, Head of Admissions, Head of Postgraduate Recruitment, Head of Development, Head of the School of Arts, Head of School – Humanities and Journalism
University of Roehampton | Head of Development
University of Sunderland | Head of Development and Alumni
University of Warwick | Leadership & Regular Giving Manager, Alumni Engagement Manager
University College of Estate Management | Chief Operating Officer (Interim), Director of Academic Development
Our governance appointments include
Lincoln Bishop University | Chair of Council and Independent Governing Council Members (Skills: Finance and Audit, Education, Apprenticeships & Skills, HR)
Coventry University | Independent Governing Council Members
LTE Group (UCEN Manchester Divisional Board) | Co-opted Board Member (Skills: Higher Education, HE Quality and Regulations)
Newcastle University | Lay Members of Council (Skills: Public Services, PR, Estates, Skills Innovation)
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) | Independent Board Director, Treasurer, Vice Chair and Independent Board Directors (Skills: Finance, Digital, Independent Higher Education)
TASO – Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education | 4 Trustees
University of Bath | Independent Governing Council Members
University of Derby | Chair of Council, Vice Chair of Council/Chair of Remuneration Committee, Chair of the Skills Committee, and Independent Council and Committee Members (Skills: Education, Finance & Audit, Regulation/Compliance, Apprenticeships & Skills, Research, Policy, Governance, Estates and Capital Development, Sustainability)
University of Northampton | Chair of the Board and Independent Governor (Skills: Higher Education, Finance and Governance)
“The team at Peridot were excellent. Through our meetings as part of a competitive pitch process, the board felt a personal connection to their values and their friendly and professional approach. The Institute was going through a dynamic change and Drew and Sophie’s knowledge of the sector meant that we felt very comfortable that they could meet our brief. We originally engaged them to manage our interim appointment and were so impressed that we continued with their support to manage the recruitment for our permanent CEO and Dean. Through this process, they kept us engaged, produced an extremely impressive shortlist of candidates, and guided us through to our final selection. They were, as to be expected, clearly experts in their field but, importantly, also engaging, collegiate and easy to deal with. We were delighted with our appointed candidate and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Peridot Partners to find a first-rate leader in the Higher Education field.”
Chair of the Board, Institute of Law Jersey – appointment of CEO and Dean
