Transforming lives through education. Shape the people, culture and services that will drive South & City College Birmingham's journey towards becoming an exceptional college.
South & City College Birmingham is seeking an outstanding Vice Principal – Chief People Officer to join its executive leadership team at a pivotal moment in the College’s journey. This newly created role offers a rare opportunity to shape organisational culture, drive workforce transformation and build the leadership capability needed to deliver our ambition of becoming an outstanding college.
Leading the people agenda across a large, diverse and values-driven organisation, you will champion a culture of high performance, inclusion and continuous improvement, ensuring our staff are empowered to deliver exceptional outcomes for learners and communities across Birmingham.
We are looking for a strategic, influential and inspirational people leader with a proven track record of organisational development, cultural transformation and executive leadership within a complex environment. Above all, you will be passionate about people and excited by the opportunity to create a lasting legacy in an organisation where education changes lives every day.
Who we are
At South & City College Birmingham, education changes lives. As one of the largest further education colleges in the region, we serve thousands of learners across Birmingham and play a vital role in developing the skills, aspirations and opportunities that strengthen communities and support economic growth.
We are ambitious for our students, our staff and our future. Guided by our vision to become an outstanding college, we are focused on creating an organisation where excellence, innovation and inclusion underpin everything we do. Our strategic plan sets out a clear commitment to delivering exceptional learner experiences, building strong partnerships and ensuring the College remains responsive to the changing needs of employers, communities and the wider economy.
This is a pivotal moment in our journey. Significant developments across the education sector, including qualification reform, workforce challenges and changing legislative requirements, require us to think differently about how we attract, develop and support our people. At the same time, we are committed to strengthening organisational effectiveness, embedding a high-performance culture and ensuring our talented staff have the opportunity to thrive.
Our governors and executive leaders recognise that achieving our ambitions depends upon investing in our people. As a result, we are creating additional executive leadership capacity and making a significant commitment to organisational development, culture and workforce transformation. This is an organisation with a strong educational mission, a collaborative leadership culture and a genuine desire to improve. For the right leader, there is a unique opportunity to make a visible and lasting impact on the College’s future direction and success.
About the role
This is a newly created executive leadership position and one of the most strategically important appointments the College will make in the coming years.
As Vice Principal – Chief People Officer, you will join the executive leadership team at a defining moment for the organisation. Created in response to a recognised need for greater executive-level people leadership, the role will provide the strategic capacity required to drive culture change, strengthen organisational effectiveness and develop a workforce strategy fit for the future.
While the portfolio includes responsibility for corporate services functions, this is first and foremost a people and culture leadership role. Approximately 90% of the strategic focus will be centred on workforce development, organisational culture, leadership capability and transformational change. You will take ownership of the people agenda, shape a long-term workforce strategy and lead the implementation of key organisational improvement initiatives, including recommendations arising from a major HR review.
Working closely with the Principal, Mike Hopkins, Deputy Principal, Jacqui Maher, and governors, you will act as a trusted strategic partner and influential advisor, helping to shape executive decision-making and organisational priorities. You will build confidence across the College, strengthen accountability, enhance staff engagement and create an environment where people can perform at their very best.
Success in the role will be measured not only through improved HR practices and organisational systems, but through the lasting cultural legacy you create. Within your first year, you will have established credibility, strengthened workforce planning and begun embedding meaningful culture change. Over time, you will help build a more engaged, capable and future-focused organisation that is equipped to achieve its educational ambitions.
This is not a maintenance role. It is a rare opportunity to shape a newly created executive position, influence organisational culture at the highest level and play a transformative role in the future success of a major educational institution.
Who we are looking for
We are seeking an exceptional people leader who combines strategic vision with the ability to deliver meaningful and lasting organisational change.
You may already be operating as a Chief People Officer, Executive HR Director, Director of People and Culture or a senior Organisational Development leader within a complex organisation.
Experience within further education would be advantageous, but we are equally interested in outstanding leaders from higher education, healthcare, local government, multi-academy trusts and other large, values-driven public sector environments. What matters most is your ability to lead transformation, build organisational capability and influence culture at scale.
You will bring deep expertise in people leadership together with a strong track record of delivering strategic workforce initiatives, organisational development programmes and cultural transformation. You will be comfortable leading through complexity, balancing long-term strategic priorities with immediate operational challenges, and inspiring confidence across diverse stakeholder groups.
Personally, you will be collaborative, visible and authentic. You will build trust quickly, establish credibility with governors and colleagues, and possess the resilience and emotional intelligence needed to navigate organisational change. You will know how to bring people with you, creating alignment, engagement and shared purpose even during periods of significant transformation.
Most importantly, you will be motivated by the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy. You will see beyond improving HR processes and recognise the opportunity to shape organisational culture, strengthen leadership capability and influence the future direction of the College. This is a role for someone who wants to make a meaningful difference, not only to an organisation, but to the thousands of learners and communities it serves.
Learn more about us
Peridot Partners and South & City College Birmingham are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and our client expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made.
To view the role description and person specification, please go to the ‘How to Apply’ tab above, fill in your details and download the candidate pack.
For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:
Sarah Atkins-Boal | sarahs@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07841 017043
Welcome from the Principal & CEO and Chair
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for considering South and City College Birmingham — we are delighted to welcome you as a candidate for the position of Vice Principal – Chief People Officer.
We appreciate your interest in joining our college and contributing to our commitment to excellence in education, innovation, and student success.
This is an exciting time for our college as we continue to develop outstanding learning experiences and create opportunities for our diverse student community.
We are pleased that you are considering becoming part of our leadership team and helping to shape our future direction.
As one of Birmingham’s leading further education providers, we are proud of the positive impact we have on our learners, staff, employers, and the wider community.
We look forward to learning more about your experience, vision, and aspirations during the selection process.
Mike Hopkins MBE
Principal & CEO
Lucy Jeynes
Chair of Corporation
Accessibility information
Although you are not obliged to tell us about your disability, any details you provide will help us to help you.
Any information you give us will be confidential. On your application, we ask whether you consider yourself to be a disabled person and to give details of any needs you may have to enable you to attend an interview. This information is important because it helps us to make sure that you have every opportunity to demonstrate your true abilities.
At your interview, you may be asked relevant questions about your disability to find out whether you can do something essential to the job.
Providing this information helps us to establish what adjustments we may need to make to help you do that job. If you need to submit your application in a different format, we would be pleased to help.
We offer the following amenities:
- Step free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms, and an accessible workstation
- Accessibility dogs are welcome
- Interviews can be held in meeting rooms that support hearing loops
- Papers and materials can be presented in different formats
- A sign language interpreter can be accessed for interview
- Working patterns and locations can be adjusted
Further information:
The College continues to monitor equality to ensure that it provides fair treatment of all staff and as well as a supportive and welcoming workplace for all.
To arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:
Sarah Atkins-Boal | sarahs@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07841 017043
Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the Role Description and Person Specification.
To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.
Please include your home address, contact email and mobile.
Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk, inserting “Application: South & City College Birmingham — Vice Principal – Chief People Officer” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact our admin team.
For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:
Sarah Atkins-Boal | sarahs@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07841 017043
As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes that are fair, inclusive and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences.
If you require any job information in an alternative format (e.g. large print), please contact the lead consultant. Please also let us know if you would like to submit your application in an alternative format.
Applicants with disabilities are welcome to contact us in confidence at any stage of the recruitment process to discuss any reasonable adjustments or support that may be required to ensure fair and equal participation.
Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.
Timetable
Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 19th October 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: Friday 23rd October 2026
First stage interviews: Wednesday 4th November 2026
Second stage interviews: Thursday 5th November 2026
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
Peridot and South & City College Birmingham are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions. We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.
The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 launched on 25 May 2018.
The information provided does not form part of the decision-making process and will not affect your application. Learn more about why we collect this data here.
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