Curriculum Manager - ESOL

Application Deadline: 19 June 2026

Department: ESOL - CD

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Colindale Campus

Compensation: £53,712 - £57,407 / year

Description

Key Responsibilities

• Leading the team: Line manage, coach and develop ESOL curriculum staff, setting high expectations, managing performance effectively and building a motivated team with a common sense of purpose.
• Curriculum design and innovation: Lead the development of a responsive, innovative ESOL curriculum that meets the needs of your diverse learner groups — 16-18 EPfYP, adult learners and newly arrived 14-16 year olds including those seeking sanctuary — drawing on up-to-date research, flexible delivery models and a deep understanding of local and regional priorities.
• Raising standards: Set and monitor challenging improvement targets, lead developmental lesson observations and learning walks, and use quality reviews, learner voice and data to drive effective improvement strategies.
• Learner outcomes: Ensure every learner is placed on the right course, supported through purposeful ILPs and academic tutoring, and progressing towards their goals — whether that is further study, employment or wider participation.
• Quality and self-assessment: Lead the self-assessment process and quality improvement planning for the ESOL area, contributing to broader Essential Skills quality assurance and inspection readiness.
• Community and employer links: Build strong relationships with external partners, community organisations and employers, keeping the curriculum grounded in local and regional need and supporting learner access and progression.
• Wider management: Contribute to College-wide management responsibilities including duty rotas, strategic planning and cross-college initiatives as required, and deputise for the Director of Essential Skills when needed.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• A degree or equivalent relevant professional qualification
• A full teaching qualification
• Subject specialism in ESOL, with successful teaching experience
• Proven leadership or management experience in FE or a similar setting
• Successful experience of embedding quality improvements and delivering improved outcomes for learners
• Demonstrable knowledge of strategies, based on research, that improve student learning in ESOL
• Deep understanding of local and regional priorities and the communities ESOL provision serves
• Experience of working with diverse learner groups including 16-18, adult and newly arrived learners
• Experience of successful curriculum development and management of provision and new initiatives
• Experience of using and interpreting MIS data to monitor and manage provision
• Experience of building and maintaining effective relationships with external partners and community stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
• Ability to lead and motivate a team, manage performance and tackle underperformance effectively
• Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and safeguarding

• A management qualification
• Qualified Teaching and Learning Status (QTLS)
• Experience working with newly arrived learners and those seeking sanctuary
• Understanding of the current 14-19, adult skills and HE landscape
• Experience developing income-generating full-cost activity
• Experience of Ofsted preparation, self-assessment or quality improvement planning

• A provision that genuinely matters: The learners in this area include some of the most marginalised in our communities — newly arrived young people, sanctuary seekers, adults re-entering education. The impact of strong leadership here is profound.
• Breadth and variety: Leading across 16-18, adult and 14-16 learner groups within a single provision gives this role an unusual richness — no two cohorts are the same and no single approach fits all.
• Grounded in community: Colindale is one of North London's most diverse areas. Your understanding of local need and your community relationships are as important here as your curriculum expertise.
• Real leadership authority: High-trust, high-support ways of working, backed by a Director of Essential Skills who values professional expertise and gives their managers the space to lead.
• Career development: Clear routes into wider senior leadership, with access to coaching, CPD and leadership development.
  
  

Benefits