Job Overview

Head of Creative Arts 

Highlands College, Jersey.

Highlands College is seeking an inspirational and forward‑thinking Head of Creative Arts to lead our dynamic and ambitious department. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of creative education on the island within a supportive, innovative, and progressive college environment.

We are looking for an energetic and visionary leader with a strong commitment to the arts, proven experience in managing teams, and a passion for delivering outstanding teaching and learning. Expertise in teaching media production (TV and film) is essential, as the successful candidate will play a pivotal role in developing and enhancing this key area of our curriculum.

This role includes a teaching responsibility and offers significant scope to innovate, expand, and elevate our creative arts provision. If you are ready to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to creative education at Highlands College, we would be delighted to hear from you.

For an informal discussion, please contact Tony Tyrer at tony.tyrer@highlands.ac.uk 

Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills:

• Educated to degree level.
• A teaching qualification and qualified teacher or lecturer status - or a willingness to acquire this.
• Track record of regular continuous professional development.
• Recent teaching experience.
• Relevant experience in secondary or F.E.
• Knowledge and understanding of technical and vocational pedagogy.
• Curriculum development experience.
• Experience in managing teaching, learning and students.
• Experience of managing resources efficiently and effectively, including staff.
• Good level of people management skills.
• Good communication skills with individuals and groups.
• Experience and ability to work in a team.
• Able to work independently and manage own time effectively.

Attributes:

• Approaches tasks and new ideas openly and creatively.
• Demonstrates a good level of emotional intelligence.
• Confidence to positively influence staff, students and external stakeholders.
• Ability to motivate and inspire others.
• Ability to be assertive as and when required.

Job Accountabilities

Generic:

• To be a key member of the college management team representing the interests of the curriculum, staff and students.
• To enthuse and motivate departmental colleagues through clear and consistent communication.
• To interpret and analyse data about the performance of students and staff.
• To encourage and monitor equality, diversity and inclusion.
• To be responsible for, and manage, annual budget and spending.
• The effectively manage a large team of staff, including recruitment and performance management.

Role Specific:

• To provide outstanding leadership for the Department, to deliver an outstanding service.
• To engage all teaching staff in the continuous improvement of teaching and learning.
• To develop and maintain positive relationships between senior management, staff and students.
• To take responsibility for effective and efficient time tabling of lecturers and assessors.
• To effectively manage developments and changes within the area.
• To lead on access arrangements in examinations and to ensure these are compliant with awarding body requirements and are effectively quality assured, working with the exams office and registry as required.
• To ensure all courses within the department are compliant with awarding body requirements and are effectively quality assured.
• To lead on the embedding of e-learning and innovative approaches to vocational and technical pedagogy.
• To lead staff in the behaviour management of students.
• To support teaching staff and personal tutors in meeting the needs of learners.
• To take responsibility for ensuring safeguarding and health and safety policies are complied with within the area.
• To keep the senior management team informed about student and staff achievements and activities in the department.
• Champion enterprise activity across college meeting defined KPIs and outcomes.
• To continue to develop partnerships with all agencies and stakeholders, particularly with schools, the Education Dept., and relevant agencies.

Quality Aspect of Role:

• To lead in the writing of the department’s Self-Assessment Report and determine the key actions to ensure continuous improvement for the area.
• To regularly monitor the progress of students and provide motivational support where and when required.
• To carry out regular checks on the quality of feedback to learners via IEPs, etc.
• To ensure that teaching teams are supporting learners with additional needs to access learning.
• To ensure that stakeholder satisfaction surveys, or similar, are carried out promptly and effectively as a measure of improvement.
• To carry out appraisals of teaching and support staff and take part in lesson observations as required by the College.
• Ensure curriculum is fit for purpose, current and varied.
• Review and develop new curriculum from one’s own initiative or as directed by the senior leadership team.

Relationships:

• To manage effectively the relationship between academic and support staff.
• To work effectively with all college Heads and be willing to share expertise and resources.
• To maintain and develop links with local employers, for example, supporting them to include students with additional needs on work placements.
• To build strong relationships with parents and carers and/or employers.