Job Description

Deputy Head of School – Visitor Economy Hospitality, Catering and Travel & Tourism

Application Deadline: 21 May 2026

Department: Visitor Economy, Leisure & Service Industries

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Liverpool

Reporting To: Head of School Visitor Economy, Leisure & Service Industries

Compensation: £56,507 / year

The Role – Reporting to Head of School Visitor Economy, Leisure & Service Industries


The Deputy Head of School for Visitor Economy Hospitality, catering Travel & Tourism will support and deputise for the Head of School to ensure the successful running of the curriculum area, providing leadership of teaching, learning and assessment and supporting the development and delivery of a highly effective curriculum offer, which responds to local, regional and national skills needs and ensures all students progress to higher level study or into skilled employment. As a member of the College’s wider leadership team (WLT), the successful candidate is responsible for delivering exceptional quality in all stages of the student experience and the successful candidate will be the standard bearer for that quality in the school.

The Deputy Head of School will work with teachers and teaching support staff in the relentless pursuit of quality in every classroom, workshop and real working environment, spending the majority of time in those spaces, collaborating with and coaching team members and driving continuous improvement.

The Deputy Head of School will work with the Curriculum Team, Progress Leaders and Senior Progress Leaders to ensure sector-leading levels of student achievement and sustainable progression.

The Deputy Head of School will work with the Head of School, as well as partner employers to develop and promote the curriculum in innovative ways, including the curriculum beyond the qualification. In doing so, the successful candidate will build students’ social and cultural capital alongside the achievement of their qualifications and ensure that students leave the City of Liverpool College with a competitive advantage in the market for skilled jobs.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Management:

1. Deputise regularly for the Head of School.
2. Work with Head of School and curriculum team to develop and implement a curriculum offer that leads to sustainable destinations for all students.
3. Support the Head of School in the design of programmes and teaching approaches that will enable the curriculum area to achieve the highest standards and value-added.
4. Support the Head of School, curriculum team and other managers to develop and implement a range of commercial and business opportunities for the curriculum area.
5. Undertake line management and appraisal of staff within the school in order to ensure the effective course management and administration of a portfolio of programmes with the curriculum area.
6. Support the continuous improvement of teaching, learning and assessment within the school, providing developmental observations for teaching staff and appropriate coaching and mentoring support.
7. Support the Head of School to ensure that students’ programmes are individually tailored to ensure progression to further learning or employment, including the development of students’ enterprise and employability skills.
8. Support the Head of School in the development of the school’s self-assessment and quality improvement plans.
9. Work with the Head of School to develop the curriculum and promote the College to existing partners and new employers. Explore and develop opportunities for innovation and new delivery.
10. Be aware of national developments in the curriculum area and update knowledge and skills on an annual basis.

Teaching and Learning:

1. Plan, prepare and deliver high quality lessons in order to achieve effective management of the learning process.
2. Use a range of effective and appropriate teaching and learning techniques to engage and motivate students and encourage independence and student autonomy.
3. Establish a purposeful and motivating learning environment where students feel safe, secure, confident and valued and where appropriate behaviour, communication and respect for others is promoted and maintained, while challenging discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.
4. Set and mark work and track all students’ progress and attendance in accordance with agreed College systems and policies.
5. Work with colleagues with relevant expertise to identify and address additional student English and Maths skills development in subject area.
6. Communicate and consult with parents, carers and students including Parent’s Evening, Welcome Evenings, events and open evenings.

Generic duties:

1. To contribute fully to the mission and values statement of the College Group ensuring its effective implementation in all aspects of College life.
2. To contribute to the College and curriculum area strategic objectives and to actively engage in the annual review.
3. To take proactive responsibility for Health & Safety to ensure that a safe working environment and safe working practices are maintained at all times.
4. To comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
5. To support cross-college activities as required in particular the key enrolment and invigilation periods.
6. To Review own professional development needs and to participate fully in future training and development.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Essential criteria

1. Educated to degree levels and/or significant professional experience
2. A recognised Teaching qualification
3. Experience of leading and managing teams
4. Experience of coaching and mentoring others
5. Successful teaching experience.
6. Excellent computer literacy – ability to use the current IT programs of the College
7. Experience of leading internal quality assurance
8. Proven relevant experience of curriculum design, development & delivery
9. Specialism, detailed knowledge and understanding of the curriculum area
10. Engaged and passionate about Continuing Professional Development
11. Minimum of Level 2 literacy and numeracy or willingness to complete
12. High level of communication and interpersonal skills, effective member of a team
13. Ability to set high standards for students, colleagues and for themselves
14. Experience of assessing students’ needs and planning curriculum for their benefit
15. Good understanding of curriculum development to meet the training needs of employers

Desirable Criteria

1. Experience of coaching and mentoring others
2. Membership of a relevant professional body

Benefits

Why Join The City of Liverpool College?

As a valued member of our College community, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive range of benefits, dedicated wellbeing support, and meaningful opportunities for professional growth and development. Here are some of the benefits available to you:

Generous holiday allowance 50 days annual holiday allowance, plus 1 annual wellbeing day

Pension Scheme You'll be part of the Teachers' Pension Scheme, with generous employer contributions of up to 24%—one of the best pension packages in the sector.
Employee Benefits Platform
As part of your role, you’ll have access to the COLC Employee Benefits Platform, a one-stop hub for a wide range of perks designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance, and everyday savings. You’ll be able to access discounts at major supermarkets, fashion and lifestyle retailers, tech stores, travel providers, and more. You’ll also benefit from the Cycle to Work Scheme, cinema and leisure discounts and tech and home appliance discounts, with the option of spreading the cost through salary sacrifice. The platform is part of our commitment to supporting you in every aspect of your working life – and beyond.

Health and Wellbeing As part of our commitment to supporting your health and wellbeing, all employees have access to the Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – a completely confidential support service available 24/7, 365 days a year. Whether you’re facing personal challenges, looking for advice, or simply need someone to talk to, Health Assured is here to help. Through Health Assured, you can access a 24/7 confidential helpline, face to face, online or telephone counselling, as well as structured support for a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, relationships, bereavement, legal and financial concerns.
You'll also have access to the online wellbeing portal, asecure, user-friendly platform offering a wide range of self-help resources, health assessments, articles, and guidance covering emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing, and to the Wisdom App, which offers mood trackers and wellbeing tools, meditation guides, fitness videos, and self-help modules
as well as daily wellbeing tips.

You’ll also be entitled to a free eye test through our voucher scheme with Specsavers, which covers a full eye exam (worth up to £25) and even includes £45 towards a pair of glasses. We also offer free flu vaccinations to help keep you feeling your best all year round.

Travel We offer interest-free loans to help you buy annual travel passes from Merseytravel and Merseyrail. That means you can enjoy the savings of up to two months' free travel—without having to cover the full cost upfront. It’s all about making your commute more affordable and less stressful.
Flexible Working We offer flexible working options depending on business need to support our employee's work-life balance.
Professional Development We’re passionate about helping you thrive, offering a mix of formal and informal professional development opportunities—designed to sharpen your skills, expand your knowledge, and accelerate your career.
College BenefitsOur excellent sports and fitness facilities can be used free of charge by staff. You can also access a range of discounted hair and beauty treatments at our Academy and Graduate Hair & Beauty Salons, and a staff discount at our Academy Restaurant.