Stanmore College – Director of Governance

At Stanmore College, our focus is to provide excellence in teaching and learning in an environment where both young and adult learners can achieve their potential through a wealth of provision and top-class teaching from highly skilled staff.

Our new Director of Governance will play a crucial role in ensuring effective governance, compliance and risk management within the college. Your extensive experience as a governance or compliance professional will enable you to develop, implement and oversee governance and procedures to ensure our college operates with integrity and in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements.

With the ability to confidently and effectively communicate and collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders, you will provide leadership and guidance to the governing body, facilitating effective decision-making processes, promoting transparency and ensuring our governors are well equipped to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

Dear colleague,

Director of Governance

Thank you for expressing your interest in the exciting opportunity to join Stanmore College as the Director of Governance.

Founded in 1969 as Harrow Junior College, we then formally became Stanmore College in 1987 and, since that time, the college has been dedicated to providing a comprehensive and enriching educational experience to students from diverse backgrounds. Situated in Stanmore, northwest London, our college serves the educational needs of young and adult learners primarily from Brent, Barnet, Harrow, Hertfordshire and Hillingdon. Our commitment to excellence in teaching and learning is underscored by the efforts of our highly skilled and dedicated staff, which was recently confirmed by Ofsted with us achieving a ‘Good’ outcome in April 2023. We have received huge support to invest in our college and redevelop our main campus to create one of the very best learning facilities in the region.

At Stanmore College, our students are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to fostering an environment where learners not only achieve their full potential but also aspire to continuous personal development. With a vibrant and friendly atmosphere, our college offers exciting opportunities and an inclusive, supportive, welcoming and secure learning environment. Whether pursuing university-level study, career development or personal interests, our learners find the resources and encouragement to achieve their goals.

We are extremely proud of our college and what we and our students have achieved over the last few years.

Stanmore College boasts an enrolment of approximately 3,000 learners, including full-time 16-to-18-year-old and adult learners, participating in various programs of study. We offer a diverse range of vocational and academic provision and have grown within the sector by developing our higher education offer. Our commitment to business engagement is evident through bespoke training programs delivered either on site or at business premises. Stanmore College holds the notable title of being a STEM Assured College, an accolade conferred by the New Engineering Foundation after a rigorous accreditation process. Stanmore College is acting to break down inequality barriers for women, ethnic minority and other disadvantaged groups by upskilling and retraining. Our focus is to improve access, participation and progression by ensuring a broad range of well-designed and relevant courses for the communities we serve.

We know too that the quality of leadership and governance we are able to provide will be key to our success. That is why we regularly review our governance model and have strengthened our board. Our governing body is both focussed and committed to further transforming our college and passionate about helping our students and community get the skills they need for the careers of today and into the future.

The Director of Governance role will play a crucial part in providing strategic direction and leadership in the development and implementation of governance policies and procedures, and safeguarding the interests of the college. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring the college’s governance structures and policies are transparent, accountable and align with the college’s mission, values and strategic objectives. Working closely with the senior leadership team, and through accessing administrative support, you will ensure governance practices support the achievement of educational excellence.

We are looking for an experienced governance professional with strong leadership and strategic planning skills as well as the ability to build positive relationships, facilitating effective communication and collaboration between the board and senior leaders. Therefore, strong teamworking and leadership, along with being self-organised and an ability to engage administrative support are skills that are critical, as is the ability to build effective internal and external relations and confidently negotiate with a wide range of staff and other stakeholders. Training and support will be available to assist the postholder to develop either skills or experience they do not yet have and/or to assist a transition into working into further education.

This is an important appointment and to help us to find the right person, we have retained the support of FE Associates. Prior to submitting an application, interested parties are advised to arrange an initial conversation with our lead consultant, by emailing [email protected], to discuss the role before the closing date.

We look forward to reviewing your application and exploring the possibility of having you join Stanmore College in this important role. We are extremely proud of our college and the role we play in our students’ achievements. With our new strategic plan, which focusses on being a community college, we are now, more than ever, driven to achieve ‘Outstanding’ and provide the best opportunities for our community. Together, we can continue to build on the success and legacy of our institution.

Annette Cast
Principal