Role: Group Head – Customer Contact and Admissions (Maternity Cover) –INTERNAL ONLY
Location: Bedford College – Cauldwell Street Campus
Salary: Salary is between £47,972 and £62,099 per annum DOE and Qualifications.
Hours/Weeks: 37 hours per week
Contract Type: Fixed Term – Full Time – Fixed until 09 October 2026
This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have the Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.
About the role:
We are currently seeking a Group Head in Customer Contact and Admissions to join our Customer Contact & Admissions department at The Bedford College Group as a Maternity Cover.
As a Group Head, you play an important role in the success of our students through:
1. Leadership & Team Management – Lead and develop a high-performing Customer Contact & Admissions team, ensuring compliance with legislation and policies, managing recruitment, training, performance reviews, and budgets.
2. Student Journey Oversight – Design and manage the end-to-end student journey from enquiry to enrolment, ensuring the right students on the right courses, maximising conversion, and reducing early withdrawals.
3. Policy & Process Development – Create and maintain admissions and consumer protection policies, implement onboarding and progression strategies, and ensure consistent application across the Group.
4. Customer Service Excellence – Drive improvements in customer experience across the College, set service standards, and ensure proactive, professional interactions that exceed expectations and meet quality benchmarks.
5. Reporting & Collaboration – Provide regular KPI reports on applications, conversion, and progression; liaise with marketing and curriculum teams; and lead cross-departmental projects to enhance recruitment and retention.
About you:
6. Qualifications – Degree or equivalent; GCSE English and Maths (A–C); evidence of CPD development.
7. Knowledge & Experience – Strong understanding of admissions and student recruitment in FE/HE; proven experience in customer service within education; data analysis for improvement; and successful people management.
8. Leadership & Communication – Ability to lead high-performing teams, influence senior colleagues, and engage effectively through strong written and verbal communication skills.
9. Core Competencies – Resilience under pressure, excellent organisational skills, strong IT proficiency, independent decision-making, and ability to drive change and best practice.
10. Values & Attributes – Professional behaviour and appearance; flexible approach to work patterns (including evenings/weekends); willingness to travel independently to campuses and events.
For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.
Interviews to be held: TBC
Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisational VISION values:
11. Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
12. Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
13. Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
14. Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
15. Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
16. Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.
About The Bedford College Group
The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.
Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.
Safeguarding our Students
The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.
Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.