About Oaklands College
Oaklands College is a large further education provider in Hertfordshire, serving over 8,000 students across campuses in St Albans, Welwyn Garden City and Borehamwood, alongside a growing online presence and arable farm. Established in 1921, the College has a strong heritage of delivering responsive, high-quality education and supporting students to achieve their ambitions and contribute to their communities.
The College offers a broad range of academic and vocational programmes, including A-Levels, apprenticeships, higher education and specialist courses in areas such as engineering, construction, business, creative industries and elite sport. It is nationally recognised for its outstanding provision for learners with mild and severe learning difficulties, with a significant proportion of students receiving additional support.
Oaklands is ambitious and forward-looking, committed to expanding opportunities for young people, adults and apprentices to develop skills, reskill or upskill for the future. This is underpinned by a strong focus on high standards, innovation and collaboration between staff and students, ensuring learners are well prepared for progression into employment or further study.
Recently recognised with strong Ofsted judgements, the College continues to build on its reputation for excellence. Despite a challenging further education landscape, Oaklands remains a vibrant and supportive community, proud to be ranked 7th nationally for the achievement of young people and within the top 10% overall.
The Future
As Oaklands College expands to become Oaklands Educational Group, it is entering a significant phase of growth, building on over 100 years of educational excellence in Hertfordshire. With a clear mission to prepare learners for work, careers and life, the Group is adapting to meet the demands of a changing skills landscape.
Its strategy is centred on delivering high-quality teaching and learning, strengthening employer partnerships, and aligning the curriculum to local, regional and national priorities. Investment in modern, technology-enabled facilities will further support innovation and growth.
A key strength is its integrated model, bringing together further and higher education, apprenticeships, professional training, elite sport and commercial activity. This approach, alongside strong employer engagement will support workforce development and regional economic growth.
Looking ahead, Oaklands Educational Group aims to expand its reach while maintaining its strong community focus, positioning itself as a leading provider that develops talent, supports industry and delivers meaningful social impact.
Director of Strategy & Performance
The Director of Strategy & Performance is a senior leadership role responsible for strengthening strategic coherence and driving accountability and executive delivery across the College.
Reporting directly to the Principal & Chief Executive Officer, the role provides a central point of integration across strategy, performance, governance and executive ways of working. It ensures that strategic intent is clear, priorities are aligned, progress is tracked, risks are surfaced early and agreed actions are followed through.
The role operates through influence rather than executive authority. It does not hold operational accountability but enables the Principal and Executive Group to operate with greater clarity, pace, consistency and collective focus.
Senior Scope & Accountability
The Director of Strategy & Performance holds senior accountability for:
* Strategic planning, alignment and narrative coherence
* Executive performance frameworks, KPIs and delivery assurance
* Leadership and standards of the Executive Office
* Executive and senior forum effectiveness
* Strategic programmes and cross‑college priorities
* Corporation and governance interface (strategy and performance)
* Drive accountability and ways of working and follow‑through
* Digital and data‑enabled oversight within remit
* Senior external stakeholder coordination and engagement
* Ensure the Principal & CEO and Executive Team are fully prepared and briefed for key meetings and speeches.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Planning & Alignment
* Provide visible, values‑led senior leadership across all campuses, modelling high standards, accountability and collaboration.
* Lead the development, refresh and stewardship of the Strategic Plan and other key documents, working with the Principal, Executive Team and Corporation.
* Ensure strategic priorities are clear, deliverable and supported by explicit milestones and success measures.
* Maintain alignment between the Strategic Plan, Accountability Agreement, Annual Operating Plan and KPIs for executive/directorate activity.
* Monitor the external policy, funding and skills environment, supporting the Principal & CEO and Executive to adapt strategic direction.
* Maintain oversight of the strategic narrative, working with the Director of Marketing to ensure communications reflect agreed direction and priorities, ensuring the Executive Team and Principal & CEO are prepared for meetings and speeches.
2. Performance, KPIs & Delivery Assurance
* Design and maintain a coherent executive performance framework, including corporate and executive KPIs.
* Track progress against agreed priorities and commitments, providing early visibility of risk, slippage or misalignment.
* Provide objective assurance to the Principal & CEO on delivery confidence and organisational capacity with actions clearly assigned with effective follow through.
3. Executive Office Leadership
* Lead and develop the Executive Office, setting clear standards for executive briefing, reporting, action tracking and follow up.
* Ensure executive information is concise, decision ready and consistently managed across agreed digital platforms.
* Strengthen executive discipline and ways of working, reducing duplication, fragmentation and inefficiency.
* Provide clear leadership of the Executive Office in the effective operation of executive meetings, ensuring agendas, papers, minutes and action logs are well organised, high quality, and produced and circulated in a timely manner.
* Act as duty manager on a rota basis and take part in College meet & greet activities, supporting a visible and proactive executive presence.
4. Executive Team & Senior Forum Enablement
* Support the effectiveness of Executive Group and senior forums by ensuring clarity of decisions, ownership and actions.
* Maintain oversight of executive commitments between meetings, supporting collective leadership without diluting individual accountability.
* Maintain oversight of key meeting structures to ensure impact and delivery against intent outcomes.
* Maintain oversight of VIP engagements and opportunities for profile enhancement.
5. Strategic Programmes & Priority Initiatives
* Oversee strategic and cross‑cutting initiatives commissioned by the Principal & CEO.
* Ensure initiatives have clear purpose, governance, milestones and measures of success.
* Identify dependencies, emerging risks and delivery blockers early, intervening where necessary to sustain momentum.
* Recommend reprioritisation, reset or closure where activity no longer aligns with strategic intent.
6. Governance & Corporation Interface
* Act as a key link between the Principal & CEO, Chair of the Corporation and Director of Governance on strategy, performance and delivery assurance.
* Support the preparation of high‑quality, forward‑looking Corporation and committee papers.
* Ensure governors receive clear assurance rather than retrospective reporting.
7. Accountability, Culture & Ways of Working
* Promote disciplined, outcome‑focused ways of working across senior leadership.
* Challenge drift, complexity or misalignment constructively and credibly.
* Reinforce clarity of priorities, roles and decision‑making expectations.
* Support a culture of follow through and collective responsibility across senior leadership.
8. Digital, Data & AI-Enabled Practice
* Ensure digital tools and data are used effectively to support performance oversight, assurance and delivery.
* Embed modern, efficient ways of working that reduce unnecessary workload and improve quality.
* Model the responsible, authentic and effective use of AI within the role to enhance efficiency, ensuring ongoing awareness of developments, risks and best‑practice guidance.
9. Stakeholder Coordinator & Strategic Engagement
* Support the Principal & CEO in managing key internal and external stakeholders, ensuring engagement activity is aligned with agreed strategic priorities and positioning.
* Represent the College at meetings or events as delegated by the Principal & CEO, maintaining a clear link between external engagement and the College’s strategic agenda.
* Provide visible, values led leadership and management of a dedicated team and across the Group to deliver priorities through accountability and collaboration.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential Criteria:
* Educated to degree level or equivalent professional qualification.
* Evidence of ongoing professional development at senior leadership level.
* Appropriate safeguarding training or willingness to undertake.
* Senior leadership experience within a complex organisation.
* Proven experience of strategic planning, alignment and delivery assurance at organisational level.
* Demonstrable ability to work credibly through influence rather than formal authority.
* Strong experience supporting Executive Teams and senior leaders.
* Excellent strategic thinking and ability to translate intent into coordinated delivery.
* Strong programme and project management skills with attention to quality, standards and accountability.
* Confident communicator, able to engage effectively with senior leaders, governors and stakeholders.
* Demonstrable understanding of how to use AI tools appropriately and effectively within the role, with a commitment to keeping knowledge up to date.
* Data‑literate, with experience using performance intelligence to inform assurance and decision‑making with the ability to write clear executive level reports and strategies.
* High professional integrity, sound judgement and commitment to values, EDI and safeguarding.
Desirable Criteria:
* Postgraduate or professional qualification in leadership, management or public administration.
* Experience within education, public sector or regulated environments.
* Experience supporting Board/Corporation‑level strategy or performance activity.
* Experience of group, multi‑site or system‑level leadership contexts.
* Exposure to digital transformation or AI‑enabled performance / assurance approaches.