The Bedford College Group – Group Director of People

Be part of our team!

Formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College, The Bedford College Group is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 18,000 students passing through our doors each year. Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, including Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College, and Tresham College, among others. This is an exciting time for the Group, we are committed to ensuring significant improvements to our whole college infrastructure and have ambitious plans for our estate with a large capital development programme planned.

We are seeking a Group Director of People to join our senior leadership team. The successful candidate will have a proven track record as a senior leader in HR with experience in all key areas and a Level 7 relevant qualification. Collaborative working, change and culture management, and employee relations are also key areas of experience required for this role. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a strategic contribution to the development of an empowering culture that delivers outstanding teaching, learning and services for our students.  Applications are welcomed from sectors outside of FE.

Dear Colleague,

Thank you for your interest in the role of Group Director of People at The Bedford College Group (TBCG). The Group is the 7th largest further education college group in the sector by income and comprises 7 distinct colleges with 3 further educational colleges, 2 sixth form colleges, 1 agricultural college and 1 national college for motorsport.

Our values are extremely important to us and keep the student at the heart of everything we do, but none more so than those of valuing teamwork, continuously improving, caring and inclusive, all of which sit at the heart of this role.

At TBCG our staff are our greatest resources, and the Human Resources team are supporting circa 1,800 staff in all aspects of recruitment, HR, Learning & Development and payroll activities. We want our students to receive the best possible experience and outcomes from their time on our campuses and so work hard to recruit, attract and retain high-performing individuals committed to that goal.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record as a senior leader in HR with experience in all key areas and a Level 7 relevant qualification. Collaborative working, change and culture management and employee relations are also key areas of experience the role will require.

You will be coming to TBCG at an extremely exciting period of change, with our new CEO having commenced in January 2024 with a passionate commitment to, and vision of excellence that will take us forward in the next stage of TBCG’s evolution.

Interested parties are strongly encouraged to contact our FE Associates recruitment partner, Amanda.Hart@fea.co.uk, to arrange an initial discussion prior to submitting an application.

With best wishes

Caroline Biddle
Executive Director of Organisational Development and People