Introduction
City College Norwich is one of the UK’s largest further and higher education providers, with a 133-year legacy of serving the communities of Norwich and Norfolk. Enrolling more than 9,000 students annually, the college has built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality academic, technical and vocational education, while remaining firmly rooted in its local community.
In recent years, the college has undergone significant strategic growth through the mergers with Paston College in 2017 and Easton College in 2019. These developments have expanded its geographical reach and diversified its curriculum offer, strengthening provision across North East Norfolk and positioning the college at the forefront of land-based and agri-food technology education – an area of critical importance to the regional economy. Each campus brings distinct heritage and specialism, enhancing the college’s ability to meet a wide range of learner and employer needs.
Operating across multiple sites, including its main Ipswich Road campus, a city-centre Higher Education Centre, and the International Aviation Academy Norwich at Norwich Airport, the college delivers education from entry level through to degree study. It also plays an influential role in shaping further education policy at local, regional and national levels, and is recognised as one of only three Centres for Excellence in SEND by the Education and Training Foundation. Together, this scale, diversity and civic commitment position City College Norwich as a key strategic education partner within the region and beyond.
A message from Jennifer Eves and Sarah Tate
Jennifer Eves: Chief Operating Officer
Thank you for your interest in joining our expanding People team. We are at a significant and exciting moment in the college’s development, as we build a refreshed People function with the expertise, capability and ambition to deliver our People Strategy and support our vision to “Change Norfolk through learning.”
Our college group is evolving rapidly: strengthening our curriculum offer, improving financial sustainability, embedding high standards and accelerating our digital transformation. The People team will play a crucial enabling role across all these areas.
We are recruiting to a range of newly created roles, offering a unique opportunity to help form a new team from the ground up. Our people priorities are clear: to build a more resilient, flexible and sustainable workforce.
Joining us now means you will help embed our “people first” approach at a defining stage of our journey.
What makes being part of this team truly special is our purpose. Every member of staff contributes to ensuring every student receives the best possible education.
We are seeking talented, motivated and forward-thinking individuals who want to be part of a progressive, ambitious and values-driven organisation.
If you are passionate about the impact that great people functions can have, we look forward to your application.
Sarah Tate: Executive Director of People
As Executive Director of People, I am excited to invite talented HR professionals to join our newly evolving People Services team.
Alongside the wider ambitions outlined by our Chief Operating Officer, we are making a significant investment in building a modern, high-performing People function that will play a central role in supporting the college’s future success.
We are creating a function that is trusted by leaders, valued by colleagues and focused on delivering meaningful impact.
For HR professionals who are motivated by purpose and enjoy building, improving and influencing, these roles offer the chance to make a genuine difference.
If you are looking for an opportunity to help build a progressive People function, I encourage you to find out more about joining our team.
History
City College Norwich has a long and distinguished history of serving the communities of Norwich and Norfolk, with origins dating back to 1891. Established by civic leaders to provide technical education, the college began as a technical school on St George’s Bridge Street before evolving into the Municipal Technical Institute. From the outset, its purpose was closely aligned to local economic need, supporting emerging industries such as manufacturing, printing, banking and insurance at a time of significant social and industrial change. This early focus on employability and skills development remains central to the college’s identity today.
Over the course of the 20th century, the college grew steadily in both scale and ambition. It became formally designated as a college in 1930, with a more structured academic and vocational offer. During the Second World War, the institution played a critical civic role, delivering short, intensive training programmes to equip an emergency workforce, many of whom were women entering employment for the first time. This period reinforced the college’s adaptability and its importance as a community anchor during times of national need.
A major milestone in the college’s physical development came with the opening of its Ipswich Road campus in 1953 – the first new educational building of its kind in Norwich following the war. This site remains the college’s principal campus and has continually evolved to meet the demands of a growing and increasingly diverse student population. Investment in facilities has remained a priority, with recent developments including the Digi Tech Factory (2021), the Advanced Construction and Engineering Centre (2023), and the Construction Skills Building (opening 2024), ensuring that the learning environment reflects modern industry standards.
Today, City College Norwich is one of the largest further and higher education colleges in the UK, enrolling more than 9,000 students annually. While its scale and provision have expanded significantly, the college has retained its founding ethos remaining deeply embedded in and committed to its local community. Its curriculum spans from support for home-educated 15–16-year-olds through to degree-level study, demonstrating both breadth and inclusivity in its educational offer.
The strength of this legacy is reflected in the achievements of its alumni, who have gone on to excel across a wide range of fields. Notable former students include Stephen Fry, Sam Claflin, Tom Aikens, Sigala, Alfie Hewett and Jon McGregor. Their success highlights the college’s enduring impact and its ability to nurture talent across generations.
Across more than a century of change, City College Norwich has consistently adapted to the evolving educational and economic landscape maintaining its relevance, strengthening its provision, and continuing to play a pivotal role in shaping opportunities for individuals and communities across the region.
Vision, Mission and Ways of Working
City College Norwich is a clear, values-led organisation with a strong civic purpose.
Its vision “changing Norfolk through learning” reflects its role as a key regional institution focused on education as a driver of opportunity, skills development, and community impact.
This is underpinned by the mission: “Challenging your thinking, inspiring your success, creating your future.” The mission is consistently reflected across the college, shaping priorities and reinforcing a shared commitment to learner success, progression, and personal development.
Ways of Working
The college’s established “Ways of Working” provide a practical framework for behaviour and culture across the organisation. They guide how staff collaborate, communicate, and deliver services to students and apprentices, supporting consistency and continuous improvement.
These are:
- Kind and curious
- Open and informative
- Respectful and fair
- Collaborative and inclusive
- Consistent and responsible
HR Strategy
City College Norwich has set out a clear and ambitious People Strategy for 2025–2028, outlining how the organisation will continue to build a modern, inclusive and high-performing workforce. The strategy reflects extensive staff consultation and reinforces the college’s commitment to creating a workplace where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to succeed.
“Our people are at the heart of everything we do.”
Key Focus
The strategy is built around four core pillars that shape the college’s approach to its people:
Recruitment & Retention: Strengthening workforce planning, modernising recruitment processes and developing clear career pathways to attract and retain a diverse, skilled workforce.
Belonging: Fostering a culture where colleagues feel included, recognised and supported, with a strong emphasis on wellbeing, staff voice and reward.
Leadership & Management: Investing in confident, capable leaders who inspire, motivate and develop their teams.
Learning, Skills & Performance: Promoting continuous learning, innovation and digital readiness to ensure staff have the skills and confidence to thrive in a changing environment.
Underpinning Principles
The strategy is guided by three organisation-wide commitments:
- Inclusion – embedding FREDIE values and progressing towards Investors in Diversity accreditation
- Engagement – strengthening two-way communication and building trust across the workforce
- Sustainability – integrating environmental responsibility into everyday working practices
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
City College Norwich demonstrates a well-established and actively embedded commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, recognised through the achievement of the Investors in Diversity Silver award. From a recruitment perspective, this reflects an organisation that has moved beyond policy-level intent into consistent, organisation-wide practice, with EDI clearly positioned as a strategic priority rather than a standalone function.
The college’s approach is grounded in the principle that equality, diversity and inclusion are everyone’s responsibility. In practice, this is evidenced through a culture that actively seeks to remove barriers to participation, ensure equitable access across its campuses, and foster a strong sense of belonging for both students and staff. The organisation places emphasis on inclusive design ensuring that services, environments and learning experiences are shaped with the diversity of its community in mind. For prospective HR candidates, this signals a workforce environment where inclusion is embedded into operational delivery, policy development and leadership expectations.
A key strength of the college’s EDI practice is its visible commitment to representation, voice and engagement. Staff and students are drawn from a wide range of social, cultural and demographic backgrounds, and the college actively promotes environments where difference is recognised as a strength. This is reinforced by a clear understanding that diverse teams improve decision-making and enhance organisational performance, particularly in an education setting where lived experience directly enriches learning outcomes.
The college also demonstrates a strong and nationally recognised commitment to inclusion through its work supporting asylum seekers and refugees. It is recognised as a College of Sanctuary, aligned to the wider City of Sanctuary movement and the city’s own Sanctuary status. This commitment is operationalised through structured, wrap-around support for sanctuary-seeking students, including specialist ESOL provision, dedicated Education Support Workers, and multi-agency collaboration with local authorities and safeguarding partners. This ensures continuity of support for some of the most vulnerable learners, while also promoting integration into the wider college community through enrichment activities, cultural events and student engagement initiatives.
For HR professionals, this provides a clear indication of an organisation where inclusion is both strategically prioritised and practically delivered, supported by structured policies, experienced staff teams, and a culture of continuous improvement in relation to equality and access.
Head of People Services
Job Title Head of People Services
Department People Services
Reports to Executive Director of People
Job Purpose
Responsible for operational leadership of HR and accountability for consistent ER casework delivery.
The Head of People Services leads the delivery of a high quality, responsive HR People service. The role is responsible for managing and developing the People Partner and People Support Services teams, ensuring they continuously improve processes, provide effective HR support, and contribute to a consistent and efficient HR service across the organisation.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership and Team Management
- Create, lead and manage a high performing operational HR team focused on excellent service delivery.
- Provide operational leadership to the People Partner team, ensuring consistent, high-quality casework management, workforce advice and manager capability development.
- Line manage, coach and develop a flexible, resilient team with a strong focus on continuous improvement.
- Build trusted, customer focused relationships with senior leaders to support delivery of service priorities.
- Deputise for the Executive Director of People when required.
HR Operations and Service Delivery
- Ensure the HR team provides pragmatic, solution focused advice across all HR areas.
- Develop and monitor standard operating procedures and service standards to ensure high quality delivery.
- Coordinate delivery of operational workforce planning activities arising from Strategic People Partner analysis.
- Lead and contribute to HR projects, process reviews and service improvements.
- Lead the operational review, implementation and communication of HR policies developed strategically by the Executive Director of People and Strategic People Partners.
Employee Relations
- Provide support on complex ER cases including performance, disciplinary, grievance, TUPE, absence and whistleblowing.
- Represent People Services on appeal hearings.
- Analyse trends to inform policy changes and action plans.
- Promote equitable and legally compliant case management across the organisation.
- Maintain positive relationships with Trade Union representatives.
Recruitment and Resourcing
- Ensure recruitment processes are effective, timely and support attraction and retention of talent.
- Oversee recruitment activity and communication with managers, HR partners and candidates.
HR Systems, Data and Analytics
- Ensure HR systems are effectively maintained to support efficiency and smarter working.
- Develop and report on HR metrics and workforce analytics for decision making and planning.
Policy, Compliance and Governance
- Ensure HR policies and procedures are up to date, compliant and aligned to business needs.
- Maintain GDPR retention schedules and data protection documentation.
- Monitor employment law and best practice changes and advise on implications.
Strategic Projects and Change Leadership
- Lead organisational change initiatives and service redesign work.
- Deliver HR initiatives aligned to the People Strategy and Engagement Plan.
External Engagement and Horizon Scanning
- Maintain external networks to identify risks, opportunities and best practice.
General Responsibilities
To carry out responsibilities commensurate with the role, as defined within organisational policies:
- Equal Opportunities
- Health, Safety & Welfare
- Child Protection
- Data Protection
- Risk Management
Strategic People Partner
Job Title Strategic People Partner
Department People Services
Reports to Executive Director of People
Job Purpose
The Strategic People Partner is a senior strategic role responsible for shaping and delivering organisation-wide people strategy, future workforce planning, and major transformation programmes aligned to the College Group’s strategic aims.
Operating as a trusted senior advisor, this role leads the organisation’s response to the Employment Rights Act (ERA) 2025 and provides senior leadership across workforce planning, curriculum planning, wellbeing, learning and development strategy, and governance.
Key Responsibilities
This role is responsible for strategic workforce planning, ERA 2025 implementation, major transformation programmes and capability design. It does not undertake operational ER case management.
People Strategy, Insight & External Engagement
- Shape and deliver elements of the People Strategy.
- Provide strategic workforce insight to senior leaders, advising on long-term capability and risks.
- Use external networks and sector insight to inform policy and practice.
- Represent the college in external forums and partnerships.
- Translate strategic priorities into measurable actions.
ERA 2025 – Policy, Design & Implementation
- Oversee redesign, implementation and governance arrangements required by ERA 2025.
Workforce Planning, Establishment & Future Workforce Design
- Lead multi-year workforce planning and establishment modelling.
- Build trusted relationships with senior leaders and managers.
- Use data and insight to identify risks and capability gaps.
- Contribute to organisation design, change and restructuring.
- Represent People Services in curriculum planning and improvement boards.
Transformation & Organisational Change
- Lead cross-college transformation programmes focused on workforce design, capability and culture.
Strategic Wellbeing, Culture & Engagement
- Lead wellbeing and culture programmes aligned with performance and retention goals.
- Shape culture change and leadership capability initiatives.
Apprenticeship Levy & Learning & Development Strategy
- Oversee apprenticeship levy utilisation aligned to workforce planning and skills needs.
- Shape organisational learning and development strategy.
Strategic Governance & Reporting
Produce strategic people reports for senior leadership and governance.
Monitor impact of strategic programmes.
General Responsibilities
To carry out responsibilities commensurate with the role, as defined within organisational policies:
- Equal Opportunities
- Health, Safety & Welfare
- Child Protection
- Data Protection
- Risk Management
People Partner
Job Title People Partner
Department Human Resources
Reports to Executive Director of People
Job Purpose
The People Partner plays a pivotal role in shaping how people are supported, developed and managed across the college. Working closely with leaders and managers in designated departments, the role balances operational employee relations support with workforce planning, helping leaders translate organisational priorities into effective people solutions that improve performance, engagement and wellbeing.
The role is an influential partnering position, using insight, data and professional judgement to improve outcomes across teams.
The People Partner is trusted to lead on employee relations matters, guide managers through change, and ensure decisions are fair, lawful and aligned with the college’s values.
Key Responsibilities
This role is responsible for operational ER casework across allocated portfolios, ensuring timely, fair and legally compliant outcomes. It supports but does not design strategic people frameworks or policy.
Employee Relations & Case Management
- Provide expert advice on employee relations matters including attendance, performance, probation, disciplinary and grievance cases.
- Hold lead responsibility for ER case management within allocated portfolios.
- Provide insight from casework to inform People Strategy delivery within portfolio areas.
- Represent HR on formal panels as required.
- Support employee wellbeing, including absence management and occupational health liaison.
Leadership & Manager Capability
- Coach and support managers to build confidence and capability in people management.
- Deliver training and briefings on HR policies and best practice.
- Support managers across the employee lifecycle from recruitment to exit.
Organisational Development & Culture
- Contribute to HR and people initiatives aligned to the People Strategy.
- Support a culture of inclusion, engagement and continuous improvement.
Partnering & Workforce Planning
- Build trusted relationships with senior leaders and managers.
- Use data and insight to identify workforce risks and capability gaps.
- Support workforce planning, succession planning and talent development.
- Contribute to organisation design, change and restructuring including TUPE and redundancy processes.
Partnership & Collaboration
- Work constructively with Trade Unions to maintain positive industrial relations.
- Collaborate across HR to ensure consistent service delivery.
- Use HR systems and technology to support reporting and decision-making.
- Maintain external networks to share practice and benchmark approaches.
- Apply best practice and innovation from across the HR profession.
General Responsibilities
To carry out responsibilities commensurate with the role, as defined within organisational policies:
- Equal Opportunities
- Health, Safety & Welfare
- Child Protection
- Data Protection
- Risk Management
