College Director Principal

Ready to steer a thriving education business with real impact while shaping the future of a major university partnership? Want to be accountable for growth, quality and compliance in one high-profile leadership role? Looking for a job where entrepreneurial thinking is welcomed and your decisions directly improve student outcomes?

We are currently looking for a College Director Principal to join our busy team in Plymouth, as we accelerate momentum at University of Plymouth International College (UPIC). This is your chance to lead strategic direction, strengthen partnerships, and deliver results that matter every single day.

Hours of Work: full time 37.5 hours per week

As College Director Principal, you will provide strategic leadership and hands-on operational management for UPIC, one of the fastest-growing colleges within the Navitas Europe division. Working closely with the University of Plymouth, you will drive student recruitment and growth, enhance the student experience, ensure academic quality and regulatory compliance, and strengthen the university partnership through strong governance and stakeholder engagement. You will act as the senior leader for the Business Unit, with accountability for financial performance (including agreed EBITDA targets), academic standards, operational effectiveness, and people leadership, balancing commercial focus with an inclusive, improvement-driven culture.

College Director Principal Duties:

• Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of the College’s strategic plans (five-year vision, two-year action plan, and annual business plan and budget).
• Drive sustainable growth and deliver student recruitment targets in partnership with the University and the global Navitas network.
• Identify and develop new business, programme and partnership opportunities to support long-term success and profitability.
• Ensure high-quality student outcomes through effective monitoring of achievement, progression, retention and continuation rates.
• Provide oversight of academic quality, ensuring alignment with the QAA Quality Code, OfS requirements and University regulations.
• Manage financial performance, including profit and loss delivery, resource planning and reporting on key performance indicators.
• Strengthen and maintain the partnership with the University of Plymouth, acting as the primary liaison across faculties, schools and professional services.
• Ensure compliance across governance, risk and regulatory obligations (including UKVI, GDPR, DBS, HMRC, Safeguarding and Prevent).
• Lead staff and management performance through talent development, workforce planning and clear objectives with KPIs.

College Director Principal Requirements:

• Proven senior leadership experience within education, training, or a similarly regulated environment with measurable outcomes.
• Strong commercial capability, including budget management, commercial planning and driving sustainable growth.
• Demonstrable knowledge of academic quality assurance and regulatory/compliance frameworks (e.g., OfS and QAA expectations).
• Track record of building productive partnerships and delivering through governance, stakeholder engagement and clear accountability.
• Confident, inclusive leadership experience - coaching teams, driving performance, and embedding continuous improvement.

College Director Principal Benefits:

• Competitive salary package at £80k to £90k per annum
• Permanent role with full-time hours
• Opportunity to shape strategy and make a tangible difference to students and partners
• Support from a global education provider with an entrepreneurial culture
• Career development in leadership within Education and Training

Meet the Organisation: Who We Are and What We Do

Navitas Limited is an Australian-owned global education provider and a recognised leader in university pathway programmes and managed campus services. Operating across multiple continents, we support both international and domestic students through high-quality educational pathways that enable progression into higher education. Founded on an entrepreneurial culture, we believe success is built through personal leadership, innovation and strong collaborative working - where College Directors and Principals play a key role in shaping strategic direction for both their College and the University Partnerships Europe division.

If you think you are suitable for this College Director Principal role, please apply now!