Head of Widening Participation & Fair Access

About the role:

The Head of Widening Participation & Fair Access provides operational leadership for the university’s post-16 and priority groups access portfolio, with overarching responsibility for the design, delivery and impact of activity that underpins Intervention Strategy 1 of King’s Access & Participation Plan. The role leads flagship access programmes including K+, oversees the university’s approach to contextual admissions, and directs targeted access and transition activity for priority and under-represented groups, ensuring alignment with institutional access objectives and regulatory commitments.

The postholder provides strong line management for the post-16 team, comprising senior officers and officers responsible for the design and delivery of access and priority group interventions. They ensure the team is well-led, with clear objectives, accountability and a shared focus on quality, impact and continuous improvement. Through effective workload planning, performance management and skills development, the role ensures that post-16 activity is delivered to a high standard, aligned to institutional priorities and contributing directly to the achievement of Access & Participation Plan objectives.

The postholder ensures the effective, compliant delivery of the post-16 and priority groups portfolio through robust operational planning, budget and resource management, risk mitigation and escalation and close alignment with faculties and central functions. They lead the preparation of policy briefings relating to access and admissions and ensure that all activity is aligned to King’s Access & Participation Plan.

They contribute and lead on activities which positively impact students’ experience. This includes ensuring:

• Close working with their Associate Director, and across organisational boundaries, to identify and action opportunities to improve efficiency and consistency of service/project delivery
• Efficient resource utilisation and organisation of work resources within their department
• Proactive engagement with service users and stakeholders to facilitate mutually effective working relationships
• Their department (or project) embeds a culture of service, transparency and continuous improvement

This is a full-time contract until March 2027.

About you:

Essential criteria

• Relevant work experience and/or education: We think a wide range of different work and educational experiences could support you to be successful in this role. As well as work in widening participation in higher education, relevant work experience might include work in education, social justice or social impact. Relevant educational experiences might include higher education in a related discipline, professional qualifications or other training.
• Experience of leading widening access or participation programmes
• Strong understanding and appreciation of the barriers to higher education and the evidence base related to improving access, particularly progression to post-16 study, attainment and routes to university
• Ability to think strategically and lead on implementing strategy successfully on an operational level
• Experience of line managing staff, including performance management, identifying training and development needs and bringing out the best in people
• Experience in delivering high quality presentations and written contributions to both staff at various levels and to young people.
• Demonstrable planning and management skills including the ability to structure and deliver work to ensure objectives are achieved at the required standard

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of contextual admissions in higher education
• Ability to negotiate with external partners, manage complex partnership agreements and work proactively to build new contacts and relationships
• Experience of providing advice to senior management and representing their interests at internal and external for a
• Experience of planning and managing project and departmental budgets

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