New City College - Principal

Welcome

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in joining New City College. As one of the largest and most successful further education colleges in the UK, we serve communities across east London and south Essex, delivering life-changing opportunities to more than 11,000 young people and 16,000 adult learners every year. With an Outstanding Ofsted judgement, strong financial health and a clear sense of purpose, we are ambitious about what comes next.

Over the last decade, our college group has been shaped through a series of successful mergers, creating a strong, coherent and forward-looking organisation with a turnover of £151m. We are now seeking an exceptional leader to join us as Principal. This position will play a vital role in delivering our Strategic Intent and ensuring that New City College continues to provide outstanding outcomes for learners, employers and communities.

As Principal you will provide strategic and operational leadership across our Tower Hamlets and Hackney campuses, driving curriculum excellence, quality improvement, student success and stakeholder engagement. Working as a key member of the Senior Management Team, you will help shape the future direction of the College and ensure we remain responsive to the needs of learners and the wider community.

We are looking for an ambitious, resilient and values-driven leader who can inspire others, embrace innovation and make a lasting contribution to our continued success. In return, you will join a dynamic senior leadership team that is passionate about education, improvement and the communities we serve.

Please do get in touch with our advising consultants at Anderson Quigley for an informal and confidential discussion, details of which can be found on this site.

If you share our ambition and believe you can make a significant impact in this exciting role, I encourage you to apply.

I look forward to receiving your application.

Gerry McDonald CBE
Group Principal & CEO

About New City College

New City College (NCC) is one of the five largest colleges in England, serving diverse communities across east London and Essex. It is a large, dynamic and innovative further education provider with a clear purpose: to give students a better future.

Today, NCC serves more than 10,500 young people and 9,000 adult learners, with annual income exceeding £130 million.* The College has grown significantly over the past decade through a series of mergers, evolving from a single-borough college into a regional FE provider with considerable scale, influence and reach.

This growth has brought more than scale. NCC is now a respected and influential voice in further education, with a reputation for innovation, strong leadership, campaigns and a relentless focus on improving outcomes for students and communities.

An Outstanding college with a strong platform for the future

You would be joining a forward-thinking, dynamic team, sharing best practice to deliver first class education and skills for the benefit of students and the college’s wider communities. NCC was graded Outstanding by Ofsted in May 2025, following an inspection across the group. The College is now in the top 10% of all providers for student outcomes and has continued to improve despite the challenging circumstances facing many of the communities it serves.

Ofsted recognised the College’s high ambition, exceptional leadership and commitment to widening participation. Inspectors highlighted the way learners and apprentices thrive across NCC’s diverse communities, describing the College as highly committed to tackling social inequality through excellent education and training.

The Outstanding judgement is an important achievement, but NCC does not see it as a destination. The Strategic Intent is explicit that there will be “no resting on our 2025 Ofsted assessment”. The College’s research-led approach to teaching improvement and continuous improvement remain central to its future.

NCC’s college environment boasts industry-standard facilities and equipment, expert staff and partnerships with other high-profile organisations which all prepare students for progression to higher education or successful careers.

Furthermore, staff are committed to staying a step ahead when it comes to the skills and technology needed for the jobs of tomorrow, so that employers across the region – and nationally – know where to come to update their staff teams’ skills and qualifications.

Following six mergers since 2016, NCC’s combined skills and expertise places the college at the forefront of further education in the UK. Provision spans sixth form education, adult skills, apprenticeships, ESOL, EFL and SEND. With a turnover of over £145m, we will serve more than 11,000 young people, 16,000 adult learners, who will be supported by 1,900 staff, making it one of the strongest and most influential FE organisations in the country.

At NCC, staff and students are proud of their inclusive and diverse staff and student community. They are united in our zero tolerance approach to racism and discrimination.

NCC invests in its staff and other resources to provide a distinctive offer and excellent, supportive learning environment which meets the needs of students and employers and prepares local people for their exciting future.

For their new Principal, New City College offers a compelling combination: a college with deep roots and strong identity, a committed staff body, and the scope to lead meaningful improvement.

Our Campuses

New City College is the largest college in East London. It was originally formed by a merger between Hackney Community College and Tower Hamlets College in 2016. Redbridge College joined in 2017, Epping Forest College in 2018, and Havering Sixth Form College, along with Havering Further Education College, merged with the group in 2019. The latest college to join the group is Hackney Sixth Form College (Formerly BSix), which joined in 2024.

A college rooted in its communities

NCC’s scale spans a diverse geography, with campuses serving communities across east London and Essex. Its strength lies in combining the resources and influence of a large regional college with a deep understanding of the distinctive needs of individual communities.

The College’s curriculum serves young people, adults, apprentices and learners with SEND, alongside specialist provision including ESOL. NCC is a leading provider of education for young people and adults with special educational needs and one of the largest providers of ESOL in the UK.

The College’s future strategy recognises that different communities require different approaches and it is therefore creating distinctive propositions that respond to local demographics, student demand and employment opportunities.

Connecting education with the economy

NCC is committed to ensuring that education and skills provision is closely connected to the needs of employers and the changing labour market.

Significant opportunities have been identified across technology and digital services, financial services and fintech, healthcare and life sciences, green skills, creative industries, construction and infrastructure, logistics and emerging technologies. The College’s geographical position enables it to work with employers and partners across the City, Canary Wharf, the Thames Freeport and with major infrastructure and regeneration projects.

The College has excellent employer relationships across every curriculum area, ensuring employers have a meaningful role in shaping curriculum and creating pathways into careers. At Rainham, for example, NCC is exploring the next stage of its engineering development, including process technology, robotics, automation and AI, alongside opportunities arising from the Thames Freeport.

This employer-focused approach is central to NCC’s ambition to ensure that its curriculum remains relevant, innovative and closely aligned to the future workforce.

A stronger voice for further education

NCC’s size, expertise and track record give it a significant opportunity to influence the wider FE sector.

The College already has a strong reputation for innovation and is a leading provider of ESOL. It intends to use this expertise, alongside its work in English, maths, pedagogy and other areas, to become a more influential regional and national voice.

The ambition is not influence for its own sake. NCC wants to use its voice to shape policy and practice for the benefit of students, empowering staff to share expertise, engaging proactively with policymakers and contributing to research and sector networks.

Our structure

Please click the image to view in full size

Facts about New City College

Almost 20,000 students recruited each year
10 local campuses across East London and Essex
Ofsted Outstanding awarded in May 2025
Largest college in the country rated Outstanding by Ofsted
One of only 10 Construction Technical Excellence Colleges nationally
£100m national government investment supporting the Construction Technical Excellence College programme
Serving communities across Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Redbridge, Havering and Epping Forest
Also owns and manages three specialist English Language schools – Westbourne Academy, Bournemouth; the Oxford School of English; and Concorde International, Canterbury
CBE awarded to Group Principal and CEO Gerry McDonald in the 2025 New Year Honours for services to further education
National and international recognition for sustainability and green skills, including Green Gown Awards success and winner of the AoC Beacon Award 2026 in the Education for Sustainable Development category

Our vision and values

Our Vision: New City College exists to give our students a better future.

Our Values: New City College is built on trust, a positive attitude, honesty and integrity. In all that we do, we value:

Effort, determination and aspiration in our students and ourselves.
Sharing knowledge and skills, working productively together across the group.
Local priorities within a regional and national landscape.
Continuous improvement in high quality education and training.
Deep-seated support for student wellbeing and success.
The celebration of equality and diversity

Equality, diversity and inclusion

NCC serves some of the most diverse communities in the country and places equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of its organisational values.

The College’s values are built around respect, trust, a positive attitude, honesty and integrity, alongside effort, determination, aspiration and excellence. It values continuous improvement, meaningful support for staff and student wellbeing, local priorities within a regional and national landscape, collaborative working, and the celebration and promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Widening participation and tackling social inequality are fundamental to NCC’s purpose. The College’s ambition for its SEND provision is particularly significant: it aims to grow provision to 1,500 students and become recognised as a national leader in provision for neuro-diverse learners, while using its influence to inform national policy.

Sustainability and green skills

NCC has made significant progress in sustainability over recent years, reducing its emissions, decarbonising two campuses and introducing an environmental scorecard to inform major projects.

More than 500 staff and students have received carbon literacy or other environmental sustainability training, while NCC’s expertise has increasingly been recognised across the sector. In 2024, the College won the Green Gown Award for sustainable development – green skills. And it was the winner of the Association of Colleges Beacon Award 2026 in the Education for Sustainable Development category.

Sustainability will remain a strategic priority, both through reducing the environmental impact of NCC’s own operations and through embedding green skills across the curriculum and supporting employers and communities through the transition to a greener economy.

Our future

Strategic Priorities 2025 – 2030

It is an incredibly exciting time to join New City College. The next chapter for NCC is about more than continuing to grow. Having established itself as a successful, coherent and ambitious college, the organisation is now focused on becoming more strategically focused, distinctive and externally engaged.

The Strategic Intent 2025–30 asks fundamental questions about the markets NCC should serve, the locations in which it should operate and the curriculum it should provide – ensuring that the College remains responsive to changing student expectations, employer needs, demographics, technology and the wider economy.

Deepening our market engagement and presence.
Building strategic relationships with employers.
Carefully considered diversification.
A step change in our campus environment.
Developing our voice as sector and policy influencing college.

These priorities create an exciting agenda for the next phase – combining educational ambition with organisational transformation, commercial thinking, innovation and long-term investment.

The NCC of 2030

The Strategic Intent sets out an ambitious vision for NCC in 2030.

The College aims to be a market leader in 16–18 education, a highly respected voice influencing policy, a recognised national leader in SEND and neuro-diverse provision, and a provider whose adult curriculum and employer relationships are closely aligned to labour market needs.

It aims to further strengthen its position as a pioneer of sustainability, continue its research-led approach to teaching improvement, make substantial progress with its estates strategy and become recognised as the leading employer in its sector, enabling staff to achieve their potential.

Above all, NCC’s future strategy remains grounded in a simple measure of success: New City College exists to enable students to achieve their ambitions and build better futures.

Innovation and research at the heart of NCC

Innovation is embedded in NCC’s culture. Its Teaching and Learning Lab, established in 2020, has become part of the College’s DNA, creating a culture in which improvements in teaching and learning are informed by reflective practice and research. The Lab has contributed to improvements in teaching practice and student outcomes and has established NCC as a college that shares its research and innovation with the wider FE sector.

NCC has also established itself as an innovator in the use of technology, with immersive classrooms, VR technology, digital learning, green technology laboratories and curriculum innovation across its campuses.

Looking ahead, NCC intends to build on this culture of research and innovation, using its expertise to influence teaching practice both within the organisation and across the wider sector.

Investing in people and places

NCC has invested significantly in its physical estate, with more than £40 million invested over the past five years. This includes the major new development at Rainham, expanded teaching space at Havering Sixth Form, new facilities at Epping Forest campus and specialist SEND, immersive and green technology facilities across the group.

The next phase is more ambitious – NCC intends to deliver a step change in its campus environments, developing a clear and costed asset plan for every site and exploring innovative approaches to funding and investment.

Alongside investment in its estate, NCC is committed to investing in its people. The College recognises that its ambitions can only be realised through the expertise, dedication and commitment of its staff. Supporting staff development, wellbeing and effective ways of working is therefore fundamental to the organisation’s future.

The role

Principal (AQ3729)

Apply now

Title: Principal
Salary: £150,000
Contract type: Permanent, Full time
Reporting to: Group Principal & Chief Executive

Purpose

To lead the operational effectiveness of college campuses, reporting to the Group Principal & CEO.
To lead and line manage all aspects of curriculum delivery as identified within the group’s matrix structure.
To be a member of the College’s Senior Management Team, contributing to its overall strategic development.
With other principals, to provide strategic leadership of the curriculum and to ensure that the College serves the needs of individual learners and the wider
To develop a college curriculum improvement strategy and ensure its implementation across the college at group level, the standards of teaching and learning and student To develop and ensure the College’s quality improvement strategies are effectively implemented.
To deputise for the Group Principal & CEO as and when

Responsible for:

Leadership of up to two college campuses within a broader group
Identify curriculum delivery and quality within the group’s matric

Main Tasks & Responsibilities

Managing Strategy

To support the development of the College’s Strategic Intent and annual operating objectives and key performance indicators.
To work as part of the College’s Senior Management Team to interpret Government policy in relation to curriculum and quality improvement in further education and communicating it to staff. To produce papers and reports as required to the Curriculum, Quality and Students Committee.
To provide strategic leadership and management to ensure the College maintains an effective and responsive curriculum. To show effective leadership and co-ordination for cross-College curriculum developments.
In conjunction with other principals to contribute to the production of the College Self Assessment Report, Quality Improvement Plan and any action plans which are required for external inspections and assessments. To ensure these are consistent with other planning documents.
To lead on broad political and stakeholder engagement for college campuses under the postholder’s leadership

Managing Operations

To have overall responsibility for the College portfolio of courses in line with the identified matrix responsibilities. To ensure the relevance of the curriculum needs of College students and its contribution to the achievement of the College’s strategic plan and national targets.
With other principals, to be responsible for all College policies, procedures, documentation and processes relating to curriculum, self-assessment, and quality improvement including target setting and action planning.
With other principals, to prepare the College’s curriculum plan ensuring it is fit for purpose, costed and compliant with national funding policy and local needs.
To monitor and evaluate all aspects of the College’s activity relating to the curriculum and student success and initiate corrective actions to ensure the College exceeds national averages for student retention and achievement.
To be accountable for raising the performance standards of teaching and business support staff, which will be assessed by improvements in lesson observations and the achievement rates of students.
To ensure the College achieves positive outcomes that exceed national averages for broader measures of success such as Value Added/Distance Travelled, student progression and student and staff satisfaction surveys.
To assist the College nominee for all inspection matters.
To provide enthusiastic and imaginative leadership of teaching and learning and professional development within the College including supporting the creation of the staff development plan to ensure value for money and optimum impact on quality improvement.
To ensure that external liaison is effective in enabling the College to meet its targets and objectives and the comprehensive agenda associated with employer engagement, full cost and contract work.
To initiate, lead and manage strategic links with external bodies and agencies in order to ensure the College informs and keeps abreast of national curriculum developments.
To prepare and present papers to the Corporation Board and its sub-committees as required by the relevant Terms of Reference and as requested by the Group Principal & CEO.
To assist the Group Principal & CEO in all aspects of the management of the College so as to maximise effectiveness and efficiency across the full range of College activity.

Managing Finance

With other members of the senior management team, take collective responsibility for the College’s financial objectives.
To plan and justify the annual budgets for curriculum, quality improvement and staff development within College guidelines.
To be responsible for the effective monitoring and control of cost centre expenditure, including staffing budgets, within College and national funding bodies.
To be responsible for the achievement of income generation targets associated within the scope of the post.

Managing People

To lead on the recruitment, selection and line management of staff within the designation of this post in accordance with College policy.
To identify staff training and development needs and ensure that these are met according to strategic and operational priorities.
To inspire, support and develop staff and teams to work to their full potential.

Managing Information

To work with the Chief Operating Officer to ensure that the management information relating to curriculum and quality is accurate, timely, reliable and complies with national funding bodies, Inspectorate and other agency requirements.
To ensure, in conjunction with the Chief Operating Officer that all returns and reports required are submitted within the prescribed time-scales.
To work with the Group Director of Estates and Group Director of MIS and their direct reports to ensure the efficient and effective time-tabling and rooming of the College portfolio.
To provide statistical data for the services for which the post holder is responsible.

In common with all other staff

To support the College’s mission, vision, values and strategic objectives.
To implement the College’s equality and diversity policies and to work actively to prevent discrimination.
Demonstrated ability to implement HR policies and practices within the curriculum, through a diversity, equality and inclusion lens, with a commitment to addressing systemic inequalities.
To take responsibility for one’s own professional development and participate in relevant internal and external activities.
To implement the College’s human resources, safeguarding and health and safety policies and practices.
To work with the Group Principal & CEO and designated senior managers to ensure the quality of all College programmes and services and to ensure that effective procedures exist and are implemented to monitor and evaluate quality against agreed standards.
To carry out other duties as may reasonably be requested by the Group Principal & CEO and Governing Body.
To lead on the recruitment, selection and line management of staff within the designation of this post in accordance with College policy.
To identify staff training and development needs and ensure that these are met according to strategic and operational priorities.
To inspire, support and develop staff and teams to work to their full potential.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Qualified to Degree Level.
Level 5 Professional Teaching Qualification. Second Degree (Masters or equivalent).
Recognised Management Qualification.
Evidence of continuing professional development.

Experience

Substantial, successful senior management experience of curriculum management and/or quality management in the FE sector in a high performing environment.
Experience of financial and budget management. Experience of leading and managing new developments.
Experience of setting and achieving targets and managing teams to achieve them. Senior Management experience of the curriculum and curriculum managers.
Proven track record as a leader in FE.
Proven track record as an outstanding motivator with highly developed people and performance management skills.
Demonstrable experience developing and implementing successful strategic and operating plans either in the curriculum or quality management within FE. Strategic understanding and experience of successfully establishing positive relationships/partnerships with external bodies, particularly in curriculum planning, development and delivery.
Demonstrable leadership skills to encourage, motivate, develop and support staff and managers to gain their commitment and buy in to deliver a high performing and outstanding college in accordance with the College’s strategic aims.
Demonstrable ability to plan, develop, adapt and implement a relevant and coherent curriculum that meets needs and funders targets within available physical, human and financial resources.
The ability to write clear and concise reports, good IT skills and the ability to analyse and use data and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) to drive improvement. Team player with a flexible approach to changing demands.
Good analysis, problem solving and decision making skills. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Good planning and organising skills. Excellent numeracy skills.
Good networking skills.
Knowledge of recent educational policy initiatives.
Excellent understanding of Equality Diversity and Inclusion issues and practical ideas for its implementation within the scope of the post.
Understanding of relevant employment law.
Strong persuasion, influencing and negotiating skills.
Excellent understanding of Safeguarding issues and practical ideas for its implementation within the scope of the post.

Knowledge and Skills

Demonstrates clarity of thought with a sound understanding of policy and funding for FE and demonstrable evidence for creating and implementing responsive objectives
Leadership skills and the ability to work with managers to gain commitment of staff and high performance to implement the College’s plans.
Understanding of national funding methodologies. Knowledge of recent educational initiatives.

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Terms of appointment

Annual Leave: 35 days per year plus an additional 5 closure days and Bank Holidays
Financial Benefits: Interest-free loans for annual travel season tickets. Health cash plan (reimbursement for dental, optical, and therapy treatments) and a completely confidential Employee assistance program
Teachers Pension Scheme/ Local Government Pension Scheme
On-Site Facilities: Free access to on-site gym facilities at some campuses and on-site cafes serving subsidised food and drinks
Access to Funding for Continuous Professional Development
Discounts: Save money on day-to-day expenses, shopping, dining out, DIY, and travel

Please note: This is not a hybrid working role. NCC does require staff to be on site.

How to apply

Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to the College. An executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.

The closing date for applications is 19 October 2026.

Applications should consist of:

A full CV.
A covering letter outlining your motivation and details of how you meet the qualification, skills and experience criteria of the person specification.
Please include details of two referees in your CV, though please note that we will not approach your referees without your prior consent and only should you be shortlisted.

Should you wish to discuss the roles in strict confidence, please contact Paul Aristides at paul.aristides@andersonquigley.com or Elyse Turner-Pearce at elyse.turner-pearce@andersonquigley.com or +44 (0)7808 648 559.

Timetable

Closing date	19 October 2026
Longlist meeting	2 November 2026
AQ Preliminary interviews	3 November – 6 November
Shortlist meeting	13 November 2026
Final Panel interviews	25 November 2026 - Hackney

Apply for Principal

New City College

Appointment of the Principal