Principal Curriculum Lead (Practice Education and Social Worker Development)

A little bit about the role

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Location: Hybrid, 2 days a week expected in our London office.

Those living outside the M25 can opt to not receive London Office Allowance and agree a more flexible office attendance pattern at offer stage. Please note that travel to the London office is at your own expense.

Please note this ad will close at 9am on Wednesday 25 November.

Frontline is entering an exciting period of growth and development as we continue to expand our programme portfolio and strengthen the support we provide to social workers and leaders throughout their careers.

The Principal Curriculum Lead for Practice Education and social worker development provides strategic leadership and academic direction for the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of the Practice Education CSW Programme and other training for participants and qualified social workers. The postholder will ensure that programmes are innovative, supportive, and of high academic and professional quality, meeting the Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS 1 & 2) and sector expectations for excellence in social work education. They will lead a team of academic and practice staff, maintain oversight of quality assurance and participant experience, and strengthen links between theory, practice, and research.

The role also currently includes responsibility for the Master's Dissertation module for Year 3 Approach Social Work participants, supporting postgraduate participants to undertake high-quality, practice-related research. This role may also contribute to programming across our portfolio.

The postholder will work collaboratively with internal colleagues and external stakeholders to ensure programmes remain current, coherent, and aligned with professional and regulatory requirements.

Some key responsibilities of the role include:

• Provide strategic leadership for practice education programmes, ensuring high-quality, inclusive learning experiences that meet professional, statutory and quality assurance standards
• Lead curriculum design, teaching, assessment and participant support across practice education, master's and Frontline programmes, embedding research-informed and evidence-based practice
• Manage and develop a team of academics, practice educators and trainers, ensuring consistent delivery, effective workload planning and high standards of participant support
• Drive continuous improvement through quality assurance, programme review and stakeholder engagement, while maintaining expertise in social work education and professional development

Please see the job pack for a full list of responsibilities.

A little bit about you

We're looking for an experienced and inspiring social work educator who combines strong academic credibility with a passion for developing others. You will be a registered social worker with a master's in a related field with substantial practice and higher education experience, bringing experience in design, postgraduate teaching, assessment and Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS). We're seeking a confident and collaborative leader, skilled at motivating teams, building effective partnerships and driving high-quality programme delivery. You will champion equity, inclusion and social justice, demonstrate excellent communication skills, and be committed to continuous improvement, reflective practice and evidence-informed learning. If you are passionate about shaping the next generation of social workers and influencing practice through outstanding education, we'd love to hear from you.

We have a fast-moving culture within the team and organisation, so we're looking for someone who is well organised, details-focused and can use their initiative to do what works. You will have excellent communication skills, be able to build relationships with people and be willing to learn. There are lots of opportunities for growth and development in this role - and for the right candidate to make the role their own.

If you feel you have the skills to make a real impact and contribute to creating lasting social change for children and families, we would love to hear from you.

Important information

We have increased the diversity of Frontline's workforce in the last 12 months, but we need to do more to have greater global majority representation in our senior roles. We know the value global majority voices bring and therefore, we are strongly encouraging applicants from these backgrounds to apply. We are also a disability confident employer and welcome applicants with disabilities.

We recognise that artificial intelligence (AI) such as 'ChatGPT' etc can be useful for applicants e.g. to shorten an initial draft, so we do not attempt to have an absolute ban on AI in applications. However we would caution applicants not to rely too much on AI in drafting answers to application questions. We want to hear your authentic voice arising out of your experience, and we will be looking for answers that use examples and experiences that are specific to you. You are more likely to be able to produce that kind of content yourself than an AI will.

We reserve the right to close this role ahead of the deadline once we reach a suitable number of applications, so please apply as soon as you can!

For further information about this role, please contact Dr Damon Briggs, Head of Curriculum (see job pack for contact details).