Principal Design and Delivery Lead
Application Deadline: 2 November 2026
Department: Curriculum
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: Flexible
Reporting To: Damon Briggs - Head Of Curriculum
Compensation: £56,014.44 - £59,589.83 / year
Description
Contract: Full time, permanent
Salary: £56,014.44 (£59,589.83 with London Office Allowance) plus competitive pension
Location: Hybrid- 2 days per week in 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 on Monday 2nd November at 9am.
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.
We deliver a range of programmes and services that support participants at different stages of the social work career pathway, from those entering the profession through to experienced leaders. As our organisation grows, we are continuing to invest in the people, systems and capabilities needed to support high-quality delivery across our portfolio.
As we move through this period of growth and change, some aspects of the role, including its job title, reporting line and directorate, may be subject to change as our future organisational structure takes shape.
The Principal Design and Delivery Lead provides strategic leadership and academic direction for the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of Frontline’s qualifying and post-qualifying training programmes. The postholder will ensure that programmes are innovative, supportive, and of high academic and professional quality, meeting relevant professional standards and sector expectations for excellence in social work training and practice. They will lead a team of academic/ trainers and practice staff, maintain oversight of quality assurance and participant experience, and strengthen links between theory, practice, and research.
The postholder will work collaboratively with internal colleagues and external stakeholders to ensure programmes remain current, coherent, and aligned with professional and regulatory requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic leadership of learning design and development
• Provide vision and leadership for our social work training programmes ensuring they reflect professional standards, innovation, and best practice.
• Lead curriculum design and enhancement to maintain rigor, coherence, and alignment with professional standards.
• Develop and implement strategies that promote high-quality, inclusive, and engaging learning experiences.
• Ensure programme delivery meets internal and external quality assurance expectations.
• Lead programme participant support and development design and implementation strategies.
Teaching and learning
• Lead and teach across Frontline’s programme portfolio embedding innovative and research-informed pedagogy and contribute to teaching and assessment across programmes.
• Provide formative and summative assessment, supervision, and feedback that promote reflective and critical learning.
• Integrate theory, research, and professional practice to ensure participant learning is applied and evidence-based.
Programmes and team management
• Lead a team ensuring consistent standards of training, teaching, assessment, and participant support including workload allocation and planning.
• Provide line management
• Be responsible for leading and managing the design and delivery of training programmes.
Quality assurance and enhancement
• Lead the monitoring of programme performance, assessment outcomes, and participant feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Lead review processes to maintain programme and academic integrity compliance in line with statutory guidelines.
Partnerships and external engagement
• Lead the engagement with external stakeholders to ensure the programme remains responsive to professional and workforce needs.
• Engage and work with practitioners and professionals across the sector.
Practice excellence and continuous professional development
• Maintain current knowledge of social work training , pedagogy, and practice.
• Engage in continuous professional development and model reflective, evidence-informed practice.
• Ensure the development of your teams.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
Experience and Knowledge
- Undergraduate degree
- Master’s degree
- Social work qualification
- Substantial experience in child and family social work practice and post qualifying training
- Proven excellence in curriculum design, training, and assessment at post-qualifying level
- In-depth knowledge of Social Work England Professional Standards, Children’s Social Care National Framework, and Social Work National Development Offer and standards.
- Experience of people management, and managing programmes, or coordinating training delivery
- Knowledge of quality assurance, assessment moderation, and training standards at post-qualifying level
- Evidence of continuous professional development and engagement in social work training and development.
Characteristics and Skills
- Strong leadership and management skills with the ability to motivate and support colleagues
- Excellent understanding of social work values, ethics, and professional practice frameworks, including strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice
- Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across disciplines and sectors
- Skilled in fostering positive participant experiences through supportive and engaging teaching/ training
- Evidence of reflective practice and commitment to continuous improvement
- Capacity to influence and engage effectively with professional, academic, and practice communities
- Organised, proactive, and able to manage competing priorities effectively
- Commitment to Frontline’s ethos of Freedom and Responsibility.
Benefits
- Flexible working hours
- Competitive pension employer contribution
- 25 days annual leave + bank holidays + office closes from 25 Dec to 1 Jan
- Buy up to five days annual leave a year
- Interest free loan for season ticket
- Personal coaching and mentoring
- Cycle loan scheme
- Deposit loan scheme
- Volunteering days
- Employee assistance programme
- Life Assurance Scheme (x3 salary)