Programme Director - Riyadh

English Path is a rapidly growing international language school delivering immersive English, French, and German learning experiences across the UK, Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

About the role

The Programme Director will be responsible for leading the operations and academic delivery of the pathway programmes, ensuring the successful delivery of pathway programmes that enable students to progress into the partner university.

This role will have primary oversight for all aspects of programme management, student experience, academic delivery, and university partnership to create seamless transition pathways for graduates.

The ideal candidate will have experience in higher education leadership, university partnerships, and student support services, with a proven ability to build and manage educational programmes that drive student success and institutional growth.

Please Note: This role is based fully On-site, 5 days per week.

Role and responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the campus, ensuring an outstanding student experience and high-quality academic delivery.
• Manage and support academic and administrative teams to achieve excellent teaching, student outcomes, and operational performance.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, quality assurance, accreditation, and partner university requirements.
• Oversee academic governance, including assessments, progression, student feedback, and quality enhancement.
• Drive student success by monitoring attendance, retention, progression, and academic performance, implementing improvements where needed.
• Ensure the effective delivery of English language and pathway programmes that prepare students for higher education.
• Support the development of academic skills and maintain alignment with university entry requirements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with university partners and external stakeholders, representing the organisation at meetings and events.
• Contribute to business development by providing performance insights, supporting partnerships, and identifying opportunities for growth.

What you'll need

• Proven leadership experience in higher education, campus operations, or student pathway programmes.
• Experience managing campus operations, academic affairs, and student support services.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage university partners.
• Strong organisational and project management abilities.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements in higher education.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work independently while driving strategic institutional growth.
• Willingness to travel for partnership development and external engagements.

Desirable

• Experience in launching or managing new academic programmes or international campuses.
• Familiarity with LMS and student records systems and student data analytics tools.
• Experience managing English language, pathway, foundation, or EAP provision.
• Experience working within collaborative university partnership models.

Safeguarding Commitment: English Path is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be required to undergo relevant background checks.