Director of Learning and Teaching

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) is internationally recognised as a world-leading centre of excellence for creative learning and vocational training across the performing arts and wider creative economies. We are renowned for the quality of our teaching, our professional‑standard facilities, and the achievements of our graduates and alumni.

Founded by Sir Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone‑Witty OBE, and based in Liverpool’s historic Georgian Quarter, we are an independent higher education institution with a distinctive heritage and global outlook. Our purpose is to inspire, and develop performers, practitioners, technicians, managers and creative leaders for sustained careers who will influence and inform the future of the creative industries. Our learning environment integrates world‑class teaching, project‑based learning and industry collaboration to prepare graduates for meaningful and sustainable careers across the UK and internationally.

This is a pivotal moment in our development. We have secured probationary New Degree Awarding Powers, are expanding our academic portfolio and campus, and are celebrating our 30th anniversary.

We are seeking to appoint an exceptional Director of Learning & Teaching to join the Executive Leadership Team. The postholder will play a central strategic and operational role in embedding our New Degree Awarding Powers and advancing a cohesive, high‑performing creative learning environment.

The successful candidate will lead the continued development of an innovative, practice and industry‑informed curriculum across undergraduate and postgraduate provision, ensuring excellence in teaching, curriculum quality and student outcomes. The role carries institution‑wide responsibility for academic quality and standards, curriculum development and enhancement, teaching innovation and professional practice, and the delivery of an outstanding and inclusive student experience. You will champion our values and drive continuous improvement, fostering a culture of ambition, collaboration and professional excellence across all areas of provision.

The successful candidate will hold a degree and postgraduate qualification in a relevant creative discipline and bring extensive experience of specialist higher education and the creative industries. You will demonstrate a strong track record of strategic and operational leadership in learning and teaching, curriculum development and academic innovation, alongside clear evidence of impact on student success, quality enhancement and institutional performance.

This is a significant opportunity to shape the future of our creative learning environment at a defining point in our journey and to influence the development of the next generation of creative professionals.

Our strategic direction is shaped by six interconnected themes:
Excellence, with the ambition to be globally recognised for creative learning and vocational training;
Equity, embedding inclusion, belonging and opportunity across the institution;
Environment, ensuring sustainability across finance, campus, technology and operations;
Empowerment, enhancing the experience of students, staff and alumni;
Employability, embedding career readiness and industry relevance across learning; and Entrepreneurship, fostering creativity, innovation and enterprise.

We are committed to being a diverse, inclusive and forward‑thinking employer. Equity and inclusion are integral to our culture, decision‑making and academic practice. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and particularly encourage interest from groups currently under‑represented within our community, including people…