Head of Student Services

Head of Student Services Key information:

• Contract:
  
  Permanent, Full Time (35 hours per week)
• Salary information: £59,060 to £66,670 (including Inner London Weighting and Inner London Supplement) plus £10,000 Market Forces Supplement
• Location:
  
  London, UK

Closing date:
Monday 21 September, 12 noon.

Interviews to be held:
Week commencing Monday 5 October 2026

We are seeking an exceptional higher education professional to join Guildhall School of Music & Drama as Head of Student Services.

This is a key senior leadership role within the Student & Academic Services Directorate, responsible for the strategic leadership, effective management and continuous improvement of the School’s student services provision. You will shape responsive, inclusive and professionally robust support that enables students to thrive creatively, personally and academically throughout their Guildhall journey.

Reporting to the Director of Student & Academic Services and Registrar, the Head of Student Services will provide leadership and operational oversight of a broad portfolio of student-facing services spanning student welfare, disability support, counselling and mental health, student accommodation and hardship advice, safeguarding in a higher education context, sexual violence prevention and response, and related student support activity. You will lead the development of an ambitious, evidence-informed and student-centred service that enables students to flourish, while engaging with sector developments, identifying leading practice and representing the School in shaping the future of student support in higher education.

You will be an accomplished student services leader with a substantial record of success in student support, wellbeing, disability, safeguarding, student advice and welfare within a higher education professional services environment. You will have an established ability to combine strategic leadership with sound operational judgement in a specialist higher education context.

You will bring excellent knowledge of the UK higher education student services landscape, including student wellbeing, mental health, disability support, safeguarding, inclusion, equality duties, confidentiality, data protection and relevant regulatory expectations. You will have a credible and collaborative leadership style, with demonstrable success in improving student outcomes and experience through effective student services.

You will have experience of leading specialist teams, managing high-risk and complex cases, and delivering service transformation. You will also be confident advising senior colleagues on policy and service responses that align with sector change, emerging regulatory requirements, and the continuing improvement of student experience and outcomes.

This is a rare opportunity to make a lasting contribution to student services at a world-leading UK conservatoire, shaping support that reflects the creativity, intensity and ambition of specialist performing arts education. You will be an empathetic, credible and resilient leader, able to build trust, navigate complexity and work collaboratively with students, academic departments, external partners and specialist services to create the conditions in which students can flourish at Guildhall and progress into bright, sustainable futures in the creative industries.

This is an excellent opportunity to play a visible senior role in supporting student wellbeing, inclusion, safeguarding, service quality and regulatory assurance within a distinctive specialist institution.

You will work closely with senior colleagues, academic leaders, students, committees and external partners, contributing to effective decision-making, institutional planning,…