About this role
Director of Education
Liverpool or London
£88,000
Working arrangements: 35 hours per week, with standard working hours between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. The RCP operates a hybrid working model, with staff spending a minimum of six days each month in the office. The role may be based at either our London or Liverpool site.
Contract type: Permanent
Purpose and scope
The Royal College of Physicians is recruiting a Director of Education to provide strategic leadership for our education and assessment portfolio.
This is a significant senior leadership opportunity for an experienced education professional who can combine educational excellence with strong commercial, financial and organisational leadership. Working within the Professional Development business unit, you will shape and lead a coherent, career-long education offer that meets the changing needs of physicians, healthcare professionals and health systems in the UK and internationally.
As Director of Education, you will be accountable for the strategic leadership, quality, growth and sustainable delivery of the RCP’s education and assessment portfolio.
You will lead a substantial education function that includes education development and delivery, assessment-related activity, digital learning, faculty development, educational consultancy and partnerships. Working closely with clinical leaders, staff, members, fellows and external partners, you will ensure that our education is relevant, inclusive, evidence-informed, digitally enabled and financially sustainable.
The role will also make an important contribution to the delivery of the RCP’s 2026-30 strategy, particularly our ambitions to ensure excellence in education, support physicians throughout their careers, and build organisational resilience and responsible growth.
Key responsibilities
You will:
lead the development and delivery of the Education Department’s strategic and operational plansdevelop a coherent, high-quality and inclusive education portfolio for physicians and other healthcare professionals across the UK and internationallyprovide senior oversight of education and assessment quality, governance, evaluation and risklead financial planning, budget management and the responsible growth of education incomedevelop new products, partnerships, consultancy opportunities, pricing approaches and routes to marketmodernise the RCP’s digital, online, hybrid and blended education offeruse data, learner insight, member feedback and market intelligence to improve quality, impact and portfolio performancebuild influential relationships with clinical leaders, NHS organisations, universities, medical royal colleges, specialist societies, regulators, commissioners and international partnerslead and develop the Education Department, creating a positive, inclusive and accountable culturecontribute to the wider leadership, performance and strategic development of the Professional Development business unit and the RCP.
About you
You will be an experienced senior leader with a strong understanding of education, professional development, assessment and professional standards. You will have successfully led a substantial department, portfolio or multidisciplinary function through strategic development, organisational change and performance improvement.
You will bring:
substantial senior leadership experience in education, professional development, assessment, healthcare, membership, charity, commercial or professional-body settingsa strong understanding of postgraduate medical education, continuing professional development, assessment, professional standards or health professions educationexperience of developing education or professional development services for adult professional learnersstrong financial and commercial leadership, including budget management, income generation, business planning and resource prioritisationexperience of quality assurance, governance, evaluation, compliance or risk managementthe ability to build credibility and influence with senior clinicians, committees, partners and professional networksexperience of using data, feedback and market insight to inform decisions and improve performancesuccessful senior-level people leadership, including leading teams through changeexcellent written and verbal communication skillssound judgement, political awareness and the ability to operate effectively in a complex stakeholder environmenta clear commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.
You will be educated to degree level or able to demonstrate equivalent senior-level experience. A higher degree in education or another relevant discipline, experience of medical royal colleges or healthcare education, and knowledge of digital learning, international education or high-stakes assessment would be advantageous.
Our benefits
Working at the RCP comes with a range of benefits designed to ensure that you feel valued and supported in your role. These include:
29 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidayshealth cash plangroup personal pension plan with a 7% employer contributioninterest-free season ticket loanlife assuranceannual pay awardflexible working hoursemployee assistance programmeoccupational health supportcycle-to-work schemeprofessional training and development opportunitiesenhanced maternity and paternity paystaff discounts, including cinema tickets and a range of high-street brands.
Closing date: 02 November 2026
Shortlisted candidates will be notified by: 09 November 2026
Interview date: 16 November 2026
The RCP positively encourages applications for suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, transgender status, religion or belief, marital status or pregnancy and maternity.