Director of Education

Contract type: Permanent

Salary: Grade 8, £65,000-90,000. Appointments will generally be made at £88,000, depending on skills and experience. For internal applicants, salary will be determined in accordance with the RCP pay and award policy.

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.

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 plans
• develop a coherent, high-quality and inclusive education portfolio for physicians and other healthcare professionals across the UK and internationally
• provide senior oversight of education and assessment quality, governance, evaluation and risk
• lead financial planning, budget management and the responsible growth of education income
• develop new products, partnerships, consultancy opportunities, pricing approaches and routes to market
• modernise the RCP’s digital, online, hybrid and blended education offer
• use data, learner insight, member feedback and market intelligence to improve quality, impact and portfolio performance
• build influential relationships with clinical leaders, NHS organisations, universities, medical royal colleges, specialist societies, regulators, commissioners and international partners
• lead and develop the Education Department, creating a positive, inclusive and accountable culture
• contribute 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 settings
• a strong understanding of postgraduate medical education, continuing professional development, assessment, professional standards or health professions education
• experience of developing education or professional development services for adult professional learners
• strong financial and commercial leadership, including budget management, income generation, business planning and resource prioritisation
• experience of quality assurance, governance, evaluation, compliance or risk management
• the ability to build credibility and influence with senior clinicians, committees, partners and professional networks
• experience of using data, feedback and market insight to inform decisions and improve performance
• successful senior-level people leadership, including leading teams through change
• excellent written and verbal communication skills
• sound judgement, political awareness and the ability to operate effectively in a complex stakeholder environment
• a 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.

For further information about the role, please view the job description and person specification.

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 holidays
• health cash plan
• group personal pension plan with a 7% employer contribution
• interest-free season ticket loan
• life assurance
• annual pay award
• flexible working hours
• employee assistance programme
• occupational health support
• cycle-to-work scheme
• professional training and development opportunities
• enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• staff discounts, including cinema tickets and a range of high-street brands.

How to apply

For applicants wishing to apply, please click Apply Now to submit your CV and cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the role description. 

Closing date: 02 November 2026

Shortlisted candidates will be notified by: 09 November 2026

Interview date: 16 November 2026

Your candidate experience is extremely important to us. If you would like to discuss this role or require any reasonable adjustments for your application, please reach out to our recruitment team:

• Email: recruitment@rcp.ac.uk
• Phone: 020 3075 1649

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.

The RCP is all about our people - our members, our staff, our volunteers and leaders. We educate, influence and collaborate to improve health and healthcare for everyone and know we can only do this by being inclusive, encouraging and celebrating diverse perspectives. that's why welcoming and having people who represent the 21st century medical workforce and the diverse population of patients we serve is so important to us.

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