Programme Director - Riyadh

About the organisation

English Path is an expanding global language education provider offering immersive learning in English, French, and German across the UK, Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

About the role

The Programme Director will take charge of operational leadership and academic delivery for pathway programmes. The role focuses on ensuring students are supported effectively through to progression into partner universities, while maintaining high standards across programme management, student experience, teaching quality, and university collaboration. The ideal candidate will bring experience in higher education leadership, university partnership management, and student support, along with the ability to build educational programmes that strengthen student outcomes and institutional growth.

This position is fully on-site and requires attendance 5 days per week.

Key responsibilities

• Oversee the daily running of the campus to deliver an excellent student experience and strong academic standards.
• Guide and support academic and administrative teams so that teaching quality, learner outcomes, and operational effectiveness remain high.
• Make sure all activity aligns with regulatory, quality assurance, accreditation, and partner university expectations.
• Manage academic governance processes, including assessments, student progression, feedback collection, and continuous quality improvement.
• Monitor attendance, retention, progression, and academic performance, then implement improvements to strengthen student success.
• Ensure English language and pathway programmes are delivered effectively to prepare learners for higher education.
• Support the building of academic skills and keep programme delivery aligned with university entry standards.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with university partners and external stakeholders, representing the organisation in meetings and events.
• Support business growth through performance analysis, partnership support, and identification of new opportunities.

Requirements

• Demonstrated leadership background in higher education, campus operations, or student pathway programmes.
• Hands-on experience in managing campus operations, academic functions, and student support services.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including the ability to work effectively with university partners.
• Well-developed organisational and project management capabilities.
• Working knowledge of higher education regulatory requirements.
• Strong communication and negotiation abilities.
• Capacity to work independently while contributing to long-term institutional growth.
• Willingness to travel for partnership development and external engagement.
• Desirable: experience in setting up or managing new academic programmes or international campuses.
• Desirable: familiarity with LMS platforms, student records systems, and student data analytics tools.
• Desirable: experience with English language, pathway, foundation, or EAP programmes.
• Desirable: background in collaborative university partnership models.

Safeguarding commitment

English Path is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults. All staff are expected to uphold this commitment, and the selected candidate will need to complete the appropriate background checks.

Work arrangement

This is a full-time on-site role based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.