Head of Careers and Futures
King's Ely are looking to recruit a Head of Careers and Futures. This is a substantial part-time role (0.6 FTE) which may be combined with a teaching role in any relevant subject to form a full-time position.
An introduction to King’s Ely
Purpose, Ethos and Values
King’s Ely exists to make the most and best of childhood, and in particular to give the very best education, opportunities and pastoral care to as diverse a community of children as we can. In doing so we aim to prepare each one to live positive, productive, successful and fulfilled lives, for the betterment of themselves and the world around them. We achieve this through the operation of a family of schools centred around a 2-19 co-educational day and boarding school in Ely, aiming to draw fully on our exceptional environment, history, physical, cultural, spiritual and human resources in doing so.
History
King’s Ely can trace its origins from at least 970AD, making it one of the oldest schools in Europe. The School was first established to educate the choristers of the worshipping community of Ely and throughout our history we have maintained strong links with Ely Cathedral.
In 1541, King Henry VIII founded a College of Canons at Ely Cathedral to replace the monks whose monastery has been dissolved in 1539 and the School received its Royal Charter, later becoming known as “The King’s School”.
King’s Ely Today
In recent years King’s has expanded rapidly, becoming co-educational in 1970, and today educating around 1100 children aged 2-18 at Ely, including 185 boarders.
The school is divided into three sections: King’s Ely Senior (age 13-18) and King’s Ely Prep (age 7-13), which occupy adjacent campuses and benefit from shared facilities, and King’s Ely Acremont and Nursery (ages 2-6) which have their own self-contained campus about 400m from the main site. Additionally, Fairstead House School in Newmarket (for pupils aged 1-11) joined the King’s Ely family of schools in 2022.
The main campus extends to around 75 acres and contains buildings spanning the thirteenth to twenty-first centuries, including many of the historic monastic buildings adjacent to Ely Cathedral as well as more recent, purpose-built facilities and almost 40 acres of playing fields.
King’s Ely plays a key role in the local community. We are one of Ely’s largest employers and contribute greatly to the local economy, and we also continue to educate the choristers of Ely Cathedral. King’s Ely also offers a number of bursaries to enable pupils from all walks of life to benefit from the education it offers.
In its recent ISI Inspection (March 2025), King’s Ely was found to meet or to exceed all regulatory standards. In addition, the Inspectors judged the School to have a significant strength in the way in which its high quality pastoral care is interwoven with a dynamic enrichment programme. This enables “pupils of all ages to develop their independence, intellectual curiosity, creativity and socialization particularly well”.
The School is rightfully proud of the Inspection. It is testament to the community spirit of King’s Ely and the commitment and respect shown each day by pupils, staff and their families.
King’s Ely is affiliated with the HMC, Society of Heads, IAPS, the Boarding Schools’ Association and the Choir Schools’ Association.
The Head of Careers and Futures – King's Ely, Senior
The Head of Careers and Futures leads the school’s work in preparing pupils from Year 9 through to Year 13 for life after King’s. The role combines oversight of a structured programme with the flexibility to respond to individual needs, ensuring that every pupil has access to impartial advice and practical opportunities to explore their next steps. It involves coordinating careers education across the curriculum, developing links with employers, universities, and apprenticeship providers, and arranging work experience, talks, and events that give pupils a real insight into the options available. The programme is structured around the Gatsby Benchmarks, so that the school meets statutory requirements while providing a coherent framework for careers education.
The postholder works closely with colleagues, including the Higher Education Lead, tutors, and senior staff, to give pupils the knowledge and confidence to make informed choices. The role covers the full range of routes available – from university and degree apprenticeships to vocational training, the armed forces, employment, entrepreneurship, or gap years. Above all, it is about equipping pupils with the awareness, skills, and aspirations they need to make positive decisions about their futures.
A pupil’s careers journey starts with the first experience of careers in the younger years and leads to personalised support and post-18 preparation in the Sixth Form. In Year 7, pupils begin with profiling, trips, assemblies, and workplace visits, while in Year 8 they build on this through mentoring, peer-to-peer activities, further profiling, and continued involvement in careers events.
Year 9 focuses on self-discovery and informed decision-making around GCSE choices, with interests and skills profiling helping pupils link their studies to future pathways. In Year 10, the emphasis shifts to employability, with CV writing, networking, a major careers fair, and meaningful workplace experience placements (currently undertaken in June). Year 11 then provides more personalised guidance through psychometric assessments, one-to-one interviews, and exploration of post-16 options, whether Sixth Form, apprenticeships, or vocational routes.
In the Sixth Form, Year 12 broadens horizons with extended learning, visiting speakers, higher education and apprenticeship guidance, and the first stages of UCAS preparation, supported by work experience. By Year 13, the programme consolidates these experiences with tailored support for university, apprenticeships, employment, or gap years, ensuring that every pupil leaves school with clear plans and the confidence to pursue them.
Job Description
This is a substantial part-time role (0.6 FTE) which may be combined with a teaching role in any relevant subject to form a full-time position.
The successful candidate will be responsible for
Strategic development, leadership and management of the Careers education, information and guidance provision (CEIAG) across King’s Ely Senior.
Act as a champion for careers education in the 21st century.
The postholder’s duties will involve, but will not necessarily be limited to:
Organising and delivering an appropriate careers curriculum for Year 9-13.
Enrich and broaden the learning experiences and careers aspirations of students across the school through organising events, fairs, talks/webinars, networking opportunity and skills training.
Use opportunities such as National Careers Week and National Apprenticeships Week to celebrate careers opportunities.
Administer and develop the work experience programme.
Regularly evaluate the impact of Futures events via student voice, parents and staff surveys.
Measuring provision against achieving 100 % of Gatsby Benchmarks.
To offer bespoke, impartial guidance to students relating to careers and future learning pathways.
Maintain accurate records of meetings with students and parents in line with data protection policies and best practice.
Liaise with Heads of Departments to ensure subject specific careers opportunities are developed; linking curriculum learning to careers (working with HoDs).
Act as consultant/reference point for teaching staff dealing with careers queries.
Build and maintain employer and alumni networks to help pupils access career related opportunities such as work experience.
Liaise with Careers Lead in King’s Ely Prep to ensure a smooth transition to KES in terms of careers education.
Maintain up to date knowledge of developments in Careers Education and Guidance to schools.
Responsible for all policies relating to Careers Education.
Liaise closely with the Head of PSHE to ensure effective coordination of PSHE and careers time within the tutorial curriculum.
Train and guide tutors in delivery of aspects of the Careers curriculum.
Develop and lead administrative assistance within the Careers Department.
Liaise closely with the Director of Higher Education to ensure that pupils and parents are informed about post 18 opportunities relating to non-university pathways.
Continue to develop use of the Unifrog platform as a tool to help pupils track and reflect on their employability skills.
This description is not exhaustive and may well be subject to change over time. The intention is to offer candidates an accurate impression of the expectations commensurate with the post and an outline of the role as it is envisaged at this time.
Terms and Conditions
- The School operates a defined contribution scheme for teaching staff. This scheme is the Aviva Pension Trust for Independent Schools (APTIS) scheme. Further details about the defined contribution scheme are available from the School's Chief Financial Officer.
- Members of staff may educate their own children in any of the three parts of the school or at Fairstead House, subject to availability of places and successful admissions procedures. Staff currently enjoy a discretionary discount on fees for children in Reception year onwards, details of which will be provided upon request.
- The School offers a private healthcare insurance scheme, which staff may opt to join shortly after the start of each academic year (the policy starts on 1st November each year). The scheme can only be joined at the start of the policy year, not part-way through the year.
- School lunch provided when at work over lunch time and tea and coffee throughout the day.
- Limited use of school gym facilities (during specific times) and use of the school swimming pool at specific times (during summer school holidays – small fee applies)
- Limited free on-site parking.
- Employees and their dependants have access to a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
- Access to Salary Sacrifice Schemes such as: Cycle2Work, Home and Tech Scheme and Local Gym Membership.
- Members of staff are entitled to 10% discount on all King’s Ely school uniform ordered for their own children from Schoolblazer.
- Discounts at local businesses including Poet's House, The Almonry Kitchen & Tearoom, Ely Grazing Company, Sushi and Salad, Griddle Bar and Meathouse, and The Pantry (Newmarket).
King’s Ely is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.
If you are selected for interview, you will need to provide and bring with you photographic proof of identity (eg passport or photo driving license), birth certificate, documentation confirming your National Insurance Number or your right to work in the United Kingdom, proof of address (eg recent bank statement/HMRC correspondence/utility bill) and certification of declared qualifications
We appreciate your effort in completing this application and for your interest in working for King’s Ely.
Further Information
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Barton Road, Ely, CB7 4DB
- HMC, IAPS, ISC, SoH
01353 660700 www.kingsely.org
Closing Date: 11 November 2025
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