Location
City of London, Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Hours
35 hours per week

Salary
£49,140 to £55,000 per annum (including Inner London Weighting)

About the Role
Guildhall School is a vibrant, international community of musicians, actors and production artists, ranked number one in Arts, Drama & Music by the Complete University Guide 2025 and among the top four globally for Music and Performing Arts by the QS World University Rankings 2025. We deliver world-class professional training in partnership with distinguished artists, companies and ensembles, promoting innovation, experimentation and research. We are also a leading UK provider of lifelong learning in the performing arts, offering inspiring training for children, young people, adult learners, and creative and business professionals.

We are seeking an accomplished higher education professional to join Guildhall School of Music & Drama as Deputy Head of Student Services (Operations). This key leadership role is responsible for ensuring students receive accessible, timely and well-coordinated support throughout their time at Guildhall.

Reporting to the Head of Student Services, you will design, coordinate and continuously improve the end-to-end operational delivery of student-facing services. You will lead day-to-day operations across front-line enquiries, appointments, triage, referral and case coordination, ensuring prompt responses, clear ownership and appropriate escalation in line with service procedures and risk thresholds.

Working collaboratively across Student Services and with colleagues in Registry, Finance, Estates, academic departments and other professional services, you will strengthen communication and workflows for student support. You will liaise with external partners, including GPs and community mental health professionals, to coordinate effective care and support.

The role includes coordinating cross-team responses to priority and complex issues such as duty-of-care, safety and welfare concerns, hospital admissions, safeguarding matters and emergencies. You will oversee case and enquiry management systems, support accurate and timely record keeping, and use management information, service standards and key performance indicators to improve quality, enable early intervention and inform service planning.

You will lead operational improvement initiatives including digital self-service, streamlined processes, online forms and workflow automation. Planning for peak periods, staff cover, systems resilience and business continuity will be important, alongside coordinating Student Services contributions to major student lifecycle events.

This fixed-term maternity cover role (October 2026 to June 2027) offers an excellent opportunity to take a visible operational leadership role within a committed and collaborative Student Services team at a world-leading conservatoire. You will help shape the systems, standards and partnerships that underpin an inclusive, responsive and high-quality student experience. The role includes line management responsibility for the Student Services Administrator and close collaboration with specialist colleagues across health and wellbeing, disability support, learning support, student life, residences and international student support.

Experience
Demonstrable experience of leading operations in higher education student services, wellbeing, disability, registry or a comparable environment. Proven line management and service improvement experience. Ability to coordinate complex activity, manage competing priorities and maintain consistently high service standards.

About you
Strong understanding of frameworks and responsibilities relevant to student services operations, including safeguarding, confidentiality, data protection, equality and disability, and regulatory expectations. Confident in identifying and escalating risk, handling sensitive information appropriately and working calmly and effectively in complex or urgent situations. Skilled in using data and management information to monitor performance, establish meaningful KPIs and drive continuous enhancement. Meticulous, with sound judgement and the ability to produce accurate reports, records and statistics. Collaborative and adaptable, building effective relationships with students, staff and external partners. Committed to student success and creating services that help every student fulfil their potential within specialist performing arts education.

Qualifications
A first or higher degree and/or a relevant professional qualification is required.