Learning and Teaching Excellence Lead

About Decoded

We are Decoded, the pioneers of transformative technology education. We democratise cutting-edge skills. We help transform traditional businesses into tech companies. We give our learners the skills and confidence to embrace the future of work.

Our products and methodologies have been shaped through our collaboration with some of the largest and most technologically progressive organisations in the world. We use the intelligent, ethical and creative application of technology to lay the foundations for a more productive and promising world – one with unlimited possibilities.

Overview

On all of our blended learning programmes, the live workshops form both the heart and soul of the learning journey. This Learning and Teaching Excellence Lead role is two days a week and is responsible for ensuring these live learning events are of the highest quality.

The ideal candidate will possess a blend of andragogical expertise and technical literacy, comfortably navigating the shift towards AI-augmented teaching. You will not only identify quality trends via data synthesising but will also act as a mentor, using structured coaching frameworks to maintain our gold-standard virtual delivery while ensuring alignment with UK regulatory requirements including Ofsted, ESFA, and Skills England.

Working closely with the Head of Teaching, the delivery team, and the Quality team, you will help build a culture of openness, support, learning, and excellence. You will move beyond simply reporting concerns to leading interventions that improve teaching systems and learner outcomes.

Your Role

As Learning and Teaching Excellence Lead, you will:

• Enhance Quality Systems: Use data synthesising to identify systemic trends across cohorts. Propose and implement changes to our teaching frameworks based on these insights to continually optimise delivery.

• Observation and Evaluation: Regularly observe live virtual workshops, primarily hosted via video calls for 6 to 20 professional learners, ensuring they meet Decoded standards for engagement, utility, and adult learning principles.

• Coaching and Mentorship: Provide meaningful, actionable feedback using structured coaching frameworks. Act as a mentor to the delivery team, specifically focusing on the induction and development of newer teachers to foster a high-performance culture.

• Lead Interventions: Actively intervene where causes for concern are identified. This includes designing and leading bespoke upskilling sessions.

• Regulatory Alignment: Ensure all teaching practices align with UK professional apprenticeship standards, including the New Assessment Plan structure, Skills England productivity goals, and Ofsted Education Inspection Framework.

• Innovate Virtual Facilitation: Serve as an internal expert on the virtual nature of the role, championing tools and techniques that maximise remote engagement for adult professionals.

• Policy Refinement: Collaborate with the Quality and Teaching teams to refine policies and standards, ensuring they remain relevant in the era of AI-augmented development.

Team & Reporting Structure

This role will report into the Head of Teaching.

Requirements

Who You Are

We are looking for a highly experienced educator and quality professional with a strong background in teacher training and observation. Candidates should be able to demonstrate most or all of the following:

• Professional Qualifications: You hold a formal teaching qualification such as QTS, QTLS, Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training, or possess substantial equivalent experience in adult technical education.

• FE Observation Expertise: You are an experienced teaching observer with a proven track record of using formal observation frameworks to drive up teaching standards.

• Teacher Mentorship: Significant experience in supporting teacher inductions and guiding early-career teachers through their formative years of practice.

• Andragogical Expertise: A deep understanding of adult learning principles and how they differ from traditional pedagogy.

• Data Literacy: The ability to move beyond reading spreadsheets to synthesising data into clear proposals for systemic change.

• Coaching Mastery: Experience using formal coaching frameworks such as GROW or OSKAR to improve the performance of highly skilled, technical experts.

• Apprenticeship Authority: Deep knowledge of the UK Apprenticeship landscape, including Ofsted requirements, ESFA compliance, and the Skills England agenda.

• Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to provide challenging feedback in a way that builds trust and fosters growth.

• Safety and Values: A robust understanding of Safeguarding, Prevent, and the authentic embedding of British Values into a technical curriculum.

Day-To-Day

Our working hours are 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday (UK time). You plan your working day around the best outcomes for success, identifying and prioritising projects against business needs.

As we work with clients across different time zones, there may occasionally be times when you need to be flexible, for example, delivering a session for a US-based client might mean finishing later in the evening. When this happens, you're encouraged to adjust your hours, such as starting later that day or the next, to support a healthy work-life balance. We will endeavour to provide as much notice as is reasonably possible and discuss this with you in advance of any prolonged requirements. In these cases, you will be entitled to flexibility around working time to ensure adequate rest breaks.

Apart from the above, working at Decoded means you’ll get:

• 33 days leave per year (inclusive of bank holidays) and an extra tenured holiday enabling team members to gain an additional day for every year you are with us (after the first 2 years) up to a maximum of 8. We also close the office for 2 full weeks at Christmas at Decoded's discretion which does not come out of your holiday allowance.*

• Modern, flexible and fully serviced offices at Fora

• Company pension contributions

• Private health care including dental, GP and hospital cover and a gym discount to help you prioritise your wellbeing

• Travel insurance

• Social events, including in-person company get-togethers, department away days and Christmas lunch

• Continuous learning and development. You will be challenged with lots of responsibility and exciting projects in an environment that encourages learning, creativity, personal growth, and collaboration

• Free monthly lunches

• Casual dress every day

Salary band: £15,200 - £22,000 per annum (FTE £38,000 - £55,000)

*Pro-rated for part time positions.

Decoded is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. All roles involving interaction with learners, or access to sensitive learner data, are subject to mandatory background clearances. Successful candidates will be required to undergo a DBS check; where the role meets the criteria for regulated activity, an Enhanced DBS check (including a barred list check) will be required prior to commencement of employment.

We also require 2 professional references that come from either of the following:
- Your HR department
- Current or previous manager
- Someone senior to you in the business