Job Description

About the role

Deputy Heads of Centre - Grafham Water Centre and Burwell House (Two Positions Available)

Cambridgeshire Outdoors is recruiting two Deputy Heads of Centre to work across Grafham Water Centre and Burwell House, leading the delivery of high-quality, inclusive outdoor and residential learning experiences. These roles are central to supporting Cambridgeshire County Council's Ambition 7--enabling all children and young people to thrive and the Educational Services and advancing the "Inclusion for All" strategy. Working closely with the Head of Centres, the Deputy Heads will lead multidisciplinary teams, develop and oversee educational programmes, ensure health and safety compliance, and drive business development and innovation. This is a flexible, multi-site role ideal for experienced, passionate leaders who are committed to creating transformative learning opportunities for children, young people, and families across Cambridgeshire.

About Cambridgeshire Outdoors

Cambridgeshire Outdoors delivers transformative outdoor learning experiences that support personal growth, wellbeing, and educational achievement. The service operates through:

Grafham Water Centre - a reservoir based outdoor education centre with 160 beds offering adventurous activities such as sailing, paddlesports, climbing, and high ropes, with a strong focus on personal development and team-building. Burwell House - a historic residential centre with 60 beds offering creative, environmental, and curriculum-linked learning experiences in a tranquil rural setting. An Outreach Programme - bringing outdoor learning directly to schools, youth groups, communities and businesses across Cambridgeshire.

Together, these services form a key part of the Council's Educational Services "Inclusion for All" strategy, ensuring that every child and young person--regardless of background or ability--can access enriching, life-enhancing opportunities.


Council Vision: Ambition 7 - These roles directly support Ambition 7 of Cambridgeshire County Council's vision: "Enabling all children and young people to thrive." Through inclusive programming and leadership, the Deputy Heads of Centre help create environments where young people can grow, learn, and succeed.


For more information or to chat about this opportunity please contact Daniel Playford

daniel.playford@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Site visits - week 4th August

Interviews (in person) - 12th or 13th August

What will you be doing?

As Deputy Head of Centre, you will:

Lead and manage multidisciplinary teams across both sites, including Facilities, Hospitality, and Programme staff. Deputise for the Head of Centres, taking full responsibility for operations and strategy in their absence. Design and deliver inclusive, high-quality outdoor and residential learning programmes that align with the National Curriculum and national education priorities. Champion health, safety, and safeguarding, acting as a technical advisor in at least one activity and ensuring compliance with national standards (e.g., AHOEC Gold, AALA, LOtC, PUK, MTE, RYA). Drive strategic development, including long-term planning, property and resource innovation, and funding opportunities. Lead quality assurance and evaluation, using data to measure the social value and impact of outdoor learning. Support business development and marketing, helping to grow the centres' reach and sustainability through partnerships, communications, and income generation. Act as Duty Manager on a rota basis and respond to emergencies and critical incidents when required. Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of the role, ensuring that every child and young person can thrive.

This is a flexible, multi-site role that requires strong leadership, excellent communication, and a passion for outdoor learning. You'll be part of a forward-thinking team committed to delivering transformative experiences for children, young people, and families across Cambridgeshire.


About you

We are looking for inspiring, strategic, and hands-on leaders who are passionate about outdoor learning and committed to making a difference in the lives of children and young people.


The ideal candidates will be:


Experienced and Skilled

Proven leaders with a strong background in outdoor and residential education, including programme development and team management. Confident in managing health, safety, and safeguarding responsibilities, with technical expertise in at least one adventurous activity. Skilled in strategic planning, project delivery, and stakeholder engagement, with a track record of driving innovation and improvement.

Inclusive and Child-Centred

Deeply committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring that all young people--regardless of background or ability--can access and benefit from outdoor learning. Passionate about supporting the personal growth, wellbeing, and educational achievement of children and young people. Aligned with the values of Cambridgeshire County Council's "Inclusion for All" strategy and Ambition 7.

Collaborative and Adaptable

Able to work flexibly across two unique and vibrant centres--Grafham Water Centre and Burwell House. Strong communicators who can build positive relationships with staff, schools, families, and external partners. Comfortable working in a fast-paced, multi-site environment, with the ability to lead by example and support others to thrive.

Business-Minded and Forward-Thinking

Commercially aware, with the ability to contribute to income generation, marketing, and business development. Enthusiastic about exploring new opportunities and securing the long-term sustainability of both centres.

About us

Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.


Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do.


We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities. If you don't meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don't be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.


Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.


We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Some examples of adjustments could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.


Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.


https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/jobs-and-careers


Our benefits

We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage...

A comprehensive

wellbeing package

to cover

all aspects of wellbeing

, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family Buy up to

4 weeks additional annual leave

(pro-rata) through our salary sacrifice scheme Take your bank holidays

flexibly

to better suit

your personal circumstances

Make

Additional Voluntary Contributions

(Shared AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings Access to

development opportunities

, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support

your personal and professional growth

Paid volunteering hours

each year so you can make a

positive impact on our community

during your normal working day Access to

Peer Support Groups

through our IDEAL staff

equality, diversity and inclusion

network Opportunities to nominate and receive

Employee Recognition Awards

An

Our Cambs Rewards

account, giving you access to in-store and online

discounts

as well as our

Car Lease

and

Cycle to Work

schemes

Take a look at our Employment Benefits Brochure attached to this advert to find out more.