Executive Director – Professional Development Services RCS England

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RCS England is seeking a senior Executive Director to lead the transformation of surgical education, training and assessment at a globally respected professional body.

• Location:London (Hybrid: 2–3 days per week)
• Salary:c. £120,000 per annum
• Closing date:9 a.m. Friday 3rd July

The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England)  is seeking an outstanding Executive Director to lead its Professional Development Services portfolio, encompassing education, training and assessment.

This is a pivotal leadership role at a point of significant evolution. With an established global reputation and a substantial and complex portfolio, the College is advancing its approach to education delivery – embracing innovation, strengthening integration across programmes, and ensuring long-term sustainability.

As part of the Executive Director team, you will play a key role in shaping the College’s future direction, contributing to a unified “One College” approach while leading a major transformation programme across learning and assessment. This appointment sits within a wider programme to strengthen leadership capacity across education, training and assessment at the College.

This is an exceptional opportunity to influence the future of surgical education and professional development at scale.

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The Royal College of Surgeons of England is a world-leading professional membership organisation and registered charity dedicated to advancing surgical standards and improving patient care.

With over 30,000 members globally, a workforce of 300+ staff and a network of more than 5000 clinical volunteers, the College delivers a substantial portfolio of education, training and assessment. Its examinations define professional standards across the UK and internationally, while its programmes support surgeons and dental professionals throughout their careers.

Reporting to the Chief Executive and working as part of the Executive Director team, this role provides strategic leadership across training, learning and examinations, ensuring alignment with the College’s broader vision and long-term objectives.

You will lead a significant and complex portfolio, translating strategy into delivery while driving transformation in how education and assessment are designed, delivered and experienced.

Key responsibilities include: 

• Providing executive leadership across education, training and assessment directorates.
• Driving innovation in delivery models, including digital and technology-enabled learning.
• Ensuring robust governance, quality assurance and regulatory compliance across all activity.
• Leading a multi-million-pound portfolio, balancing financial sustainability with educational excellence.
• Embedding a high-performance, outcome-focused culture across teams.
• Acting as an ambassador for the College, strengthening relationships with clinicians, regulators and partners.
• Contributing to collective leadership and a unified “One College” approach at executive level.

We are seeking an experienced and highly credible executive leader, able to operate at scale within complex, stakeholder-led and regulated environments.

The successful candidate will bring: 

• Proven experience at executive or equivalent level, with responsibility for strategic leadership and organisational delivery.
• A strong track record of leading transformation, particularly within education, assessment or professional services.
• Experience balancing quality, stakeholder expectations and financial sustainability.
• The ability to lead and develop senior teams, driving performance and continuous improvement.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills, including working with governance bodies and professional communities.
• A collaborative leadership style, with the ability to operate effectively within a collective executive environment.

To view the role description and candidate pack, please go to the ‘How to Apply’ tab above, fill in your details, and download the role description and candidate pack.

For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:

Rajia Alam | rajia@peridotpartners.co.uk

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in the role of Executive Director of Professional Development Services at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

For more than two centuries, RCS England has stood at the forefront of surgical and dental excellence, supporting tens of thousands of professionals, trainees and students across the UK and around the world. You are considering joining us at a pivotal moment. With a strong executive team in place and a new College strategy in development for launch in 2026, we are shaping a modern, forward-looking organisation, one that honours its heritage while redefining what a professional body can be.

As one of four Executive Directors forming the College’s corporate leadership, you will play a central role in this transformation. This portfolio brings together all aspects of surgical and dental training, learning and assessment, placing you at the heart of how we support the profession throughout its educational journey. You will provide strategic direction and oversight for our programmes, curricula, examinations, accreditation processes and quality assurance frameworks, ensuring they remain rigorous, innovative and aligned with the evolving needs of the profession.

We are seeking an accomplished executive leader, someone with a strong track record of leading complex change and delivering impact through collaboration. You will bring deep experience in transforming education and assessment at scale, alongside the emotional intelligence, credibility and authenticity needed to inspire confidence across a diverse and expert community.

If you are energised by this opportunity to help define what exceptional professional education and assessment should look like for the next generation, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Best wishes,

Jackie Weller
Chief Executive

The Royal College of Surgeons of England plays a central role in shaping surgical standards, education and professional development across the UK and internationally.

The organisation is now entering a period of transformation, with a clear focus on modernising the delivery of education and assessment. This includes enhancing digital capability, exploring new models of learning and assessment, and ensuring that provision remains accessible, relevant, and aligned with the evolving needs of the profession.

Alongside this, the College must continue to operate within a complex regulatory and stakeholder environment. Maintaining confidence from regulators and the profession, while responding to global and operational challenges, requires strong leadership and clear strategic direction.

The Professional Development Services portfolio is central to this agenda, both in terms of impact and financial contribution to the College. This role will be critical in shaping how the organisation balances innovation, growth and accessibility with the highest standards of quality and governance.

Working closely with clinical leaders, volunteers and the executive team, the successful candidate will help define a future-focused model of surgical education that strengthens the College’s influence and global position.

Diversity, inclusion and belonging are at the heart of everything we do.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds, communities and abilities. We support candidates who may require adjustments at any stage of the process and encourage individuals to tell us what would help them perform at their best.

We aim to ensure our recruitment processes enable all candidates to demonstrate their skills and experience. We also recognise the value of neurodiversity, supporting inclusive ways of working that allow individuals to play to their strengths.

To arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:

Rajia Alam | rajia@peridotpartners.co.uk

Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the  Role Description and

To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.

Please include your home address, contact email and mobile.

Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk, inserting “Application: The Royal College of Surgeons of England—xecutive Director (PDS)” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact our admin team.

For further information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:

Rajia Alam | rajia@peridotpartners.co.uk

As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes that are fair, inclusive and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences.

If you require any job information in an alternative format (e.g. large print), please contact the lead consultant. Please also let us know if you would like to submit your application in an alternative format.

Applicants with disabilities are welcome to contact us in confidence at any stage of the recruitment process to discuss any reasonable adjustments or support that may be required to ensure fair and equal participation.

Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.

Closing date: 9 a.m. Friday 3rd July 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: w/c Monday 13th July 2026
First stage Interviews: w/c Monday 27th July 2026
Second stage Interviews: Thursday 6th or Friday 7th August 2026

We are in the process of confirming interview dates. Once confirmed, we will update the site and contact those who have applied.

Peridot and the Royal College of Surgeons of England are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions. We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.

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