ABOUT US

We are Learners, Connectors and Changemakers

At Wellington College China, we offer a pioneering education to serve and help shape a better world. We inspire our children to be the best version of themselves, to take pride in where they come from and to be the change they wish to see in the world.

 

The Wellington College, United Kingdom (TWC)

Wellington College in England was founded by Queen Victoria in 1859 as a national monument to Britain’s most renowned military figure, the Duke of Wellington. Over 160 years later, the College is one of the most respected schools in the United Kingdom and one of its greatest educational institutions — pioneering, innovating, and transforming education for girls and boys.

Wellington College China (WCC)

Wellington College China (WCC) was established in 2009 and is the exclusive partner of The Wellington College (TWC) in China. WCC has established three premium internationals schools under the Wellington brand, three private Huili bilingual schools and four nurseries in Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nantong. Wellington international schools teach a curriculum based on the English National Curriculum, while Huili schools combine thebest of the British and Chinese education systems for Chinese pupils aged 2–18.

Together our schools serve more than 5,000 pupils and employ over 1,200 staff, approximately 40% of whom are expatriates, with the majority being from the UK. Over the past 14 years, WCC has accumulated a wealth of experience in school establishment, campus construction, operation and management, talent development, curriculum design and teaching provision.

WCC Central Office

To support our schools in achieving excellence, a group of senior leaders in the Central Office set standards andstrengthen operations. The Central Office provides expertise in human resources, finance, legal, marketing, facilities, academics and more.

With offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong, the group provides support for schools within the organisation while leading new projects in China and beyond, from the design to curriculum development to pre-opening, the team plays a vital role across the organisation.

Working for Wellington College China

WCC is an inclusive community of unique individuals with passion, integrity and a commitment to each other. Grounded in the Wellington Values, we are a workplace where ideas are realised, bonds are forged, and futures can be shaped together.

We empower our employees to grow, with a confidence that inspires our colleagues, opens new opportunities and adds real value to everything we do.

At Wellington, we are our people, and we pride ourselves on the care and opportunities we provide to our employees. Over 50% of our most senior leaders are promoted internally, and over 70% are female. We offer an exceptional range of learning and development opportunities. These include our internal and external coaching programmes, the WCC High Potential Leadership Programme and a wide range of academic and non-academic training courses designed to take employees through to middle leadership, senior leadership and beyond. To view ourfull directory of learning and development opportunities, please see the WCC Course Directory.

Wellington College China has been awarded the HR Asia ‘Best Companies to Work for in Asia’ Award for 3 years running.

ACADEMIC

This role will sit as part of The Bridge | China which is Wellington College China’s central academic functionresponsible for supporting all aspects of the educational provision of our schools. As such, the Bridge provides a tangible link between colleagues, ideas, and good practice across the global Wellington family.

The Bridge | China will be positioned not only as a point of contact for Wellington, but as a centre of engagement with progressive, likeminded institutions and individuals who share our vision of an education that meets the needsof 21st century learners, staff and parents.

The work on school improvement, research-based practice and innovation in education will thus be marked by greater collaboration across our schools and the family of Wellington College schools.

The group’s ambition is to offer an outstanding education to our pupils and families, and a key part of that commitment lies in offering unrivalled opportunities both within and beyond the classroom. As university pathways become increasingly complex and challenging to navigate, the work of our staff in facilitating the transition from school to university is essential. As such, the role requires a committed, experienced individual who can work with school leaders and Bridge colleagues to ensure that WCC provides an exemplary pre-university programme.

Core features of a Wellington education:

• Training staff, from ITE to ECT, middle leadership and beyond, is another key pillar of the work of the Bridge.

ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP

The Chief Executive Master of Wellington College China is Julian Jeffrey who has been with the group since 2014 and was previously the highly successful Master of Wellington College Tianjin. He works closely alongside the Global Chief People Officer and Chief Operating Officer to ensure excellence in both support and quality assurance of our schools at all levels via our Central Office and Governance structures,

Governance is organised at both group and school level. Overall governance rests with the Wellington College China Executive Board, which operates a single ownership framework for all the Wellington College and Huili Schools in China, makes group-level decisions, governs the Central Office as a shared resource, and approves group-level targets that are shared by our senior leaders.

LOCATION AND FACILITIES

This role will be based at WCCs purpose-built Central Office which is located on

Wellington College International Shanghai’s state-of the-art campus.

The Central Office location is in the New Bund Area of Pudong District, which gives easy access from both Puxi and Pudong, Shanghai’s two central districts. The nearest metro station is ten minutes’ walk away. Our Community Guide to Moving To and Living In Shanghai is available here.

ABOUT THE WELLINGTON FAMILY

Wellington College was founded by Queen Victoria in 1859 as a national monument to one of Britain’s most renowned military figures and twice Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington. More than 160 years later, the College is one of the most respected schools in the UK and one of its greatest educational institutions.

In partnership with Wellington College, Wellington College China opened its inaugural school, Wellington College International Tianjin, in August 2011. WCC grew with the addition of Wellington College International Shanghai in 2014 and the creation of WCC Huili to promote bicultural education. Huili Nursery Shanghai opened in 2016 followed two years later by Huili School Shanghai and three schools in Hangzhou - Huili Nursery and Huili School and a further Wellington College International School. Huili School Nantong, WCC’s flagship boarding school, opened in 2022.

Wellington International Schools teach a curriculum based on the English National Curriculum and the IBDP, while the Huili schools combine the best of the British and Chinese education systems for Chinese pupils aged 2–18.

The Wellington College Family now has schools in the UK, Thailand, India and China. Wellington College Chinacontinues to flourish and plans to take its bicultural education model overseas within the next few years.

Role Description

OBJECTIVES

Each year, graduates from the Wellington College China group of schools seek to round off their schooling by gaining a place at one of the world’s leading universities. Our pupils are heavily focused on the QS Top 50 institutions, including destinations such as CalTech, Duke, Dartmouth, UCLA, Chicago, Johns Hopkins, NYU and Carnegie Mellon in the US and Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, UCL, Edinburgh and KCL in the UK. Among specialist universities, UAL, Bartlett School of Architecture, Parsons, RISD and Berklee remain popular target universities. This table indicates some of the recent destinations for our graduates:

• Strategic leadership of the schools’ university teams across the group. School- based Directors will have a dotted line reporting to the Group Director.
• Advise on team structure, roles and responsibilities and performance indicators at the school level.
• Develop group approach so all school higher education teams collaborate to build reputation for WCC and maximize impact for all pupils.
• Actively seek and facilitate development opportunities for school Higher Education teams and school leaders, though, for example, university visits, invitations to admissions personnel, conferences, etc.
• Work with Heads of Schools to ensure that enhanced provision for "top-tier, high-potential" pupils is adequate and appropriate.
• Regularly report to the Governors and Masters on progress against KPIs and future plans.

Strategic Development

• Develop greater understanding within school Higher Education teams of university admissions requirements, both generally and specifically for the QS world top-20 universities.
• Source examples of best practice to benchmark WCC schools.
• Maintain strategic oversight of the university admissions process and provide direction and insights into improved processes, structures and support, including:
  1. Regularly reviewing the paperwork, including school profile, websites, transcripts and teacher recommendations.
  2. Review and publish timelines and annual programme of events.
  3. Review the curriculum for supporting Higher Education throughout WCC senior schools.
• Enhance our parent engagement and communication strategy, looking to build systematic, personalised services for families.
• Review our position and strategy in engaging external agencies to supplement our in-house service.
• Develop a group level Higher Education handbook.

Networking and Outreach

• Develop a group approach to building and maintaining relationships with top universities, growing the brand recognition and advocating on behalf of all WCC schools.
• Further grow the relationship with Wellington College in the UK.
• Connect to global college counselling professional networks.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

REMUNERATION

The Group Director of College Counselling will be offered a highly competitive salary commensurate with experience plus abonus component based on achievement of agreed KPIs. The remuneration package will include an accommodationallowance, comprehensive medical insurance for themselves and dependents, full school fee payment for two children, relocation support, annual flight allowance aligned with the WCC policy for senior leaders and a phone allowance.

HOW TO APPLY

Wellington College China is being assisted in this appointment process by the executive search firm Society (www.society-search.com).

Applications should consist of:

1. a concise covering letter (ideally no longer than two pages), addressing the criteria in the Person Specification;
2. an up-to-date curriculum vitae;
3. names and contact details of three referees (although referees will only be approached at the final stage of the process, and only with your express permission).

The recruitment process will proceed as follows:

• Preliminary interviews for selected applicants with Society colleagues will take place by videoconference. Interviews may start before the applications deadline and so early applications are encouraged.
• Further interviews for those selected to move forward will take place by videoconference with members of the WCC team.
• The final round of interviews will be held in Shanghai (exact dates and details will be shared with selected candidates).
• Society will collect references for candidates invited to attend the final round interviews. No referees will be contacted until Society has received your express permission to do so.

As an employer of choice, Wellington College China is committed to making professional learning and personal development central to its ethos and approach. WCC fully recognises its responsibilities for safeguarding children. Our safeguarding policy applies to all staff, governors and volunteers working in the Group.