Senior Education Delivery Manager

Company Description

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland is a postgraduate medical training college dedicated to ensuring that doctors have the skills to provide patients with the best possible care. Founded in 1654, the college supports doctors to enhance their skills, competencies, and professionalism throughout their working lives.

Through its Faculties and Institutes, The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, offers medical training programmes, examinations, diplomas, and educational courses to equip doctors with the skills and knowledge they need to care for patients and run safe and efficient healthcare systems. It also offers a range of educational diplomas and courses for learners in the wider healthcare sector.

Job Description

Position Senior Education Delivery Manager

Contract: Permanent

Reporting to: Head of Operations

Salary: €77,000

Closing date: Friday 20 November 2026 at 16:00

RCPI is seeking an experienced Senior Education Delivery Manager to lead the operational delivery and scaling of its expanding portfolio of courses and programmes.

Reporting to the Head of Operations, the postholder will lead the Education Delivery team and establish the operating model, capacity, systems, controls and cross-functional ways of working required to support increased programme volume and complexity. The role will work in close partnership with the Education Department, which leads educational direction and academic quality, and the Business Development Department, which leads market development, partnerships and growth opportunities.

The postholder will provide clear operational ownership across the end-to-end learner and programme journey, ensuring that responsibilities, handovers, service standards and escalation routes are understood. They will balance learner experience, quality, financial sustainability and delivery discipline, while building a scalable and responsive team culture. The role is central to the RCPI growth strategy and will translate strategic, educational and commercial priorities into reliable, high-quality delivery for learners, faculty and partners.

Reporting Relationship and Role Interfaces

- Reports directly to the Head of Operations and contributes to the operational planning and performance of RCPI’s education portfolio. - Works in partnership with the Education Department to convert approved educational designs, academic standards and faculty requirements into deliverable programme plans. - Works in partnership with the Business Development Department to assess delivery feasibility, capacity, timelines and cost implications for new and expanded opportunities. - Collaborates with Finance, Marketing and Communications, IT and Digital, Quality and Governance, Faculties and Institutes, subject-matter experts, tutors and external partners. - Acts as the senior operational point of accountability for education delivery, while respecting the defined academic, commercial, financial and governance accountabilities of partner departments and oversight committees.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership and Courses at Scale

- Lead the operational implementation of the Courses at Scale growth strategy, translating strategic priorities into a phased and achievable delivery plan. - Develop a scalable education delivery operating model covering people, processes, systems, governance, service standards and risk controls. - Assess the operational feasibility of proposed courses and programmes, advising on capacity, sequencing, dependencies, resource requirements and delivery risk. - Identify where existing ways of working must be standardised, redesigned or automated to support growth without compromising educational quality or learner experience. - Contribute operational insight to portfolio prioritisation, annual business planning, budgeting and workforce planning. - Ensure that high-volume and repeatable delivery models are appropriately differentiated from bespoke or specialist programmes.

1. End-to-End Programme and Course Delivery

- Own operational delivery from approved programme concept through mobilisation, scheduling, faculty coordination, delivery, assessment support, certification and post-programme review. - Create and maintain integrated delivery plans, critical paths, readiness criteria and clear decision points for each programme or course launch. - Ensure delivery teams have complete and timely information, resources, venues, technology, learner data, faculty inputs and support arrangements. - Establish consistent processes for course set-up, learner communications, payments and refunds, enrolment, attendance, materials, evaluation and certification, working with the relevant functional owners. - Monitor programme delivery against agreed scope, schedule, quality and budget, intervening early where delivery is at risk. - Oversee effective operational support for learners, faculty, tutors and internal stakeholders, including clear escalation and resolution pathways.

1. Cross-Functional Governance and Ways of Working

- Develop and embed a clear cross-functional accountability framework for programme development and delivery, including roles, decision rights, handovers and escalation routes. - Chair or contribute to programmemobilisation, delivery readiness and post-implementation review meetings as appropriate. - Establish practical standard operating procedures that clarify how work moves between Operations, Education, Business Development, Finance, Marketing and Communications, and IT and Digital. - Ensure senior stakeholders receive concise, evidence-based reporting on programme readiness, performance, risks, decisions and resource constraints. - Promote shared accountability, timely decision-making and constructive challenge across departmental boundaries. - Maintain appropriate documentation and audit trails for key operational decisions and approvals.

1. Team Leadership and Capability

- Lead, manage and develop the Education Delivery team, setting clear objectives, roles, service standards and performance expectations. - Build team capability in programme operations, planning, learner service, data quality, systems use, risk management and continuous improvement. - Align resources to programme priorities and peaks in demand, ensuring effective workload planning, resilience and business continuity. - Create a high-trust, high-accountability culture in which issues are surfaced early, learning is shared and colleagues are supported to perform at their best. - Identify future capability and workforce requirements arising from portfolio growth and recommend changes to structure, roles or resourcing. - Provide coaching, regular feedback and development opportunities, and address performance issues promptly and fairly.

1. Learner, Faculty and Partner Experience

- Champion a consistent, accessible and responsive learner experience across all delivery channels and stages of the programme journey. - Ensure faculty, tutors and subject-matter experts receive clear operational briefs, timelines, materials and pro active support. - Use learner, faculty and partner feedback to identify service improvements and inform future programme planning. - Work with relevant teams to ensure communications are accurate, timely and aligned across marketing, recruitment, enrolment and delivery. - Ensure operational arrangements support inclusion, accessibility and RCPI’s values.

1. Systems, Data and Process Improvement

- Lead the operational adoption of systems supporting the end-to-end learner journey, including course catalogue, application or purchase, payments, enrolment, learning access, scheduling, communications and reporting. - Work with IT and Digital colleagues to define operational requirements, test solutions, manage readiness and embed effective processes. - Establish reliable management information and a single operational view of programme status, learner volumes, capacity, issues and performance. - Drive standardisation, automation and process improvement, reducing avoidable manual work, duplication and failure demand. - Ensure appropriate data governance, access controls, retention and quality standards are applied to learner and programme information.

1. Financial and Commercial Management

- Work with Finance, Education and Business Development to develop realistic delivery budgets, resource models and cost assumptions for new and existing programmes. - Monitor operational expenditure and delivery performance against agreed budgets, highlighting variances and recommending corrective action. - Provide operational input to pricing, margin and investment decisions, including the cost and capacity implications of different delivery models. - Support contract and partner delivery by ensuring operational commitments, dependencies and service expectations are understood and achievable. - Identify opportunities to improve productivity, utilisation and value for money while protecting quality and learner outcomes.

1. Quality, Risk and Continuous Improvement

- Maintain a comprehensive operational risk and issue framework for education delivery, with clear owners, mitigations and escalation thresholds. - Ensure operational delivery complies with approved academic requirements, internal policies, quality standards, data protection obligations and relevant regulatory requirements. - Introduce proportionate quality assurance checks and readiness reviews for programme launches and major delivery milestones. - Lead post-programme reviews and ensure lessons learned result in documented and sustained improvements. - Monitor service performance and trends, using data and feedback to improve reliability, quality and scalability. - Ensure robust contingency and business continuity arrangements are in place for critical programme activities.

Key Measures of Success

- Reliable launch and delivery of the agreed Courses at Scale portfolio to approved timelines and standards. - Clear accountability, handovers and decision-making across Operations, Education and Business Development. - Improved learner, faculty and internal stakeholder experience, evidenced through agreed feedback and service measures. - Accurate and timely visibility of capacity, readiness, risks, delivery performance and financial position. - Increased standardisation and automation, with reduced duplication, rework and avoidable manual intervention. - An engaged, capable and resilient Education Delivery team with clear objectives and development plans. - Effective management of delivery risks, issues and dependencies, with timely escalation and resolution. - Sustainable growth in programme volume and complexity without deterioration in quality, compliance or learner service. - Providing learner insights and intelligence reporting for Business Development and other stakeholders - Effective management of programme performance including learner success and retention.

Requirements

Essential Qualifications and Experience

- Relevant third-level qualification or equivalent professional experience in education, programme operations, service delivery, business operations or a related discipline. - Significant management experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder operational delivery in education, training, healthcare, membership, professional services or a comparable environment. - Demonstrated experience of scaling services or programmes, including the design and implementation of repeatable operating processes and controls. - Proven people leadership experience, including workforce planning, performance management, coaching and team development. - Strong programme and portfolio management capability, with experience managing multiple concurrent priorities, dependencies, budgets, risks and deadlines. - Experience of working successfully across functional boundaries and influencing senior stakeholders without relying solely on formal authority. - Experience using data, systems and performance measures to improve service delivery and support decision-making. - Demonstrated commercial and financial awareness, including budgeting, resource planning and assessment of delivery feasibility. - Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex operational matters clearly and concisely.

Desirable Experience

- Experience in postgraduate medical education, professional education, executive education or continuing professional development. - Experience of digital learning platforms, customer relationship management systems, e-commerce or learner management systems. - Experience of implementing an end-to-end learner journey across marketing, application or purchase, payment, enrolment, learning access and certification. - Experience of quality assurance, accreditation, governance or compliance within an education or regulated environment. - Formal qualification in project, programme, operations, change or process improvement management. Competencies

- Strategic Planning and Delivery - Leadership and Team Management - Stakeholder Collaboration and Influence - Planning and Organising - Commercial and Financial Acumen - Learner and Service Focus - Data, Systems and Process Orientation - Judgement and Problem Solving - Communication Skills - Change Leadership

Why us?

Leave: We offer 21 days annual leave with an additional 3-4 college days as well as long service leave to all employees. We also provide support for staff with Maternity, Sick, Parents, and Parental leave.

Wellbeing: An Employee Assistance Programme with Spectrum Life is available to all staff members as well as annual flu vaccine.

Pension: A defined contribution pension scheme of 1.5% Employee contribution and RCPI contribution from commencement date with an increase after 18 months

Flexible Benefit: Pro-rata €1,500 annual flexible benefit upon completion of a successful probationary period.

Life Assurance: 4 times your annual salary.

Learning & Development: We offer CPD options including study leave and access to our internal LMS Training system.

Diversity and Inclusion: RCPI recognises the importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion. We were recently awarded a Silver accreditation from Investors in Diversity. We are an open and inclusive organisation that celebrates and welcomes diversity. We lead initiatives that support, promote and demonstrate a culture of mutual respect, inclusivity, and diversity, as outlined in our Diversity and Inclusion policy.

Accommodations

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland is an inclusive employer and in line with our policies you are invited to disclose any reasonable accommodations you require for applying, interviewing or working with RCPI. Please be assured this information will be treated as confidential and not used for the purpose of selection. If you have any queries, please contact Jennifer Breathnach at jenniferbreathnach@rcpi.ie.

About us

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland is a postgraduate medical training college dedicated to ensuring that doctors have the skills to provide patients with the best possible care. Founded in 1654, the college supports doctors to enhance their skills, competencies, and professionalism throughout their working lives.

Through its Faculties and Institutes, The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, offers medical training programmes, examinations, diplomas, and educational courses to equip doctors with the skills and knowledge they need to care for patients and run safe and efficient healthcare systems. It also offers a range of educational diplomas and courses for learners in the wider healthcare sector.