Education creates limitless possibilities

Education creates limitless possibilities. It is key for the flourishing of individuals and communities, across cultures and societies, politically, economically, environmentally, and of course intellectually.

Those who have responsibility for leading and shaping educational institutions, either across the whole breadth of an organisation or in specialist roles, enable this hope to be realised. With almost two decades of difficult economic and political crosswinds these leadership roles have never been more important, nor more demanding. Universities, Schools, and other educational organisations need executive and non-executive leaders who understand how to manage the practical and the political without losing sight of the purpose.

The success of the Green Park Education Practice is found in our connected, diverse, and exciting networks of education and cross-sector professionals who we engage in thorough and equitable search processes we co-create with our clients.

This is how we have managed the placement of a CFO from Centrica to RADA, an Estates Director from Selfridge’s to Trinity College Cambridge, a Sustainability Director from UK Sport to King’s College London, and a wide range of University Governors.

businessman in a meeting

Identifying Hard To Find Specialist Talent

Finding the right people for senior and interim roles is a significant challenge facing organisations in the education sector. Particularly in recruiting clinical and research specialist roles, there may often only a handful of people that meet the person specification. We thrive in these search situations and welcome projects where others have struggled to find the right candidate. Our delivery team are experts in their fields and are at their best when sourcing talent that really puts their sector knowledge to the test.

We work closely with our clients to define the right brief, understand the specialisms needed and identify, outside of our existing network, where such skills may be found. We also actively encourage client stakeholders to be involved in assessing candidates when interview shortlists are being drawn up. Knowing that know that niche talent is a scarce resource which needs to be looked after sensitively and at pace, we carefully manage conversations with candidates and clients throughout the search process.

Fingers On The Pulse Of Change

Our unique and innovative search process, from briefing to interviewing, gives clients confidence that they are selecting from the deepest talent pool. As well as senior executive roles, we conduct searches for professional and academic roles that have traditionally lacked gender or ethnic diversity. For non-executive roles, we widen the field of potential candidates by helping candidates get to grips with the demands of holding high office, like university rector and chancellor positions, so they are confident in applying.

We attentively support candidates from across many fields to offer clients a more diverse spectrum of talent.

Thinking Laterally To Broaden The Talent Pool

Executive searches for specialist senior-level education roles requires lateral thinking. Our cross-functional team brings together specialists in the public and private sectors.

Where a lack of diversity is hindering successful recruitment, we remove this dilemma by thinking differently about where we look for candidates and what skills they bring to the table. We go beyond the usually narrow parameters for niche roles and look far wider for suitable candidates. To do this, we tap into our extensive network of contacts to identify people who might not appear in more conventional recruitment searches.

Our ethnoculturally diverse team and its commitment to diversity gives us strong credibility with candidates. Clients gain competitive advantages using our pioneering insights and data on diversity and inclusion that help them transform how they recruit.

17years

of diverse talent mapping

55+

countries

32%

Ethnic Minority Search Placements

52%

Female Search Placements

Testimonials

"Working with Paul Bullock starts off with a heavy interview, where he basically gains as much insight into your business as possible so he not only selects the correct group of people to interview, but also sells your business to make sure all parties understand the opportunities. Every time I work with Paul he has delivered." 

Jalil Rahman

Chief Commercial Officer, Orla Keily

“Jo Sweetland and her team at Green Park were fantastic during the search and interview process. They provided excellent communication with deep attentiveness and walked me through the process providing keen insights along the way. I felt very supported to ensure a smooth, seamless and professional experience with Jo.” 

Zenia Minwalla

Regional Head of Property @International Schools Partnerships Ltd

From start to finish, Juliet Hardingham and the Executive Search Team at Green Park were exceptional. Juliet took the time to understand the role and our organisation, delivering a strong, diverse shortlist for our Head of Government Relations and External Affairs. Her professionalism, insights, and clear communication confirmed we had chosen the right partner.

James Greenhill

Head of Global Executive Resourcing @Jacobs

David Sayers and the Private & Commercials team have for sure, been one of the best recruiting teams to work with throughout this process. The interviews were scheduled in quick succession, and I was kept in the loop throughout the hiring process. The feedback loop was smooth, and I never felt any hiccups in the process, despite there being an 8-hour time zone difference. Thank you for your support!

Uma Deepak

Senior Finance Business Partner @International Schools Partnership

We worked with Green Park to swiftly hire an interim Head of Operations. Simon Pickerell from the Executive Interim team was outstanding - he quickly understood our needs, delivered a strong and diverse shortlist over the festive period, and supported both us and the candidates throughout. Thanks to Simon, we’ve hired an experienced Head of Operations who’s a great cultural fit. Highly recommend Simon and Green Park.

Rhian Thompson

@Magic Breakfast

"Green Park's proposal had diversity at the heart, rather than just an add on - and this gave us confidence that in working with them we would be partnering with an organisation who held the same values as our own in this area."

Claire Burles

Group People Director | Stage Coach

"Jo Sweetland of Green Park is just the best. She absolutely IS Green Park. Hard working. Super smart and understands a client’s needs. Jo has deep market relationships and superb networks. She sets the benchmark for Search in the recruitment industry. I would never hesitate to recommend Jo Sweetland to anyone. A delight to work with BUT more importantly brings the best results."

Matthew Jeffery

Head of UKI Recruitment | EY

“Working with Green Park made this important and potentially challenging appointment process smooth and easy to navigate. The recruitment professionals that they assigned to the project communicated consistently and articulately with the variety of different stakeholders involved in the process; they were sensitive but did not steer away from being honest about the difficult realities involved in this recruitment campaign which resulted in expectations being expertly managed and trust being embedded. I would highly recommend Green Park for senior executive search campaigns, especially in the culture and creative industry.”

Charlotte Cowan

Head of People & Culture | Shakespeare's Globe