Head of Education

Introduction

The Head of Beauty & Hair Education is responsible for leading the national education function across the Beauty, Hair, Nail and Skincare divisions while driving the strategic growth, operational excellence and commercial performance of all Sorbet Academies nationally. Reporting to Executive Leadership, this role provides leadership to a team of Senior Beauty Educators and Senior Hair Educators, ensuring the consistent delivery of world-class training, technical excellence, product knowledge, service standards and learner development across the Sorbet network.

Job description

Key ResponsibilitiesNational Education LeadershipDevelop and execute the national Beauty and Hair Education Strategy aligned to business objectives and network growth plans.Lead, coach and manage all Senior Beauty Educators and Senior Hair Educators nationally.Establish annual education plans, training calendars, capability frameworks and development roadmaps.Drive consistency of training standards, technical excellence and service delivery across all corporate and franchise locations.Ensure all education initiatives support guest satisfaction, operational excellence and commercial performance.Build a high-performance culture within the education team through succession planning, coaching and leadership development.Act as the custodian of all technical education standards, assessments and certifications across the network.Partner with Operations, Marketing, Franchise and Product teams to ensure education objectives support broader business goals.National Training & DevelopmentOversee the delivery of all Beauty, Hair, Nail, Retail and Leadership training programmes nationally.Ensure Senior Educators effectively deliver training across regions and maintain consistent standards.Develop and implement onboarding programmes for new therapists, stylists, managers and franchise teams.Drive product knowledge and technical competency through structured education programmes.Lead all new product, service and treatment training initiatives.Establish certification pathways and advanced learning programmes for technical specialists.Ensure all training material, manuals, assessments and SOPs remain relevant, current and aligned to industry best practice.Monitor training effectiveness and implement continuous improvement initiatives based on operational and business needs.Develop leadership and management development programmes for future salon leaders.Management & Growth of Sorbet AcademiesAssume full strategic and operational responsibility for all Sorbet Academies nationally.Develop and execute a national academy growth strategy to support current and future business requirements.Drive learner recruitment, enrolment, retention and qualification completion targets.Ensure academies remain centres of excellence that produce industry-ready therapists and stylists.Lead Academy Managers and education support teams to ensure operational excellence and consistent learner experiences.Monitor academy performance against financial, operational and academic KPIs.Identify opportunities to expand academy offerings, qualifications and revenue streams.Develop partnerships with schools, colleges, SETA bodies and industry stakeholders to strengthen learner pipelines.Ensure all academies maintain accreditation requirements and achieve successful audit outcomes.Establish academy performance scorecards and continuous improvement plans.Oversee graduate placement programmes and create sustainable talent pipelines into corporate and franchise stores.Talent Pipeline & Workforce DevelopmentDevelop long-term talent strategies to support network expansion and workforce planning.Ensure sufficient beauty therapists, nail technicians, hair stylists and future managers are developed through academy programmes.Establish career progression frameworks from learner to salon leadership level.Drive graduate placement and retention initiatives across corporate and franchise businesses.Collaborate with Operations and Human Resources to identify future capability requirements.Educator Leadership & PerformanceManage and develop Senior Educators nationally.Establish educator competency, accreditation and certification requirements.Conduct regular educator performance reviews and development planning.Ensure educators achieve training quality, effectiveness and competency targets.Implement succession planning within the education team.Promote innovation and continuous learning within the education function.Financial & Commercial ManagementDevelop and manage the national Education and Academy budgets.Drive academy profitability, revenue generation and financial sustainability.Monitor education spend and ensure effective return on investment.Manage supplier-funded training initiatives and education partnerships.Provide regular reporting on training outcomes, academy performance and budget management.Identify efficiencies and opportunities to improve education and academy performance.Compliance & Quality AssuranceEnsure compliance with all accreditation, SETA, QCTO and regulatory requirements.Maintain audit readiness across all academy locations.Oversee assessments, moderation and certification processes.Ensure consistent implementation of technical standards and operating procedures.Conduct regular quality assurance reviews across academies and operational businesses.Stakeholder ManagementBuild strategic partnerships with:Franchise PartnersCorporate OperationsHuman ResourcesMarketingSuppliersTraining InstitutionsSETA and Accreditation BodiesAct as the education representative on cross-functional projects.Provide subject matter expertise on industry trends, professional standards and emerging technologies.Reporting & AnalyticsDevelop and maintain national education dashboards.Analyse training effectiveness, pass rates and operational impact.Produce monthly, quarterly and annual executive reports.Track:Training complianceLearner throughputAcademy performanceEducator utilisationStore competency levelsProduct launch readinessAssessment outcomesUse data insights to drive continuous improvement initiatives.