He will be taking up his new role in the coming weeks, with a formal start date to be confirmed.
Pictured: The Director of Education is a statutory role, appointed by the Policy & Resources Committee.
The recruitment process was overseen by a panel which included external consultant Bradley Simmons, a former senior UK civil servant and previous Executive Director of Ofsted.
Policy & Resources Vice President, Deputy Heidi Soulsby, Education Sport & Culture President, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, ESC Strategic Advisor Laurie Baker and States of Guernsey Interim Chief Executive Officer Mark de Garis completed the panel.
“Nick is a highly experienced educationalist who has made a proven impact both locally and in the UK,” said Deputy Soulsby.
“With this vacancy having attracted widespread interest both nationally and internationally, yielding some very strong applications, we are delighted to have been able to fill the role from within Guernsey.
“The panel was unanimous that Nick was the best person for the job. He has significant experience in providing strategic direction and leadership which will be invaluable to the transformation of our Bailiwick education system.
“Of immense benefit will be his expertise in aligning education and children’s services which very much reflects P&RC and ESC’s long-term plans.”
The Director of Education position has proved a difficult position to fill since Alan Brown left in 2017 after five years in the senior strategic role.
An initial recruitment process failed to find a suitable candidate, and former headteacher Andrew Warren – who was part of the recruitment panel – ended up being offered and accepting the role of Acting Director on a short-term contract.
Another recruitment drive at the start of 2018 saw UK-based Laurie Baker appointed, only to suddenly pull out for personal reasons.
Pictured: Ms Baker, right, has since acted as a UK-based adviser and as a main point of contact when the job was re-advertised. Andrew Warren, left, filled the role on a temporary basis during 2018.
At the time the job was re-advertised this year for the fourth time, Deputy Dudley-Owen said:“The role of the Director of Education is a cornerstone leadership position in the Guernsey education system.
“Since the Committee took office, it has been very keen to recruit to this role which has been vacant for too long.
“We have already said that our Committee will focus on policy and providing strategic direction while leaving the running of day-to-day education to the experts.”