Professional Services career progression in Higher Education is broken.

Stop waiting for someone to fix it or to pick you. Take control of your next move.

Between the lines of job descriptions, vague feedback, and advice like “you’re not ready yet” or "you're doing great! More of the same please" lies the Hidden Curriculum of Progression. Once you know how to read it, and more importantly live it, you can step into the next grade with confidence in both how you present yourself and how you lead once you get there.

Own Your Next Steps

I believe in an HE sector where people are in the right job, doing work they love (or are happy to do so they can live a life they love). Where they’re trusted to do their job well and trust themselves to act when things aren’t going right. Where decisions are taken by the right people at the right time, what’s said is acted upon, everyone knows their role and how it fits in, everyone feels respected, and everyone is paid fairly for their effort.

The Problem:
It’s widely understood that you have to show you’re already working at the higher grade before anyone will seriously consider you for regrading or for a promotion at a new institution.

The problem is, most people don’t actually know what “working at the higher grade” means.
So they take on more: More projects. More responsibilities. More hours. They overwhelm themselves with volume.

And then, when the time comes to make their case, the feedback lands like a punch to the gut: “You’re not ready.”

It’s devastating and it’s no wonder they feel resentful. They’ve been working so hard to “prove” themselves, but the well-meaning advice they were given was never meant to mean more volume at the same grade.

What they really needed was to show capability and credibility at the next level: to adapt their thinking, their presence, and the way they present their work to align with the expectations of that grade.

That’s what the Hidden Curriculum illuminates.

It’s the unspoken, between-the-lines knowledge that lets you elevate how you work, gaining authority and accountability, not just responsibility.

And it makes sense that you can’t see it yet. If you’ve never worked at that level before, how could you know what it takes?

The Hidden Curriculum bridges that gap. It’s about true professional development, not just training courses and prettier words on your CV. It helps you speak the language of the next grade and live it day to day so you can progress without burning out, battling imposter syndrome, or second-guessing yourself.

And here’s the key: once you can see the next step clearly, you don’t have to try to leap it in one go.
You can prepare in stages: building the skills, credibility, and conviction you’ll need not just to land the role, but to thrive in it.

Which is why I’ve built the Professional Services Progression Pathway: a clear set of stepping stones designed to take you from where you are now to where you want to be, one strategic step at a time.

Hi, I'm Fiona, 

creator of the Professional Services Progression Pathway and the go-to authority on the Hidden Curriculum of Progression.

With 13 years inside Higher Education and over 250 clients supported, I know the unwritten rules and subtle shifts that separate “ready for promotion” from “not yet.”

I specialise in the critical step changes from G7 to G8 and G8 to G9, helping you not only look like the most credible candidate but lead like one once you’re in the role.

I’m a certified self-belief coach and workplace mediator, bringing both the strategic insight to map your next move and the coaching skill to help you embody the beliefs, mindset, and approaches the next grade demands.

Whether you’re clarifying your readiness, building targeted skills, preparing your application, or mastering your first 100 days, I’m here to make sure you don’t just move up, you move into a role you can thrive in.

Where are you on the Pathway?

Find your next step, and take it with confidence. Here's how I can support you:

1. Clarity & Readiness 

Pinpoint your readiness for the next grade and map your personalised development plan. Stop guessing and start preparing with intention. Here are two options to help you with this first step:

Career Progression Clarity Session

A personalised readiness report and 1:1 coaching debrief to assess your readiness for the next grade and build your courage based plan to get you there.

The Progression Pathways Programme

A 12-week group programme to help you get clear on what's required at the next grade, get your evidence of readiness together and own your story and apply for roles at that level with conviction.

2. Skill-Building & Professional Development 

Develop the practical skills and leadership approaches the next grade demands. From Committee Chairing for aspiring Grade 8s to The Grounded Manager programmes tailored for the G7–8 and G8–9 transitions, these offers bridge the gap between where you are now and how you need to operate to thrive at the next level.

Coming soon

3. Preparation & Positioning

Craft your application, prepare for interviews, and build the conviction to go for promotion rather than waiting to be picked.

Interview prep and other practical support coming soon.

Cover Letter Course for Higher Education Professionals

Write cover letters that land interviews. A short, self-paced course for UK Higher Education Professional Services staff. Practical, proven, no fluff.

4. Thriving in the New Role

The First Hundred Coaching

1:1 coaching for you to master your first 100 days in a new role and lead with confidence, authority, and clarity from day one.

Why the Hidden Curriculum Matters for Your Career Progression

 ✓ It’s the between-the-lines knowledge in job descriptions, person specs, feedback, and promotions.

✓ It shows you how to elevate your ways of thinking and working, not just increase your workload.

✓ It helps you operate at the next level before you’re even in the role without burning yourself out.

✓ It’s the difference between “ready on paper” and “ready in practice.”