Head of School of Law and Social Science

Job details

College

College of Business, Law and Social Sciences

Responsible to

PVC Dean – College of Business, Law and Social Sciences

Location

One Friar Gate Square, Derby Campus

Salary

£67,298 to £84,122 per annum (For exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £96,740 per annum)

Closing date

Sunday 16 June 2024

Contract type

Permanent

Post type

Full-time

Adaptive working type

Hybrid
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location with the opportunity to work remotely available in line with our Adaptive Working Framework .

Reference

0227-24

About the role

With its strong focus on quality, innovation and real-world learning, our College of Business, Law and Social Sciences supports ambition and drives success. Comprising Derby Business School, School of Law and Social Sciences and an effective Executive Education and Enterprise offering with strong ties to local business and an ambitious, growing international presence, the College delivers a distinctive portfolio of study opportunities, enriched by flourishing partnerships with regional, national and global employers.

The School of Law and Social Sciences has embarked on an ambitious plan of growth and has devised a well-informed programme of academic developments, particularly in the areas of Policing, Law and Criminology. As the Head of School, you will lead these strategic initiatives to successful conclusion and implementation. You will be responsible for leading and growing the academic and business development of the School, ensuring that its programmes and academic delivery inspire, have impact and support both the plans of the wider College and the University's corporate aims.

You'll work closely with the PVC/Dean, Deputy Dean and other key stakeholders to develop business plans and ensure that innovative programmes and courses are demand-led and delivered to the needs of students and the market. You'll also lead and inspire staff to achieve high standards of research outputs, quality and impact.

You'll have significant teaching and leadership experience in an HE setting, with a good understanding of the HE sector and current issues. You'll also have experience of building capacity and capability of staff, including in relation to research, teaching and enterprise. You'll possess an in depth understanding of the student experience, employability and academic quality assurance, with a successful record of leadership in relation to these matters.

Conferment of a Professorial title considered along with this role.

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Professor Kamil Omoteso, PVC Dean – College of Business, Law and Social Sciences via [email protected]

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via [email protected]

Principal accountabilities
Strategic Management

As part of the College’s Senior Management Team:

Actively contribute to the development and success of the College assuring the achievement of strategic targets including Institutional Tier 1 KPIs and operational goals;

Ensuring the School and College are correctly positioned in the marketplace for the short and longer term with an appropriate portfolio including Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses, research, and enterprise.

Academic Leadership

Leading the Heads of Discipline, the Course Director, and Programme Leaders to form a strong leadership team for the School;

Lead the academic and curriculum development for the School, identifying trends in student demand, anticipating emerging requirements and ensuring the promotion of employability, enterprise, and inclusion across programmes;

Use knowledge of the market and assess future horizon to critically assess and deliver an academic curriculum that inspires and challenges students, is fit for the future and uses innovative methods of delivery to meet the highest quality standards ensuring the offer is ambitious, attractive and sector leading;

Lead the development of teaching to ensure that the School delivers the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold standard teaching, leading to outstanding learning and assessment practice that embeds the values and ambitions of the School within its core delivery. Develop metrics to deliver the rankings set for the college in areas such as TEF, REF, Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES), Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) / Longitudinal Educational Outcomes (LEO), National Student Survey (NSS) and other key performance indicators;

Drive compliance with institutional performance expectations within the HE sector e.g. the OfS, Designated Quality Body;

Lead the subject level relationship with the School’s collaborative partners supporting the operational delivery and academic support areas;

Create an environment where all staff are expected to share good practice across all colleges and to encourage and respond positively to good practice wherever it is found;

Establish and deliver necessary business development takes place for the School identifying and responding to local and regional needs;

Embed the University’s core values with specific emphasis on academic quality and social opportunity;

Develop and foster academic research and scholarship within the School to inform the curriculum as well as appropriate knowledge transfer activities to enhance the standing of the School’s discipline areas, and deliver strong research outcomes to feed into Research Excellence Framework (REF);

Create, deliver and continuous monitor the objectives to demonstrate that the work of the School has measurable external impact outside of the University, enriching the cultural value and impact of higher education across a number of contexts to support the College strategy on a regional, national, and international basis;

Undertake a cross-College role in leading activities required to support the achievement of strategic goals;

Take responsibility for all collaborative partnerships linked to the School.

Demonstrable expertise in stakeholder engagement, partnership building, commercialisation, multi-party research collaborations and working in complex organisations with a range of disciplinary traditions.

For full details please see the attached Job Description

Person specification
Essential Criteria
Qualifications

• Hold a PhD qualification (or equivalent qualification) in an academic discipline relevant to the School;
• Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) with aim of achieving Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy within 3 years of commencement date in post (if not already SF-HEA);
• Relevant professional qualification/ membership of a professional body appropriate for the School.

Experience

• Significant senior leadership/management experience in an HE institution of a similar or larger size;
• Successful experience of using effective leadership and management competencies to create a high performing team;
• Delivery of outstanding learning, teaching, and assessment practice, that is reflected in metrics and rankings such as TEF, REF, PTES, PRES, DLHE/LEO and NSS and other key performance indicators;
• Knowledge and utilisation of quality assurance and enhancement policies and procedures;
• Extensive teaching experience in HE and a good understanding of the HE sector and current issues;
• Demonstrable positive impacted on pedagogic strategies and/or curriculum development.
• Demonstrable experience gained through industry employment;
• Experience of building capacity and capability of staff in relation to increasing commercial, scholarship and research activity;
• Evidence of sustained personal track-record of research and scholarship

Skills, knowledge & abilities

• Highly regarded academic and people leader with a proven ability to deliver through people;
• Understanding of the student experience, employability and academic quality assurance and your successful record of leadership on in relation to these matters
• Successful experience of performance management, monitoring against agreed targets in a supportive environment;
• Knowledge and utilisation of quality assurance and enhancement policies and procedures;
• Self-confident and resilient with well-developed influencing and persuasion skills;
• Enhanced negotiation skills;
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills, including report writing;
• Strong business skills and commercial acumen and ability to manage budgets;
• Good analytical and critical thinking skills;
• Ability to enable and gain commitment to organisational change;
• Flexible and adaptable, willing to challenge, innovate and change the orthodox;
• A commitment to live and promote the University core values.

Business requirements

• Occasional evening and weekend working;
• Overseas / overnight business travel.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development;

Desirable Criteria
Experience

• Experience of undertaking successful bids for external funding
• Successful development of international collaborations, recruitment of international students and internationalisation of the curriculum
• Experience of successful inter-disciplinary developments

Benefits

As well as competitive pay scales, we offer generous holiday entitlement. We also offer opportunities for further salary progression based on performance, and the opportunity to join a contributory pension scheme.

Find out more about pay and rewardsFind out more about pay and rewards

How to apply

You can apply by submitting an online application. Once you have signed in or registered with us you will be able to begin your application. If you are creating an account for the first time, please ensure you provide an email address that you access regularly as this will be our main means of contacting you regarding your application.

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• Advice on completing your applicationAdvice on completing your application

If you require any assistance, including the provision of any documentation in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment team at [email protected] .

Please note all applications must be submitted online by Midnight GMT on the closing date of the vacancy.

Important information

This role is eligible for sponsorship by the University, however, your individual circumstances must meet the criteria set out by UKVI ; this includes meeting the English Language requirement and earning a salary that meets the highest of either the going rate for the SOC code or the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route (£38,700 per annum).

If the role is eligible, but the offered salary is less that the going rate for the role, you may still be able to apply for a Skilled Worker visa if:

• Your job is on the Immigration Salary List

• You’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training

• You have a PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job

• The role you are applying for is a postdoctoral position

Please note that the University cannot confirm your eligibility for sponsorship until an offer is made and your individual circumstances have been considered.

For more information, visit Applying from Overseas .

What is Adaptive Working?

Adaptive working is about enabling a high-performing, flexible, and responsive work culture where the place, time, and manner of working are tailored to the specific work activity. This approach ensures that the working environment, including both physical and social surroundings, supports employees to perform at their best and meet the university's evolving needs.

In addition, adaptive working involves intentionally designing workspaces to support a range of activities and disciplines, providing the right environment for meaningful in-person connections and effective collaboration. This includes ensuring that employees have access to the necessary equipment and resources from their first day at the university.

Adaptive working encompasses different modes of working such as site-based, remote or hybrid working. It is a broad framework within which all staff can operate effectively according to their role.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion. However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.

A university that celebrates youA university that celebrates you

Environmental Sustainability

At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2040.

Environment and sustainabilityEnvironment and sustainability

Further details

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Why join Derby?

Challenging, interesting and constantly changing, the University of Derby is an extraordinary place to learn and an incredibly rewarding place to work.

Find out more about working at the UniversityFind out more about working at the University

The University of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our staff, students and children. At the University of Derby, safeguarding is everybody's concern.