Associate Director (Doctoral Environment & Development)

17 Feb 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Research Field

Educational sciences

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)
First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

United Kingdom

Application Deadline

26 Feb 2024 - 00:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Other

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

 

Do you have significant experience of developing researchers? Are you committed to creating an environment that enables researchers to thrive? Can you help King’s remain at the forefront of support for doctoral students across all disciplines? 

We are looking for an Associate Director (Doctoral Environment & Development). You will lead an established team that delivers a crucial portfolio of activities which help us to “develop and attract the world’s best early career researchers” and fulfil King’s strategic priority in Vision 2029 to “research to inform and innovate”.

You will be a crucial member of King’s Research Talent department, providing strategic and operational oversight of training and development opportunities for doctoral students. You will ensure our personal, professional and career development training and support for doctoral students is of the highest quality and continues to innovate and meet our researchers’ needs. You will also provide guidance and advice to university staff regarding best practice in doctoral student development, including to academic Directors and staff of the various doctoral training centres/partnerships.

You will oversee our comms and engagement function for doctoral researchers. Working with colleagues, you will ensure we celebrate our doctoral students, foster community and provide support, listening carefully to students’ needs and experiences. You will be familiar with the challenges regarding equality, diversity & inclusion and mental health, and keen to ensure we have a constructive dialogue with representatives of our doctoral body. King’s is also a delivery partner for a national project to transform the culture of doctoral supervision – you will lead our involvement in this programme.

The role sits within the Centre for Doctoral Studies in the Research Talent department, reporting directly to the Director of Research Talent and managing the staff who manage our comms and development functions. As a member of the Research Talent Exec, you will work closely with other senior staff within Research Talent. Research Talent provides development opportunities for research staff and postdoctoral researchers, as well as research students.

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract until September 2025, whilst the substantive postholder is seconded to another role in King’s.  

This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities 

• Work closely with colleagues in Research Talent, especially the Doctoral Deans, the Director and the two other Associate Directors in the Centre for Doctoral Studies, to continue to enhance and make accessible & inclusive the doctoral student experience 
• Oversee the design, planning and implementation of the annual programme of training courses for doctoral students offered by the Centre for Doctoral Studies, ensuring that it meets externally-set standards, including those required by the Research Councils, the QAA and other funders, and offers coherent and comprehensive training and development opportunities 
• Ensure a clear communications and engagement strategy for doctoral students, across the whole landscape of doctoral provision, including supporting all Centre for Doctoral Studies activities and initiatives 
• Lead on comms & engagement activities to enhance support for doctoral students, which may include projects to address issues relating to equality, diversity & inclusion, wellbeing and mental health 
• Provide operational leadership of doctoral student engagement, in particular, relating to engagement with and training of doctoral representatives and response to the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey 
• Line manage a team of staff delivering communications, engagement and training & development activities for doctoral students across King’s, setting a clear vision for what is to be delivered and achieved 
• Ensure alignment of activities with other functions especially Careers & Employability, King’s Clinical Academic Training Office and the Centre for Research Staff Development 
• Oversee relevant Centre for Doctoral Studies budgets for communications, engagement and training & development activities 
• Promote skills development of researchers across the College to relevant audiences, including at Faculty/department meetings, inductions and other events 
• Continue the diversification and integration of training opportunities, working closely with colleagues in the Faculties and across partnerships within/out King’s 
• Provide leadership, innovation and advice regarding blended and online training opportunities 
• Devise & develop training materials and deliver development workshops as appropriate 
• Provide strategic and operational oversight of supervisor development courses, designing and delivering courses as necessary 
• Lead King’s involvement in the Next Generation Research Supervision Programme, involving colleagues as appropriate 
• Play an active role in the wider Research Talent department 
• Maintain strong connections with the UK and international doctoral education & development community, ensuring that King’s is up to date with the latest research and good practice  
• Liaise with other relevant services, especially those in Students & Education, to ensure that research students are able to access further support as required 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  

Educated to degree level or equivalent experience 

Excellent knowledge of doctoral education and researcher development within the UK and internationally 

In depth understanding of challenges in doctoral education, for example, issues relating to equality, diversity & inclusion and mental health 

Knowledge of best practice in personal & professional development for doctoral students including familiarity with the Researcher Development Framework 

Able to work as part of a team, and form and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues at all levels of seniority 

Able to think strategically, and develop and implement strategic projects on-time and to budget 

Experience of managing budgets 

Excellent communication & presentation skills 

Experience of designing and delivering impactful face to face and online training courses 

Experience of delivering doctoral supervision training & development 

Able to manage a diverse team and motivate them to work to a high standard 

Able to work relatively unsupervised, with a high level of organisation 

Desirable criteria

Educated to research degree level 

Experience of higher education committee/governance processes 

Experience of delivering institutional cultural change 

Coaching skills 

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held in early March

This role does meet the requirements of the Home Office and therefore we are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who require the right to work in the UK.

Requirements
Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON

Country

United Kingdom

City

London (Central)

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/unijobs/listing/365679/associate-director-…

Contact

City

London (Central)

STATUS: EXPIRED