Department Manager - Biosciences

Education and Academic Services

This full-time, permanent post is available from May 2024.

This role offers the opportunity for hybrid working – some time on campus and some from home.

Summary of the role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full-time, permanent, Department Manager (DM) role in Biosciences within the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences. Biosciences is a large, complex Department, based across four buildings, including laboratory, office, teaching and technical space, on Streatham Campus. The Biosciences Department undertakes internationally-excellent research and delivers sector-leading education in an inclusive and supportive working environment. It is home to 80+ academic staff, 100+ researchers and ca. 150 PGR students, supported by a wide range of Professional Services staff. The diverse BSc, MSci, MSc & MRes education programmes cover the breadth of biological sciences, biochemistry and chemistry.

The Department Manager is a key individual in the Department, working very closely with the Head of Department.  As a member of the Department Leadership Team (DLT), their role is to support strategic and operational planning while ensuring the day-to-day delivery of operations as the professional services lead. They work closely with other Professional Services, other Faculty Department Managers and become part of a University-wide Department Manager network. 

The successful candidate will have proven problem-solving ability and leadership skills and be able to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences including senior stakeholders.  They will also need to have strong people and administrative skills. Those with non-HE transferrable skills are welcome to apply.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024).  We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our world-leading research impact has grown more than any other Russell Group university in recent years, and we are home to some of the world’s most influential researchers, seeking to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today.  More than 99% of our research is of international quality and 47% is world-leading (2021 Research Excellence Framework).

We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. 

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

Benefits

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

• 41 days leave per year
• options for flexible working
• numerous discounts at leading retailers
• onsite gyms on all of our campus’ and a cycle to work scheme
• sector leading policies around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), paternity leave (up to six weeks full pay) and a Fertility Treatment Policy
• stunning campus environments in Exeter and Cornwall, in the beautiful South West of England

Further information

For further information, please contact Tom Begbie, [email protected] Director of Faculty Operations, Vicky Jackson, [email protected] , Biosciences Department Manager or James Wakefield, [email protected] , Biosciences Head of Department, for further information or a conversation about the role.