Department Manager - Sociology

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people.  A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.  
Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.  We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here

The Role and Department
The Department of Sociology at Durham was formed in 1964 initially as a Department of Social Theory and Institutions and has a long established history of teaching degrees in Sociology, Criminology, Social Work and Research Methods.  We are underpinned by 5 core research themes all of which seek to undertake theoretically driven research and teaching that makes a difference in wider society. These themes are: 

• Communities and Social Justice
• Criminal Justice, Social Harm and Inequalities
• Health and Social Theory
• Higher Education and Social Inequalities
• Violence and Abuse

The Department of Sociology is regularly highly ranked nationally (2nd for Criminology and 3rd for Sociology in the Times Good University Guide) and was awarded Social Worker of the Year University of the Year in recognition of it's Social Work Professional Programme.  

We have a dedicated professional support team within the Department of 10 team members who support Teaching, PGR, Research and Operations as well as excellent established links through business partners with other professional services.  

In recruiting to the role of Department Manager the Sociology Department is seeking to appoint an experienced university manager with the ability to: 

• Work at a strategic level in collaboration with the Head of Department and Department Management Group to support the development and implementation of department strategy in learning, teaching and research; 
• Support the Head of Department with the day-to-day operational management of the department; 
• Lead and manage the Department Professional Support team both in business as usual and also in ensuring responsiveness to organisational change; 
• Act as a key channel of communication between academic staff and professional services staff both within the department and across all academic, College and other professional services departments. 

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 

•    30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.  
•    The University closes between Christmas and New Year 
•    We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into this University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
•    No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
•    There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to        concentrate on their personal development opportunities. 
•    Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
•    On site nursery is available and children’s clubs in the summer holidays. 
•    Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
•    The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
•    Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. 
•    A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits. 
•    If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality,  diversity and inclusion 

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role.  Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description.  

Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.  Your application should cover the following criteria:

  
Essential Criteria  

•    Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.  
•    Excellent digital competence with demonstrable skills in using core digital tools including internet, email, digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, project planning, financial systems, recruitment tools 
•    Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent experience).  
•    Post-16 qualification (or equivalent experience).   
•    Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).  
•    Professional practitioner with specialist knowledge and expertise used to influence events and activities within the organisation.    
•    Continuing professional development required to maintain professional recognition.  
•    Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.    
•    Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.  
•    Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.  
•    Experience of being able to network effectively and develop strong and productive working relationships, to influence perceptions of the University.  
•    Track record of management and development experience and/or an enhanced management qualification applied across a large service team or teams.

How to apply
  
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  Please don’t forget to check if there are any weighted criteria (see above).

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.   
  
Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.   We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.
  
What you need to submit   

•    A CV: and   
•    A supporting statement which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification.    
 

 
Contact details   
  
For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Dr Richard Bruce [email protected] .

Typical Role Requirements 

Core responsibilities of the role:

Provide expert professional subject and/or managerial and leadership expertise.

Manage and develop service, infrastructure and people performance across the team.  

Provide feedback on team and individual performance and identify development needs, conducting regular staff ADR and performance reviews. 

Recruit, induct, train and develop new team members ensuring that stakeholder-facing staff provide an accessible, friendly and professional service. 

Help to shape the skills and expertise of future team members and design work structures to meet operational and strategic goals. 

Handle the vast majority of HR issues within a team, referring more complex HR issues to appropriate support services/senior management. 

Contribute to the implementation of strategic planning and development of the department across a range of activities, making recommendations to the Head of Department and Department Management Group 

Within agreed University frameworks lead on the design, implementation and monitoring of policy and quality standards, procedures and systems to ensure effective working and continuous improvement. 

Promote and develop a deep understanding of organisational policy and external developments. 

Devolve responsibilities to team members to ensure continuity of service provision and encourage skills development. 

Ensure all activities, processes and transactions are accounted for accurately and promptly to meet regulatory and professional service and policy standards. 

Implement processes to manage the integrity and security of all commercially and professionally sensitive and personal data. 

Take an active role in or lead internal business meetings, working groups and sub-committees at operational service level to influence governance, organisational policy and standards for the service. 

Responsible for allocating and monitoring financial budgets and resources. 

Analyse stakeholder feedback, implementing and reviewing service provision. 

Demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.

Other Key Role Requirements 

            Manage quality and regulatory audit process for student and staff services over-arching systems and procedures. 

Maintain an oversight of the service and performance metrics to provide reports for higher level managers and committees working in collaboration with the Faculty Office and Strategic Planning and Intelligence;. 

Liaise and engage with key stakeholders (both internal and external) to ensure the effective delivery of teaching and research. 

Work with team members and stakeholders to build and maintain excellent working relationships. 

Provide professional guidance to staff regarding welfare, employment and wellbeing. 

Deliver professional expertise with investigative and service methodologies, make recommendations and identify priorities to achieve business outcomes and objectives. 

Represent the service and University at promotional events and contribute to the delivery of presentations at conferences. 

Develop external relations, identify and develop opportunities for collaboration to support the strategic direction of the Department

Deputise for Head of Department or other members of the Department Management Group as required

Any other reasonable duties. 

Useful links

For more information on the Department of Sociology please refer to our website:

Department of Sociology - Durham University

  
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University  which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.  
 

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.