Appointment of the University Secretary & Registrar

Ravensbourne University London

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Welcome

Thank you for your interest in becoming the University Secretary & Registrar at Ravensbourne University London.

Ravensbourne University London is an innovative, industry-focused university located at the heart of London’s newest creative community on the Greenwich Peninsula. We are champions of creativity and collaboration, dedicated to giving our learners the specialist skills and opportunities they need for outstanding careers in digital media, business, computing and design. Our offering spans television and broadcasting, product design, architecture, business and marketing, graphic design, photography, music and sound design, illustration and fashion.

The University has doubled in size in the last five years and is growing and developing at an exciting rate; this is a time of real change and opportunity. We are seeking a new University Secretary & Registrar to help us on our ambitious journey. With new international developments and partnerships, a widening programme offering, and as a member of the executive team, you will be responsible for helping drive the University towards its goal of growth whilst ensuring robust governance arrangements and delivery of a sound and effective service to the board and its committees.

At the same time, you will be responsible for leading all aspects of the processes, implementation and smooth running of corporate and academic governance and leading and managing the University’s Registry Services. As an advocate of inclusivity, and as a senior leader you will promote a culture that encourages everyone to challenge themselves and others to be the best they can be.

We are looking for an ambitious University Secretary & Registrar, with an appreciation of higher education. If this sounds like your next role, please do contact our search partners at Anderson Quigley. We look forward to hearing from you.

Andy Cook
Vice Chancellor

About us

 

About Ravensbourne University London

With a community of over 4,000 students, Ravensbourne University London is an innovative, industry-focused university offering pre-degree, undergraduate and postgraduate level courses. We are champions of creativity and collaboration, dedicated to giving our learners the specialist skills and opportunities they need for outstanding careers in digital, media, design and business. Our offering spans, television and broadcasting, product design, architecture, graphic design, photography, fashion, computing and technology and business. Former students include music legend David Bowie, fashion designer Stella McCartney, 2012 Olympic torch designer Jay Osgerby and Oscar-winning producers Simon Egan and Gareth Ellis-Unwin.

We are proud to be at the leading edge of technology, creativity and business and are close collaborators with the creative and technology industries — a crucial part of our commitment to giving students the specialist and broader skills they need to kick-start their careers. The results of our collaborative efforts are reflected in our strong track record in graduate employment. Almost 19 out of 20 students go into work or further study within six months of graduating.  As well as equipping our students with the practical skills they need in the workplace, we instil the resilience and confidence needed to thrive in the creative industries.

Ravensbourne is a growing University, having doubled in size in the last five years.

Our corporate strategy

Our corporate strategy 2021-26 is reaching the end of its lifespan and we are in the process of developing our Strategy 2025-30, due to be released by the end of this calendar year. The new strategy will articulate our ambitions to unleash the potential of young people in the fields of technology, creative and business for domestic, international and franchise students. Our strong financial health will enable us to build on our successes and invest in our strategic priorities.

Location

Ravensbourne is located at the heart of London’s newest permanent creative community on the Greenwich Peninsula. We’re nestled beside the O2 arena, with views stretching across the River Thames, to Canary Wharf, Maritime Greenwich and beyond.

Thanks to recent investment, this stretch of London riverside has gone from marshy bog-land to a thriving public space, filled with creative businesses, a 3km art trail, restaurants, cafes, hotels and entertainment juggernaut, the O2 arena.

There’s also plenty of open space to wander by the river, and parks to sit and watch the world go by. Flooded with bright light, the peninsula is the perfect place to get creative and inspired – as many of our students have.

Swathed in a mosaic of 28,000 gleaming tiles, our building plays a standout role on the Greenwich Peninsula. Bold, brave and built for 21st-century learning, it perfectly encapsulates all that is Ravensbourne. Thanks to its eco-friendly design and dazzling good looks, the building swiftly won the RIBA award for best Higher Education building in 2011.

Take a virtual tour of our campus here.

Sustainability at Ravensbourne University London 

In 2010, we moved to our new home in North Greenwich into a purpose-built building designed to cut carbon emissions and improve our facilities. As we have expanded, the green agenda has remained a core consideration, so much so that we are exceeding our own targets by seven years.

In 2022, we set a target date of 2030 to switch to a 100% renewable energy tariff, which, by the end of 2023, we will have already done.

By introducing a renewable tariff, we will reduce our emissions by 51%, which will mean a reduction of 428 tonnes of carbon dioxide. For context, this is equivalent to emissions produced by 90 UK households an entire year.

We are already well on our way to meeting, and exceeding, targets set for the City of London, outlined in the London Environment Strategy 2050 Net Zero Roadmap. But we are always committed to doing more.

We are working hard to improve our sustainable infrastructure; this means updating the likes of hand dryers and water fountains inside the building, assembling solar panels and working with our community to plant more trees.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

As a university situated in the heart of London, diversity is in our DNA. We are proud of the many ethnicities, identities, cultures and religions that make up our creative community. Our students, staff, alumni and collaborators are dynamic, diverse and exceptionally talented. We’re proud of our legacy as a south-east London university that serves the local area and welcomes students from around the world.

We understand that universities have a historic position of power and privilege. It makes sense that we must play an active role in helping to dismantle structural inequality and address how we can transform the future. It’s critical that we continually ask questions about power, representation and how we include our entire community.

We are committed to doing the long-term work that is needed for genuine change. As well as celebrating and sharing experiences we continue to invest in learning, developing our understanding and skills to be better allies and friends, working together to demand a fairer society for us all.

In June 2020, we established an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion committee to help create much needed change across our institution. The committee is Chaired by our Vice-Chancellor and made up of staff from across our academic and professional services, and students’ union representatives, who give their time and expertise to driving forward our efforts to make our community more inclusive.

Our Organisational Values

Developed in consultation with our staff community, our values provide a framework for the way we work and operate together to deliver our vision and strategy; they help shape our strategic choices, our activities and our culture.

Our four organisational Values, and what they mean to us are:

Connection – We value what happens together, and we collaborate to achieve our collective goals. We build our community of students, staff & alumni to connect with individuals, institutions, and communities across the creative economy to make a lasting difference.

Dynamism – We embrace every opportunity to adapt and optimise. We become inspired by possibilities, with the courage and creativity to do things differently and embrace change with open minds.

Inclusion – We celebrate our diversity, and we embrace difference as a source of strength. We strive for an inclusive Ravensbourne community, removing barriers and challenging exclusionary and discriminatory practice.

Professionalism – We aim for quality in everything we do and take pride in our work. Through our passion, skills, and commitment we strive to deliver with competence, reliability, and effectiveness.

Our Committee Structure

 

*There are several ad-hoc committees which report to Academic Board and meet as and when required, including the Academic Titles Committee and Course Validation Panels.
^Boards of Studies are supported by Student Voice Meetings as sub-committees.
~the Knowledge Exchange, Research and Scholarship Committee is supported by an Ethics Sub-Committee.
+The Infrastructure Board is supported by Project Boards to monitor the implementation of projects and capital spending.
#The Cyber Security and Data Governance Board is supported by a Business Intelligence Sub-Committee.

You can download a copy of the committee structure here.

Learn more about our Board of Governors here.

Registry Structure

You can download a copy of the registry structure here.

The role

University Secretary & Registrar (AQ2839)

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Job title: University Secretary and Registrar
Department: Executive
Pay Band: Executive
Line Manager: Vice-Chancellor

Role Purpose:

The University Secretary and Registrar is responsible for leading all aspects of the processes, implementation and smooth running of corporate and academic governance across the University and the Board of Governors and its committees.

They also have direct responsibility for leading and managing the University’s Registry Services to ensure a University-wide system of effective academic administration from enrolment through to graduation. In this capacity they play a pivotal role in driving a culture of collaboration with academic Schools and a collective offer which focuses on high levels of service and support.

The post holder ensures the effective operation of the University’s regulatory, assurance and compliance frameworks, ensuring that the University is compliant with all necessary governance, legal and regulatory requirements.

The University Secretary and Registrar is a member of the University’s Executive team, reporting directly to the Vice Chancellor, contributing as a member of the University’s Executive to the strategic leadership and management of Ravensbourne. The postholder is accountable to the Chair of the Board of Governors as Clerk to the Board for ensuring robust governance arrangements and delivery of a sound and effective service to the board and its committees.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Lead all aspects of the processes, implementation and smooth running of corporate and academic governance across the University and the Board of Governors.
  • Lead and manage all people and activities within the Academic Registry ensuring high performance, value for money, effective risk management and continuous improvement.
  • Advise the Chair and Board of Governors on governance best practice, ensure compliance with procedural and regulatory requirements, and advise and support the Chair and Vice Chancellor on governance and related matters.
  • Advise and assist the Chairman with the management arrangements and smooth running of the Board of Governors and its Committees.
  • Provide an effective link between the Executive and the Board, facilitating communication on governance between the Chair and senior University staff.
  • Support the Chair of the Board to ensure the Board functions effectively and efficiently including:
    • supporting the Chair in succession planning and appointment of Board members;
    • undertaking regular effectiveness reviews of the work of the Board and its Committees, and ;
    • ensuring individual Board members, including the Chair, are supported with effective induction and development.
  • Manage the corporate governance frameworks of the Board and its Committees, including the Academic Board, and of the university.
  • Deliver the University’s academic governance system, developing a positive institutional culture for engagement with quality assurance and ensuring the University has effective strategies and methods for monitoring and assuring the quality of its academic provision and for regular review of academic standards.
  • Hold cross-University responsibility for academic administrative policies, procedures and systems, and student data, and play a key role in effective integration of provision and services.
  • Lead on all user-related aspects of student records systems and processes, ensuring integrity of data and information, tactical use of student data to support University performance (HESA/HESES), and conformity with all legal requirements and University policies.
  • Guide the use and development of University Student Information Systems (including SITS) working in partnership with the technical system owners.
  • Accountable for the effective management of student complaints, appeals and student regulatory issues.
  • Act as the University’s Data Protection Officer as well as oversee the University’s compliance within agreed areas of responsibility, including, but not limited to, UKVI, Prevent and GDPR, ensuring that all reporting requirements are met to time and to a high standard.
  • Lead on the University’s risk management activity, including leading on the risk management strategy, co-ordinating the risk register and managing the relationship with the University’s internal auditors.
  • Lead the development and use of key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Board.
  • Perform such other duties consistent with the role as may from time to time be assigned, collaborating fully with others to get the work done and Ravensbourne’s objectives achieved.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

  • Demonstrate an understanding of Ravensbourne’s values, culture and educational ethos and promote these through everyday practice in the role.
  • Work within Ravensbourne’s Code of Conduct and other Rules.
  • Comply with all legislative, regulatory and policy requirements (e.g. Finance, People & Culture) as appropriate.
  • Carry out the policies, procedures, and practices of Health & Safety in all aspects of the role.
  • Demonstrate value and importance of equality and diversity in every aspect of Ravensbourne’s work and show commitment through everyday practice in the role.

Key working relationships (i.e. titles of roles, both internally and externally, with which this role holder interacts on a regular basis):

  • Vice-Chancellor
  • Chair of the Board and Governors
  • Executive Team
  • Academic Heads of Department
  • University Management Team (UMT)
  • Internal and External Auditors
  • External Regulators (e.g. OFS, DFE, UKVI, OIA)

 

PERSON SPECIFICATION

All of the following criteria are considered essential unless otherwise noted.

Knowledge and Experience

Education

  • Relevant First degree or equivalent professional experience

Professional qualifications/experience

  • Significant knowledge and experience of corporate governance and its administration, preferably in an institution of higher education.
  • CGI qualified or part-qualified. (Desirable)
  • Sound knowledge of risk management and the ability to set risk management strategy in collaboration with an executive team.
  • Significant experience working at senior level in complex organisation.

Higher Education knowledge

  • An understanding of higher education policy and the issues facing UK higher education institutions.
  • Thorough knowledge of internal and external regulation and compliance, and best practice relating to academic administration and data processing.
  • Experience of liaising with higher education regulators, including, but not limited to, OFS, UKVI and OIA.

Strategy and delivery

  • Demonstrable record of achievement in contributing to the strategic development of and organisation, including the development of strategy and policy in a complex organisation.
  • Proven ability to lead complex projects management and deliver effective change.

Core Personal skills abilities and behaviours

Management and leadership

  • Excellent leadership and management skills with the ability to motivate and inspire others, to deal with challenging situations and lead by example.
  • Ability to exercise tact and diplomacy, make difficult decisions, communicate them effectively and see implementation through.
  • A strong commitment and demonstrable ability to establish positive, collaborative relationships with others to achieve strategic goals and an ability to lead and work effectively in teams.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

  • Demonstrable commitment to the value and importance of equality and diversity and the ability to show leadership and commitment through everyday practice in the role.

Communication

  • Ability to work patiently with a helpful manner and good liaison skills, cognisant that Governors are not always familiar with higher education and have other time pressures at a senior level.
  • Communicates clearly orally and in writing, conveying complex information.
  • Builds and maintains trusting and effective and working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
  • Ability to exercise tact and diplomacy, act with discretion and maintain confidentiality.

Organisational Values

  • Demonstrates RUL’s organisational values and behaviours in everyday actions and interactions, acting as an exemplar of the RUL’s desired culture in both executive and functional leadership roles.

Numeracy and Digital skills

  • Ability to understand, use and present numerical information clearly and accurately.
  • Digitally agile with a proven track record of utilising technology to enhance user experience and improve processes.

This Job Description may be reviewed, and duties amended aligned with Ravensbourne’s requirements, any changes will be made in collaboration with the postholder.

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Terms of appointment

  • Salary – c.£95k.
  • Generous annual leave – We offer 30 days of annual leave from day one.
  • Additional special leave – Our employees enjoy additional special leave at Christmas.
  • Cycle to work scheme – Save up to 49% on the purchase of a bicycle and accessories, get fit and reduce your commuting costs.
  • Employee assistance programme – Access to confidential assistance to help you deal with personal and professional problems that could be affecting your home life, work life, health and general wellbeing – 24/7, 365 days a year.
  • Enhanced sick pay – Available to employees from their first day of employment.
  • Defined benefit pensions – Employees are enrolled in our generous defined benefit pension schemes, which also include life cover. Defined benefit pensions pay out a secure income for life, which increases each year in line with inflation.
  • Family friendly policies – Enhanced maternity pay after an initial qualifying period, as well as leave allowance for emergency dependent care.
  • Professional Development – Access to a wealth of training opportunities via LinkedIn Learning, as well as options to undertake our Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching & Learning.
  • Free eye tests – Free eye tests for all employees, plus payment for basic glasses for VDU use (or contribution towards more expensive frames).
  • Employee discounts – Enjoy a variety of discounts at retailers and food outlets on the Greenwich Peninsula.

How to apply

Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to the University. An executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.

The closing date for applications is noon on Monday 7 October 2024.

Applications should consist of:

  • A full CV.
  • A covering letter outlining your motivation and details of how you meet the qualification, skills and experience criteria of the person specification.
  • Please include details of two referees in your CV, though please note that we will not approach your referees without your prior consent and only should you be shortlisted.

Should you wish to discuss the roles in strict confidence, please contact Paul Aristides at paul.aristides@andersonquigley.com or +44 (0)7743 927 988 or Alicja Janowska at alicja.janowska@andersonquigley.com or +44 (0)7743 927 783.

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