Reports to: Deputy CEO
Job type: Full-time, Permanent 
Schedule:  Monday to Friday 
Work location: In-person at the Head Office, Memo House, Kendal Avenue, London, W3 0XA 

JOB DESCRIPTION

We are seeking a dedicated, charismatic and driven academic leader to take LSST into its next phase of ambition and development. The Provost will lead and oversee all academic areas of LSST, working closely with the CEO to ensure the academic and commercial operations work in tandem to deliver on the institution’s vision and mission for creating barrier-free opportunities for learning. LSST is entering an exciting period, including beginning the process of awarding its own degrees, and eventually becoming a university. The Provost will be a key player in delivering on these strategic projects, as well as ensuring growth of the business and compliance with HE sector regulators and bodies.

The Provost will provide leadership to all 450+ academic and academic support function staff, in particular modelling behaviours and attributes that align with LSST’s values. This will include providing either direct or indirect line management of the Vice Principal, campus Deans, Registrar and the rest of the senior management team that fall under the Provost’s remit within the organisation structure.

LSST is a well-established private provider of HE in the UK, with four campuses across London, Luton and the Midlands, with ambitions to develop more campuses. At present, LSST specialises in delivering Business and Health degree courses, although aims to diversify its portfolio into science, technology, creative arts and media, and other subject disciplines with emerging markets. LSST’s student body is made-up of mostly mature students, with an average student age of 36, and a majority coming from deprived background and being part of minority communities. The Provost will play a key role in maintaining LSST’s track record in offering good quality teaching and learning to this demographic, as well as working with the CEO to develop new opportunities for LSST to extend its reach and impact.

Job purpose

Leading LSST with respect to curriculum development, academic delivery, academic standards and enhancement, quality assurance, student outcomes, governance and success against internal KPIs and external benchmarks.

• To provide strategic leadership for all academic activities, and for the college as a whole in fulfilling its mission as determined by the corporation.
• To provide strategic and academic direction for LSST’s course portfolio and development of innovative and market-relevant courses.
• To establish excellent relationships with students, both directly and through their representatives and Student’s Union.
• To line manage the Vice Principal and support them in leading the Deans, Registrar and Head of Careers and Employability.
• To line manage the Head of Student Lifecycle and Partnerships Manager and ensure a good programme of student wellbeing and support activities are on offer.
• To line manage the Head of Academic Standards and Quality, and ensure a high performing Quality Unit delivers good performance and internal customer service with respect to governance, maintaining and advising on academic standards, and compliance with regulators and partner university regulations.
• To engage in horizon scanning the Higher Education environment for incoming opportunities and challenges that LSST will need to respond to.
• To review, enhance and develop existing and new staff structures, systems, and processes to ensure LSST’s ongoing success.
• To act as a member of the Board of Governors, ensuring institutional oversight of safeguarding, delivery of academic, commercial and operational KPIs at institutional level.
• To ensure consistency in student outcomes across all of LSST’s provision.
• To ensure high quality arrangements exist for teaching, learning and student support and that the College delivers high quality education and training.
• To maintain student discipline and, as per the policies and procedures rules and regulations approved by the Executive Committee, suspend or exclude students on disciplinary grounds or exclude students for academic reasons.
• To ensure the effective review of policies and procedures which involve the Executive Committee, staff, students and other College users.
• To provide management and leadership of staff which will ensure that the College discharges all of its legal responsibilities and that good employee relations are maintained and developed.
• To develop an ethos of teamwork throughout the organisation.
• To ensure that appropriate targets are set and agreed throughout the College, that performance against them is monitored and that the College meets or exceeds them.
• To be responsible for all matters related to Equality & Diversity and Safeguarding in the College within the context of its policies and procedures.
• To adopt and encourage a positive attitude towards equal opportunities and ensure the development of equal opportunities throughout all aspects of service delivery and employment.
• To develop and maintain professional standards and expertise by undertaking relevant professional development.

In doing so, it is expected that the Provost will ensure a whole-institution approach to delivering their vision, engaging staff and students at all levels.

Other responsibilities (including but not limited to):

• To promote and maintain procedures and practices which facilitate equality and diversity across all LSST operations and strategic developments.
• To develop, plan, implement and monitor personnel procedures operating within LSST, in conjunction with the HR Coordinator, assuming a direct responsibility for them as appropriate.
• To participate in the Appraisal Scheme and carry out appraisals for relevant staff in line with College policy and procedures in their area of responsibility.fprin
• To co-ordinate the adequate recruitment and deployment of staff to ensure that agreed curricular and support provision can be implemented.
• To oversee all curriculum and timetable planning occurring within LSST, monitoring developments and developing potential strategies to deal with envisaged changes of provision
• To monitor course changes, developing structures to analyse choice trends and reasons for change.
• To establish, maintain and develop effective relationships with external agencies and other stakeholders.
• To be responsible for ensuring the LSST maintains its validation status with relevant HE validation partners.
• To be responsible for ensuring LSST is always ready and prepared for an OfS or other regulatory audit or inspection and where appropriate act as nominee or delegate to the Vice Principal.
• To support students in their academic and social development, and to implement the LSST’s Student Code of Conduct, reinforcing disciplinary measures as necessary.
• To convene and chair committee and board meetings as appropriate.
• To undertake other duties as may reasonably be requested by the CEO

N.B. The post-holder may be required to undertake any other duties which may be required as within the nature of the duties and responsibilities of the post as defined, subject to the proviso that normally any changes of a permanent nature shall be incorporated into the job description in specific terms

PERSON SPECIFICATION

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

Qualifications

• Masters in a relevant academic discipline
• Recognised Teaching Qualification
• PhD in a relevant discipline (desirable)
• To have Completed or be willing to undertake Senior Leadership Development (desirable)

Leadership Experience/Knowledge

• Experience of leadership in learning and teaching within HE sector
• Sound knowledge and understanding of best practice nationally in regards to teaching, learning, assessment and quality improvement
• Ability to develop and set strategic direction
• Good understanding of the effective management of people and budgets
• Thorough understanding and experience of quality improvement processes
• Effective management of projects to achieve corporate goals
• Successfully leading and coaching high performance senior teams (desirable)
• Knowledge of the HE inspection regime and an understanding of the relevant funding methodologies within HE (desirable)
• Knowledge of HE funding, delivery methods and the regulatory environment (desirable)
• Successful record of developing and sustaining partnerships and networks with external organisations and other bodies locally, regionally and nationally (desirable) 

General Skills

• Ability and experience of successfully developing and delivering strategic plans to ensure future organisational success
• Highly developed people leadership and management skills
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and partnership building skills for working in a complex multi stakeholder environment
• Ability and experience of developing and leading significant organisational change
• Commercial ability and success in generating organisational growth
• Highly skilled presenter able to engage and inspire a range of internal and external audiences
• Political astuteness so as to be able to help position the College effectively in relation to new developments
• Demonstrable planning and organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines and to work within budget
• Ability to analyse and interpret information to assess issues, anticipate problems and provide solutions in conjunction with various stakeholders
• Able to deliver under pressure and remain calm in difficult situations
• Excellent judgement with the ability to balance risks and opportunities
• Ability to resolve conflicts 

Qualities  

• An absolute commitment to upholding the College Values.
• Commitment to equal opportunity, diversity and a positive employment culture in the College Inspirational leader with presence and gravitas
• Resilience
• Collaborative and commercial
• A commitment to excellence
• A commitment and focus on coaching and developing others to reach their full potential
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous personal development

Additional requirements

• Ability to travel between campuses
• Enhanced DBS Clearance (desirable)
• A full driving license (desirable)

The postholder must respect the confidentiality of data stored electronically and by other means in line with the Data Protection Act 1998.  

Note: The above list is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post. This job description will be regularly reviewed and at least prior to the annual appraisal.