Appointment of the Head of the School of Engineering & the Built Environment

Grade: SMG
Work Base: Chelmsford (with travel to other sites as required)
Hours of Work: Full time
Responsible to: PVC & Dean of Faculty
Responsible for: Deputy Head(s) of School
Relationships & Contacts: Vice Chancellors Group, Faculty Executive Team within the Faculty, Internal management and employees, University Executive Team (UET), Corporate Management Team (CMT), and External/regulatory bodies as appropriate

Job Purpose

Provide effective strategic leadership with overall responsibility for the successful operational and sustainable growth of all of the disciplines with the School.

Principal Accountabilities

Strategy and Implementation

• Make a significant contribution to the planning, development and implementation of the University’s strategic plan, aims and objectives as part of the Faculty Management team.
• Lead the development and delivery of the School’s strategic and operational plans.
• Interpret and analyse data and information from a range of internal and external sources and translate trends, risks and opportunities into School and University priorities ensuring innovative and high quality sustainable future provision.
• Realise significant growth in Engineering student numbers through partnership with advanced engineering and hi-tech sector clusters across the East of England.

Leadership and Management

• Provide academic and professional leadership within the School, working with Deputy Heads of School responsible for disciplines/clusters, raising achievement and increasing the potential for innovative, inter-disciplinary and cross-campus working.
• Identify, promote and support opportunities for academic staff to develop productive relationships across disciplines and encourage collaboration across disciplines and with other Schools across the Faculty and University as appropriate.
• Lead and develop effective working relationships with professional service areas and functions within the University to achieve buy-in and promote the work of the School.
• Promote the external interests, links, partnerships and reputation of the School and University, liaising and working with relevant external bodies.
• Develop strategic workforce/staff development plans to deliver the skills and expertise required to deliver KPIs.  With overview responsibility for the review and appraisal of School staff, devolve responsibility for line management and appraisal appropriately.
• Manage all School resources (people, budgets, equipment and property) effectively and transparently, to achieve the best possible value for money in-line with University and Faculty policies, procedures, values and priorities.
• Undertake Faculty and University-wide activities through active participation in committees and working groups.
• Manage risk within the School in accordance with the University’s risk management framework including the maintenance of a school risk register.

Education and Student Engagement

• Lead work on the implementation of the Education Strategy, ensuring that key themes are systematically embedded in the School’s education portfolio.
• Provide leadership in preparation for subject level TEF.
• Ensure delivery of a suite of innovative undergraduate, postgraduate and cross-discipline programmes of study and education activities through flexible modes of delivery.
• Ensure the School champions and develops activities which promote inclusive active learning, internationalisation, widening participation, student engagement and employability of students.
• Take overall responsibility for the effective governance of the School’s activities, ensuring PSRB and QAA requirements are met to a high standard of satisfaction.
• Take overall responsibility for improvements in student engagement within the School, ensuring that the diverse range of student voices are integrated within all of the School’s work and that staff responses are proportionate and in-line with policy.
• Work in collaboration with others to ensure sustainability and enhancement of the quality and standards required to meet student needs with all programmes and activities of the School.
• Ensure all policies and regulations of the University are operationalised effectively within the School, paying particular regard to student welfare, health and safety, disciplinary matters, student complaints and financial regulations.

Research and Innovation

• Provide overall strategic leadership of the School’s implementation of the Research and Innovation Strategy, ensuring the key themes and strategies are adopted and embedded across its research, innovation and knowledge exchange activities.
• Ensure sustained growth in research capacity and productivity, while enhancing the quality, impact and external profile of the School’s research activity.
• Lead the School in the development of its research culture and environment, ensuring appropriate support and development opportunities are offered to all researchers, especially early career researchers, and foster a collaborative and collegiate working culture.
• Ensure agreed targets for research and external income are met, and promote an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to partnership development, business engagement and knowledge exchange.
• Lead the School in engaging effectively in preparations for the REF, devolving direct responsibility as appropriate.  Ensure the School makes a proportionate and high-quality contribution to the REF through the appropriate UOA(s).
• Make a high quality personal contribution to learning and teaching and the research and scholarly activity of the School, including a contribution to future REF submissions where appropriate.
• Comply with Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR requirements in all working practices, maintaining confidentiality, integrity, availability, accuracy, currency and security of information as appropriate. Take personal responsibility for all personal data within own working environment.
• Such other duties temporarily or on a continuing basis, as may reasonably be required, commensurate with your grade.

This is a description of the job as it is presently constituted.  It is normal practice to review periodically job descriptions to ensure that they are relevant to the job currently being performed, and to incorporate any changes which have occurred or are being proposed.  The review process is carried out jointly by manager and employee and you are therefore expected to participate fully in such discussions.  In all cases, it is our aim to reach agreement to reasonable changes, but where it is not possible to reach agreement we reserve the right to make reasonable changes to your job description which are commensurate with your grade after consultation with you.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education/ qualifications

• PhD or professional doctorate in Engineering or closely related discipline
• Professorial standing (desirable)
• Senior/Principal Fellow of the HEA (desirable)
• Chartered status of relevant professional body (desirable)

Experience

• Significant senior academic leadership in HE
• Developing and leading strategic and operational plans
• Extensive academic leadership of people and budgets
• Significant involvement in HE governance and quality assurance
• Active involvement in and delivery of education and research strategies
• Substantial track record of: income generation; business and partnership engagement; student engagement and growth in student numbers
• Established internal and external academic reputation
• Expertise in horizon scanning including data analysis and identifying risks and opportunities
• Experience of developing apprenticeship, CPD and distance learning courses
• Track record of delivering strong student employability outcomes
• Developing partnerships with advanced engineering/high tech sectors (desirable)
• Experience of working and managing multidisciplinary teams (desirable)

Knowledge and skills

• Inspirational leadership and people management
• Ability to work collaboratively across disciplines both within and beyond the School
• Significant and successful management of a school/department
• Strategic thinker
• Analysing and interpreting complex data sets
• Business planning and budget management
• Excellent and in-depth understanding and working knowledge of TEF and REF
• Expert understanding of external bodies including PRSB and QAA requirements

Personal qualities

• Committed and driven by our values
• Collaborative
• Inclusive
• Desire for excellence/raising standards
• Student focussed

Other

• Willing and able to travel as required including overseas
• Well-developed external networks
• Committed to equality and diversity
• Committed to our Health and Safety policies and procedures
• Compliance to the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR principles/ requirements