Thank you for your interest in becoming the Vice Chancellor of Ravensbourne University London.
Ravensbourne is a very special place. It has a unique blend of creativity, technology and business. We have enthusiastic students and staff who come from diverse backgrounds. We have an iconic building in Greenwich which inspires everyone who visits and works here.
We have seen big change over the last five years. We have doubled the size of the university, created new partnerships, attracted students from all over the world as well as from our adjacent areas in London. And we now have financial stability and strength.
We are looking to continue to grow by expanding our courses and our reach and aiming to create a leading university which is at the intersection of creative, technology and business.
We are dedicated to giving our learners the skills and opportunities they need for outstanding careers in digital media, design, business and technology. Our offering currently spans television, film and broadcasting, product and graphic design, architecture, fashion, business, marketing and computing.
This is a time of real change and opportunity. We are seeking a new Vice Chancellor to lead us on our ambitious journey. With a widening programme offering and new international developments and partnerships, you will lead the implementation of our new strategy, working with our board and the executive team. You will be responsible for driving the university towards its goal of further sustainable long-term growth, whilst ensuring a high-quality student experience. As an advocate of inclusivity, you will promote a culture that encourages everyone to challenge themselves and others to be the best they can be.
We are looking for a great leader who understands creativity, business and technology and the leading role which the university can play in all these areas and who is ambitious for the future.
We look forward to hearing from you.
About Ravensbourne University London
With a community of over 5,000 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 student numbers in the last five years. Its staff base currently stands at around 370 core academic and professional services staff and 200 ‘hourly paid ‘sessional’ academic staff.’
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.
Ravensbourne Executive Reporting Structure
Introduction from the President of the Ravensbourne Student Union Esther Gbogboade
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.
Please find Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) strategy here.
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 Values
These are our core principles, which guide our behaviour, decision making and actions and serve as the foundation for our culture.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job title: Vice Chancellor
Department: Executive
Pay Band: Executive
Line Manager: Chair of the board of governors
Role Purpose:
The Vice Chancellor is the executive leader of the university, responsible for providing strategic leadership and vision in all areas of the institution. The Vice Chancellor is accountable to the Board of Governors for delivering the university’s mission and for performance against the objectives and key performance indicators agreed by the Board.
Responsible for the successful leadership and management of the university’s activities and of its community of staff and students, the Vice Chancellor will harness the university’s potential and lead it to the next stage of achievement and growth.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Management
Leadership
External partnerships
Governance
Other
PERSON SPECIFICATION
All of the following criteria are considered essential unless otherwise noted.
Knowledge and Experience
Professional qualifications and experience
Strategy and delivery
Continuous Improvement and change
Financial Expertise
Core personal skills, abilities and behaviours
Management and leadership
Communication and engagement
Organisational Values
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 27 November 2024.
Longlisting will take place on 6 December.
Final panel interviews will be on Friday 31 January and Monday 3 February.
Applications should consist of:
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 Aino Betts at aino.betts@andersonquigley.com, or +44 (0)7743 934 723 .