Thank you for your interest in the role of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) at the University of Roehampton.

Grounded in the foundation principles of our four colleges, we want to change lives by helping our students develop the confidence, knowledge and adaptability they need for a successful graduate career and fulfilling life. Our purpose guides our approach to delivering excellent teaching and world-class research, supported by an outstanding student experience.

Our Enabling Strategies 2019–2025 set out the University’s 2025 targets. The Enabling Strategies are organised under three themes:

• Student Education
• Research and Knowledge Exchange
• Sustainability

One of three Pro Vice-Chancellor positions at the University, the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) will lead on the advancement and delivery of our ‘Student Education’ strategy. Working closely with the Vice-Chancellor and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, the post holder will provide proactive cross-university leadership to ensure that Roehampton provides an exceptional and coherent learning environment and experience that helps students reach their potential and effectively prepares them for graduate life. They will build strong relationships across the institution and focus on delivery at pace, inspiring others around this important agenda.

The successful applicant will be inclusive, committed and inspirational in their leadership style. With a flair for interaction, you will encourage others’ ideas, initiative and creativity while developing a sustainable, high-performance culture built on continuous improvement. Our University continues to change and evolve, driven by our exceptional and committed community of staff and students.  To realise our full potential, our new Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) will collaborate closely with these groups, forging strong and purposeful relationships aimed at driving excellence in our education provision.

We have a diverse and therefore high performing senior team and are especially keen to hear from candidates who can contribute to this diversity.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Roehampton has a history in education through our four Colleges dating back over 183 years. Our Colleges were founded in the 19th Century and were pioneers in teacher training. Through our oldest College, Whitelands, we have provided higher education to women for longer than any other university in the country.

Our four Colleges are:

Southlands College was founded in 1872 by the Methodist Church. This College is the home of the Faculty of Business and Law and the two Schools within it, namely Roehampton Business School and Roehampton Law School.

Whitelands College, established in 1841 by the Church of England, is the home of the School of Life and Health Sciences and the School of Psychology.

Digby Stuart College, founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic religious congregation, in 1874, is the home of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Froebel College has secular foundations and was established in 1892. The College takes its name from Friedrich Froebel, the German educational pioneer and is the home of the School of Education.

The values of social progress inspire the educational missions of all our four colleges. These values, in turn, inform the academic life of Roehampton, including our teaching, research and engagement with communities and organisations locally, nationally and internationally.

Today, our Colleges help us provide the friendly, welcoming community that makes Roehampton so distinctive, supporting student wellbeing, social life and the wider student experience. They also help engage our thriving global community of graduates to engage in socially responsible behaviours and reflective practice.

Our Purpose

• Change lives by helping our students to develop the confidence, knowledge and adaptability they need for a successful graduate career and fulfilling life.
• Understand and help to improve our world through a spirit of curiosity and discovery.
• Support, encourage and challenge each other in a friendly and inclusive community that values people as individuals.

Our Commitment

• Community of learning based on partnership that encourages and supports all of our students and staff to achieve their aspirations.
• An excellent education that enables our students to prepare themselves for a successful and fulfilling career in a rapidly changing world.
• A curriculum that meets the needs and expectations of both students and employers, and that reflects the diversity of our economy and society.
• An excellent research environment that makes a positive contribution to our understanding of the world and helps to improve lives.
• A community that is characterised by friendliness, openness, inclusion and freedom of thought, religion and expression.
• A wide range of opportunities for our students to develop interests beyond their course of study, encouraging them to grow as individuals.
• A network for communities and partners who share our values to work together for a common purpose towards social responsibility and public good.

Our Campus

Our beautiful parkland campus is in southwest London, close to Putney, Hammersmith and Wimbledon, and within easy reach of central London. In addition to stunning gardens and heritage buildings, including a conference centre, it has state-of-the-art specialist teaching facilities, a world-class library and a media centre with its own teaching cinema. The campus continues to undergo transformation to accommodate new curriculum areas and saw the opening of our Mary Seacole Health Innovation Centre in 2022. This year we will start on the construction of new Engineering teaching facilities.

Studying and working with us gives our students and staff the best of both worlds: the friendly community feel of a traditional university campus, and the energy, culture and connections of one of the greatest cities in the world.

To meet our goals and shape who we become over the years to come, the University has developed Enabling Strategies. These strategies are built on three themes, each essential to our future success and underpinned by our existing strengths.

The three themes are:

Student Education

The experience of studying at Roehampton should be distinctive and transformational across all levels of study. The quality of the Roehampton experience and the sense of community must apply to all of our students, whether they are studying on campus, online or with one of our partners.

Research and Knowledge Exchange

Our excellent reputation for research reflects a distinctive culture that has been built throughout our long history. During this time we have grown a research environment that fosters an inclusive, collaborative, and inspiring community.

Our research profile is well-balanced, well-managed and recognised for its quality, reach and significance to the world. Research is also fundamental to our teaching, it shapes our curricula and enriches the experience of our students.

Sustainability

This theme is focused on how we will grow in an environmentally sustainable way and create the financial headroom to invest for the future, developing the infrastructure we need to deliver on our strategic aims.

Climate change is one of the most urgent and significant issues of our time. We will respond by ensuring we are as environmentally sustainable as we can be ourselves, but also by driving change and awareness through the education we provide, the research our staff undertake, and in how we manage our estate and procure and deliver our services.

For full details on our enabling strategies click here.

Location
The post is located in Roehampton. We expect the post-holder to spend a majority of the working week on campus and live within commuting distance of campus during the week. The post-holder should also be  to attend campus events at the weekend when required, for instance for open days.

Salary
Competitive salary dependent on relevant skills and experience.

Pension
The University support membership of the Teachers Pension Scheme and a defined contribution scheme provided by Royal London.

Private Health Insurance
Private health insurance will be offered as a taxable benefit

Annual Leave
31.5 days per annum.

Family Friendly
Excellent provisions in relation to family friendly leave and pay. Employee Assistance Programme 24/7 Confidential Support Staff and family members in their household have access to a free, external confidential support service for work, financial, legal, family and personal problems 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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 Wednesday 21 June 2023.

AQ Reference: AQ1903

Applications should consist of:

• A full CV.
• A covering letter outlining how you broadly meet the experience criteria of the person specification.
• Your CV and/or letter specifically address (with evidence and metrics):
  • Experience of developing and delivering strategies which have had a tangible effect on student and institutional outcomes in relation to education and student experience.
  • Experience of delivering good outcomes for non-traditional students (e.g widening participation, apprenticeships and technical education, open-learning)
• Please include details of three referees (one of which should be senior to you in your current employment) in either your CV or covering letter, 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 role in strict confidence, please contact
Samantha Bryan-Ross on samantha@andersonquigley.com +44 (0)7510 384 713 or Ed Pritchard on ed@andersonquigley.com, +44(0)7980 817 927.