JOB DESCRIPTION

The University of Sheffield has an established Academic Career Pathway, which is built upon our shared understanding of what it means to be an academic in an ambitious, research-intensive institution like the University of Sheffield. As a Chair (Teaching & Research or Teaching Specialist Pathway), you will contribute to the areas of research, teaching, leadership, professional standing and wider engagement.

Main duties and responsibilities

As Director of Accreditation 

• Lead, with the Dean and members of the School Leadership Team (SLT), on the School’s implementation of the University Strategy, in line with the mission, vision and values of the School.
• Lead and manage role in providing strategic planning, oversight and academic leadership of the School’s ‘Triple-Crown’ accreditation portfolio (EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA), working collaboratively with the Dean , SLT, Data and Accreditation Manager and wider team.
• Work collaboratively with the Dean and Senior Leadership Team to make a key contribution to the development and delivery of the School’s strategic activities, aligned with our strategic plan, mission, vision and values, and our continuous improvement priorities, fulfilling the principles and standards of accrediting bodies.
• Work closely with a wider professional services team (including Data and Accreditation team) to ensure successful academic leadership, coordination and delivery of accreditation requirements and activities.
• Engage with relevant ongoing development, training and networking opportunities pertaining to accreditations.
• Chair the School’s Accreditation Committee, reporting to the Executive Board.
• Represent the School nationally and internationally through close engagement with accrediting bodies and communities, in addition to our wider stakeholders of academic partners, professional bodies, employers, alumni and advisory board.
• Build teams and provide academic leadership and direction to colleagues to deliver successful outcomes.
• Maintain an academic, scholarly profile commensurate with a Chair/Senior Lecturer/Senior University Teacher position.
• Represent the interests of the School at Faculty and Institutional level.
• Participate in relevant Faculty, institutional and external working groups to enhance the profile and activities of the School.

Candidates appointed at Senior University Teacher level would be expected to:

• Contribute fully to the Management School as a teacher, leader and collaborator.
• Demonstrate high-quality teaching practice by leading on the design, delivery, assessment and evaluation research-led teaching programmes to enable effective learning. This includes identifying learning objectives, selecting appropriate curricula, teaching methods, and resources, and determining, designing and producing appropriate study material. You will also prepare and implement student assessments, ensuring effective moderation and timely feedback.
• Provide high-quality student support through personal tutor/pastoral responsibilities for undergraduate and postgraduate students, directing them, as required, to University support services appropriate to their needs.
• Lead and supervise the design and development of programmes of study that are accessible, inclusive and contribute to the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy. This includes developing, revising and updating programme content and delivery, ensuring the application of innovative and appropriate teaching techniques and materials that embed the latest educational ideas and methods (including digital technologies); ensuring compliance with quality standards, regulations and accreditation requirements; developing employment focussed modules, providing placements and effective links with external organisations.
• Plan teaching up to one year ahead unless there are significant teaching programme changes or new courses then plan for up to two years ahead of their introduction.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to continuing professional development in teaching by developing and implementing ideas for improving own teaching design, delivery and assessment, in order to build pedagogic knowledge and demonstrate impact.
• Actively contribute to the collective vision, mission and values of the University through individual action and inclusive, collaborative working.
• Contribute to the life of the Management School, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the wider University community through administration responsibilities and committee membership as required. Engage in activities that contribute and build collegiality beyond your day-to-day role.
• Demonstrate strong leadership by constructively challenging establish practice, structure and process in order to bring about positive change and improved outcomes.
• Through a leadership role (for example Departmental Deputy Director of Learning and Teaching, etc.), consistently make accountable, creative and considered decisions in response to a range of emerging issues and opportunities.
• Represent the University and develop links with external contacts (within academic, professions or with industry) to foster collaboration, at a regional and national level within an area of specialism.
• Be actively involved in professional activities such as membership of a major professional body, organisation of national conferences, invitations to give papers at highly regarded conferences, receipt of national prizes/awards, etc.
• Plan and prioritise own work, and forward plan up to five years for some tasks.
• As a member of staff you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.

Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.

Candidates appointed at Senior Lecturer level would be expected to:

• Contribute fully to the Management School as a teacher, researcher, leader and collaborator.
• Demonstrate high-quality teaching practice by leading on the design, delivery, assessment and evaluation research-led teaching programmes to enable effective learning. This includes identifying learning objectives, selecting appropriate curricula, teaching methods, and resources, and determining, designing and producing appropriate study material. You will also prepare and implement student assessments, ensuring effective moderation and timely feedback.
• Provide high-quality student support through personal tutor/pastoral responsibilities for undergraduate and postgraduate students, directing them, as required, to University support services appropriate to their needs.
• Lead and supervise the design and development of programmes of study that are accessible, inclusive and contribute to the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy. This includes developing, revising and updating programme content and delivery, ensuring the application of innovative and appropriate teaching techniques and materials that embed the latest educational ideas and methods (including digital technologies); ensuring compliance with quality standards, regulations and accreditation requirements; developing employment focussed modules, providing placements and effective links with external organisations.
• Plan teaching up to one year ahead unless there are significant teaching programme changes or new courses then plan for up to two years ahead of their introduction.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to continuing professional development in teaching by developing and implementing ideas for improving own teaching design, delivery and assessment, in order to build pedagogic knowledge and demonstrate impact.
• Conduct a programme of high-quality personal research by identifying and securing varied sources of funding. Appropriate levels of research income are determined by the disciplinary or sub disciplinary norms for your department.
• Manage or co-manage external research funding over a period of grants.
• Attract high-quality research staff to support the delivery of research. Provide effective leadership and line management to research staff, including proactive responsibility for their mentoring, training and development.
• Attract high-quality research students and provide them with effective supervision. Aim to complete one internal and one external PhD student every two years as primary supervisor.
• Disseminate research findings through, for example high-quality publications and conference presentations. Ensure that at least one item in a rolling two-year period is judged through peer review as being internationally excellent or world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour.
• Ensure strong research impact through activities that demonstrate an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment, or quality of life beyond academia. Activity that supports this includes undertaking meaningful public engagement activity, patent applications, significant consultancy contracts for institutional benefit, two-way engagement with policy makers in own research area, spin out companies, designing and constructing prototypes, securing external funding for knowledge exchange projects, etc.
• Contribute to, and build cross-research group activity.
• Actively contribute to the collective vision, mission and values of the University through individual action and inclusive, collaborative working.
• Contribute to the life of the Management School, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the wider University community through administration responsibilities and committee membership as required. Engage in activities that contribute and build collegiality beyond your day-to-day role.
• Demonstrate strong leadership by constructively challenging establish practice, structure and process in order to bring about positive change and improved outcomes.
• Through a leadership role (for example Departmental Deputy Director of Research and Innovation, Learning and Teaching, etc.), consistently make accountable, creative and considered decisions in response to a range of emerging issues and opportunities.
• Represent the University and develop links with external contacts (within academic, professions or with industry) to foster collaboration, at a regional and national level within an area of specialism.
• Be actively involved in professional activities such as membership of a major professional body, organisation of national conferences, invitations to give papers at highly regarded conferences, editing journals, receipt of national prizes/awards, etc.
• Plan and prioritise own work, and forward plan up to five years for some tasks.
• You will make a full and active contribution to the principles of the ‘Sheffield Academic’. These include the achievement of excellence in applied teaching and research, and scholarly pursuits to make a genuine difference in the subject area and to the University’s achievements as a whole. Further information on the underpinning values of the Sheffield Academic can be found at: Sheffield Academic.
• As a member of staff you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.

Candidates appointed at a Professorial level would be expected to:

• Contribute fully to Sheffield University Management School as a teacher, researcher, leader and collaborator.
• Demonstrate high-quality teaching practice by leading on the design, delivery and assessment and evaluation of high quality research-led teaching programmes to enable effective learning. This includes identifying learning objectives, selecting appropriate curricula, teaching methods, and resources, and determining, designing and producing appropriate study material. You will also prepare and implement student assessments, ensuring effective moderation and timely feedback.
• Provide high-quality student support through personal tutor/pastoral responsibilities for undergraduate and postgraduate students, directing them, as required, to University support services appropriate to their needs.
• Supervise undergraduate and postgraduate projects.
• Enhance curriculum in the Department, including reviewing and developing new programmes of study that are accessible, inclusive, attracting new students and markets and contributing to the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy. This includes reviewing, developing, revising and updating programme content and delivery, ensuring the application of innovative and appropriate teaching techniques and materials that embed the latest educational ideas and methods (including digital technologies); ensuring compliance with quality standards, regulations and accreditation requirements; developing employment focussed modules, providing placements and effective links with external organisations.
• Plan teaching up to one year ahead unless there are significant teaching programme changes or new courses then plan for up to two years ahead of their introduction.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to continuing professional development in teaching by developing and implementing ideas for improving own teaching design, delivery and assessment, in order to build pedagogic knowledge and demonstrate impact.
• Liaise effectively with academic staff and other colleagues to ensure teaching programmes are appropriate to the needs of both students and employers.
• Share and promote good practice in teaching within the Department and Faculty.
• Establish, lead and sustain a world-class research programme, in pedagogic scholarship or a management research discipline giving due consideration to ways of retaining connections with teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• Conduct personal research of international standing, independently and collaboratively, in line with the Faculty Research Strategy.
• Maintain a strong academic and professional profile through national and international engagement and high quality publications.
• Determine research objectives, and initiate and implement a strong programme of research, leading to visible impact.
• Direct and supervise the work of research students and research staff.
• Secure external funding to support future research activity.
• Provide strong academic leadership, including line management and staff development as appropriate.
• Provide leadership in developing a strong research or scholarship.
• Participate in University, Departmental and Faculty committees as appropriate.
• Foster high quality links with academic colleagues in relevant disciplines across the University, with other academic institutions and with industry.
• Plan and prioritise own work, and forward plan up to five years for some tasks.
• You will be a role model and champion for the values and behaviours of the ‘Sheffield Academic’ and promote its integration into the life of the University.
• As a member of staff you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

You should provide evidence in your application that you meet the following criteria at either Professorial, Senior University Teacher (SUT) or Senior Lecturer (SL) level (please indicate the level that you are seeking to be appointed to in your application).  We will use a range of selection methods to measure your abilities in these areas including reviewing your online application, seeking references, inviting shortlisted candidates to interview and other forms of assessment action relevant to the post.

The University of Sheffield is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, we commit to recruit and retain disabled applicants and support positive action. We encourage disabled people to apply for our jobs and to have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities at the interview stage. We commit to offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job. For further information on the Disability Confident Scheme, please follow the link.

Criteria

All of the following are essential for professional candidates and for the SUT and SL unless otherwise noted.

1. Have PhD in a relevant subject area.
2. Have a proven, excellent track record in high quality research and/ or scholarship.
3. Evidence of indicators of esteem: high quality publication; income generation; managing research project staff, knowledge exchange, engagement and impact activity; external networks nationally and internationally. (Desirable)
4. Proven teaching ability ideally with a teaching qualification and experience of critically reviewing and assessing existing teaching programmes.
5. Experience in a strategic leadership role in a business or management school.
6. Strong track record in strategic leadership roles with the ability to consistently make accountable and considered decisions in response to a range of merging issues and opportunities. (Desirable)
7. Be ambitious, with the vision, drive and motivation to develop, promote and deliver key strategic projects for the School which will enable it to achieve a further step-change in its performance and reputation.
8. A track record of well-developed leadership skills.
9. Evidence of ability to lead change in a previous role. (Professorial candidates only)
10. Excellent knowledge of, and experience of playing a key role in meeting, the standards and requirements of professional body and international accreditations (AMBA, AACSB, EQUIS).
11. Ability to build and sustain high performing teams and to develop the capacity/performance of individual staff. (Desirable)
12. First hand experience of building and sustaining high performing teams and developing the capacity/performance of individual staff. (Desirable)
13. Excellent ability to understand and work with key data measuring and assessing progress, outcomes and impact of key strategic initiatives.
14. A demonstrable commitment to continuous improvement, in own practice and that of others, in key strategic areas.
15. An understanding of and demonstrable commitment to promoting and embedding equality, diversity and inclusion principles and practices across all areas of strategic activity.
16. Evidence of external engagement and relationship-building nationally and internationally (e.g. accrediting and professional bodies, professional networks, national or international policy working groups, academic and non-academic partners, organisational and business stakeholders).
17. Significant evidence of external engagement and relationship-building nationally and internationally (e.g. accrediting and professional bodies, professional networks, national or international policy working groups, academic and non-academic partners, organisational and business stakeholders). (For Professorial candidates only)
18. Excellent understanding of the Higher Education regulatory and governance environment, with experience in leading strategic action plans pertaining to key measures (e.g. NSS, TEF, REF, KEF).
19. Experience of playing a key role in Faculty/ staffing initiatives to enhance recruitment, reward, development and progression of staff at all stages of academic careers. (Desirable)
20.  Experience of leading or contributing to initiatives to drive and embed sustainability agenda in strategic activities. (Desirable)
21. Ability to mentor and motivate colleagues in their development and delivery of work plans, in line with the School and Faculty strategies, and contribute to their professional development and pastoral care. (Desirable)
22. Show high levels of personal integrity and strong professional reputation. (Desirable)
23. Considerable experience of working effectively both independently and collaboratively in research, leadership and teaching teams.