University of Wolverhampton
Introduction from the Vice-Chancellor
I was proud to become Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton in October 2023.
The origins of the University date back to 1827 as a Tradesmen’s and Mechanics’ Institute, shaping our mission, character, and role as an anchor institution. We are deeply rooted in our community, offering opportunities to all with the ability to benefit.
According to the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey, 88% of our graduates are in work or education within 15 months, with 76% employed in the West Midlands, demonstrating our impact on social mobility and the local economy.
As we plan for the future, we seek a Director of Communications & Public Relations to help translate our new University Strategy into reality.
We are looking for a forward thinking communications and public relations specialist to work closely with senior leaders within and outside the University on its core strategic communications positioning.
This senior leadership role will be responsible for clear messaging and communication to students, staff, industry and the communities served by the University. The postholder will be an innovator whose approach will ‘cut through’, promote and showcase the breadth of the University’s work and its offer to a range of key stakeholders, maximising the range of initiatives and programmes in the process.
Aligned with our values, the successful candidate will champion opportunity and social mobility, foster collaboration, and inspire a transformational working environment.
This is an exciting time to join us, and we look forward to hearing from you.
Based in the heart of the Midlands, we are the only higher education institution in the Black Country. With campuses in Wolverhampton and Walsall, the University of Wolverhampton has 29,499 students taught in the UK and abroad, and 2,159 staff. We are proud to be a leading educational force in and around our campuses, and as a key employer we are aware of our responsibility and impact across the region.
Almost 70% of our student body is from the region (West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire), and the distribution of our younger and mature learners is more equally balanced than most comparable institutions. Through the continuous development of our campuses and the courses we offer, we are increasing our national and international reach to support our growth agenda. Our strategy includes establishing clear areas of excellence and distinction within a very competitive West Midlands landscape to become the first choice of applicants.
We are extremely proud of our staff and the students we serve. People frequently refer to the warm welcome they receive from us and the huge, positive difference our work makes to our communities.
We have a large academic portfolio which has been the subject of significant review to ensure that it is fit for purpose, financially sustainable, well placed to meet the needs of our employers, and addresses the ever-changing regulatory environment we operate in.
Research and applied research are key to the success of any university and we improved our position in the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) compared to REF2014, with more than half of our research judged as internationally excellent or world-leading. In the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) we are within the top 10% nationally for public and community engagement, as well as the top 10% for local growth and regeneration.
The University has long-standing partnerships in Europe, China, Sri Lanka, and beyond, which has enabled us to establish a strong foundation of successful transnational educational partners. The number of international students coming to study with us has significantly increased, especially from South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, which are areas where we are increasing and diversifying our geographical reach.
Our campuses have seen significant investment in recent years, and are providing our students and academic communities with access to outstanding facilities. This is complemented by the University of Wolverhampton Science Park which is home to tenant businesses and supports the development of innovative companies.
We place our students at the heart of everything we do, ensuring we provide them with the right environment, support, knowledge and opportunities they need. We strive to remove all barriers to ensure our students can achieve their potential and become successful alumni, as well as future leaders and role models for the next generation of University of Wolverhampton students.
Priorities
Our Strategy is underpinned by five key pillars
Underpinning Strategies, and Goals
Measuring our success: Strategic Targets
Our success in reaching the outcomes set out in the new University Strategy 2035 is measured through a set of strategic targets regularly monitored and reported to the Board of Governors.
These are summarised below:
To monitor in year progress towards our Strategic Targets, the University uses a suite of key performance indicators (internally named Level 3 KPIs); these are for monthly executive reporting. In addition, our underpinning strategies linked to key priorities and pillars (Student Success, Operational Excellence, Research and Knowledge Exchange, People and Culture) are being monitored through Strategy KPIs Level 2, led by relevant members of the Vice-Chancellor’s Group (VCG). Progress against these is monitored by VCG leads in accordance with their agreed committee structures and reported through the Strategy Delivery Board.
Financial support
We recognise that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting our students and have a range of measures to help.
University-owned accommodation: Gold rated by Investors in Students Accreditation Scheme, our student accommodation provides a safe, budget friendly option near campus.
Health and wellbeing
We know how challenging – and exciting – life as a student can be. We also know that many of our students are juggling work and home commitments. Our mental health and wellbeing team provide free and confidential advice covering a range of topics and help our students to access support for various personal challenges, offering signposting, referrals, workshops and 1:1 support sessions.
We offer specialised disability support, and learning support to help improve academic and learning skills. Additional practical and pastoral guidance and support is provided by our Chaplaincy team. £1.6 million library refurbishment Library facilities of the Harrison Library on City Campus in Wolverhampton have had a major refurbishment. It now houses a brand new, accessible Student Life Centre offering frontline help and support for students, in addition to enhancements to the IT lab, study areas and new furniture.
The university is the world’s first higher education institution to install a “Cubbie” – an immersive sensory space designed with autistic and neurodivergent people in mind, but anyone can benefit from – that helps regulate sensory stress through professional, tailor-made programmes.
ASK@WLV
Our ASK@WLV service is the first point of contact for all student queries, simplifying the number of queries a student may have to make. It can be accessed any time online, and over the phone or on campus during the week. ASK helps students to access wellbeing support services, complete their enrolment and module registration, as well as understand their course’s rules and regulations.
Friendly and knowledgeable team advisors help students access the support they need to make the most out of their time at university.
The university has a number of specialist schools within three overarching faculties. The following provides an overview of some of our key areas of strength.
Built environment, construction and engineering
Our £120 million Springfield development in Wolverhampton is acting as a catalyst for economic and social regeneration, tailored to creating jobs and delivering the technical and professional experts required by the industry. The once-derelict site has been rejuvenated and is the hub for the university’s teaching in architecture and built environment and provides opportunities for our students, academics, and researchers to interact with industry to tackle key challenges.
Our engineering students have access to cutting-edge equipment, dynamic learning spaces and expert teaching, with the opportunity to gain real industry experience by joining the University of Wolverhampton Racing Team (UWR) or taking advantage of our collaboration with the prestigious, Morgan Motor Company.
Many of our engineering courses are accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), and Institution of Chemical Engineering (IChemE), which means they are designed to meet the requirements of these bodies and our industrial partners who have helped inform their content.
Business and professional services
The University of Wolverhampton has a distinguished history of supporting businesses in the area, and has been offering employer relevant academic programmes and tailored business services for over 80 years. The Lord Swraj Paul Building, named after our chancellor, was purpose-built to support our business provision.
We are an approved centre for the Institute of Leadership Management and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and also hold membership of the Chartered Association of Business Schools.
Our law students benefit from our unique partnership with DWF LLP to receive careers advice and mentoring, in addition to gaining experience through our legal companions scheme, and at our Legal Advice Centre in the centre of Wolverhampton.
Creative industries
Ideas, talent and creativity are at the heart of what we provide in our offering to the creative industries sector. We combine a great respect for established traditions with challenging new approaches, offering a range of outstanding courses across creative arts and design, and media. With a heritage dating back to the 1850s, our offer and approach has changed to meet the needs of industry and wider sectors.
Our multi-million-pound Screen School opened in 2021 to nurture talent for the creative careers of tomorrow. State-of-the-art facilities and industry-standard equipment support an exciting range of courses including journalism, film and TV production, computer games design, and animation, to address the shortage of graduate skills in the creative industries both locally and nationally.
Health and social care
We are the key provider of health education in the region, training thousands of nurses and healthcare professionals every year to enter the workplace to provide vital support and care in our communities. Our health courses are well respected, accredited and endorsed by awarding bodies including: the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy; the College of Occupational Therapists; the College of Podiatry; the Health and Care Professions Council; the Nursing and Midwifery Council; and Social Work England.
We offer nursing degrees from our Wolverhampton and Walsall campuses. Key to our success has been providing our students with access to the latest technology, with the introduction of simulating learning and virtual reality interactive facilities and laboratories across all campuses.
Sport
We offer a range of courses including physical education and school sport, football coaching and performance, sport and exercise science, sport and exercise therapy, and other specialised programmes. We’ve been recognised for our work in football for students, gaining a three-star rating for the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Football Accreditation programme for a second consecutive year.
Courses are taught at our Walsall Campus, which boasts a range of specialist sports and houses British Judo’s Centre for Excellence and world-class facilities supporting Olympic and Paralympic athletes. We have excellent links and partnerships with sport associations, sports clubs and professional bodies, including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Walsall and West Bromwich Albion football clubs, and British Judo – a partnership extended to 2032. Our sports courses are accredited and endorsed by organisations that include the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity; the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences; and the Society of Sports Therapists.
Teaching and education
We provide high-quality education and training to students in a variety of fields, and in addition to teaching programmes, offers a range of courses in education studies; early childhood studies; and special educational needs, disability and inclusion. We work in partnership with over 450 schools, colleges and private providers across the West Midlands to provide placement opportunities, bespoke continuing professional development (CPD), and accredited courses for our students.
We have been awarded partner provider status for Special Education Needs Coordinatorsby the community interest company, Leading Learning for SEND. We have alsobeen awarded sector endorsement for the foundation degree in early years services by the Sector Endorsed Foundation Degrees in Early Years professional association.
All our routes for initial teacher training (primary, secondary, further education and skills, and post-compulsory education) are rated Good by Ofsted, who highlighted our extensive school partnerships with valuable placements, and our ability to develop effective and highly reflective practitioners.
Creative Industries
BAFTA-nominated and Oscar-winning Manolo Mantero, 49 from Spain and now living in Barcelona, graduated from the University of Wolverhampton School of Art in 1998 with a degree in Electronic Media. He said: “The industry connections at the University really prepared me for the world of work and without my Wolverhampton degree, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Healthcare
Matthew Weston, who studied BNurs Adult Nursing student commented about our excellent health facilities: “Just before you qualify, it’s scary, so to be able to practise on state-of-the-art equipment and realistic scenarios that we are going to be working with out in practice and when we qualify is definitely a massive improvement and benefit for us.”
Built Environment and Architecture
Bashir Aminu, 24 from Nigeria who studied a MArch on Springfield Campus, said: “The campus is superb. You can see the retrofit between old and new and it’s a pioneering building in the Midlands. It shows how you can revive a derelict building and bring it back to life. The University is preaching what they teach and it’s an amazing building to be studying in.”
International
Adesua Etomi-Wellington, a Nigerian Nollywood actor, who graduated with a degree in Drama and Performance in 2009,was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts from the University of Wolverhampton in recognition of her phenomenal contribution to arts and culture. She is one of the most in-demand, versatile and successful talents from the African continent and has graced the cover of Vogue magazine. Adesua said: “My experience at Wolverhampton was literally life-changing – it is the foundation upon which my career has been built.”
Business and Law
Deana Uppal, who studied marketing and PR, has launched numerous successful businesses in the UK and overseas and runs an award-winning charity, the DKU Kindness Diaries Charitable Trust, which helps poverty-stricken children in India. The former Big Brother contestant and Miss India UK champion has also turned her hand to filmmaking and her documentary India’s Forgotten People is featured on Netflix.
Sport
Olympic medallist and gymnast Kristian Thomas, who gained a First-Class degree in Strength and Conditioning from the University of Wolverhampton, won bronze at London 2012 and was the captain of Great Britain’s men’s gymnastics team at Rio 2016. He said: “The three years at the University of Wolverhampton have gone fast, I’m very proud to come away with a First-Class honours degree. The University has supported me throughout my studies and given me the opportunities I needed to excel in my degree and then transfer those skills into multiple roles.”
Engineering
Nathan Tupper was given the opportunity to gain hands-on motorsports experience by working alongside our University of Wolverhampton Race Team (UWR) when he studied for a degree in motorsport with us. After graduating, secured himself a job as engine systems technician at Mercedes Formula One. He said: “This is a dream come true for me! It was always my aim to find a job within motorsport or the performance car sector, which as a kid I would never have thought would be possible.”
ARIA- giving a voice to staff values
At the University of Wolverhampton our staff are at the centre of all that we do, and our behaviours are aligned to our university values. These are Accountable, Resilient, Inclusive and Ambitious.
What is our Staff Charter?
The ARIA Staff Charter sets out “the way we work” at Wolverhampton:
Accountable:
We take ownership of our actions and responsibilities. We follow through on commitments and hold ourselves and others to high standards.
Resilient:
We embrace challenges and adapt to change. We learn from setbacks and bounce back stronger.
Inclusive:
We value diversity and foster a culture of belonging. We treat everyone with respect and ensure all voices are heard.
Ambitious:
We strive for excellence and aim high. We are bold, innovative, and driven to achieve our goals
Valuing you
Supporting your health and wellbeing
Training and development
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 Monday 18 August 2025.
For a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Anderson Quigley, Elliott Rae at elliott.rae@andersonquigley.com, or +44 (0)7584 078 534 or Aino Betts at aino.betts@andersonquigley.com, or +44 (0)7743 934 723.
Applications should consist of:
| Closing date: | Noon on Monday 18 August 2025 |
| Preliminary interviews: | Early September 2025 |
| Final interviews: | Monday 29 September 2025 |
www.wlv.ac.uk 
