Pro-Vice-Chancellor Education and Students
School/department: University Leadership Team
Hours: Full time
Location: Brighton, United Kingdom
Contract: Fixed term for 5 years
Reference: C202
Salary: Competitive
Placed on: 20 April 2023
Closing date: 22 May 2023. Applications must be received by midday of the closing date.
Expected interview date: to be confirmed
Expected start date: to be confirmed
Job description
The University of Sussex is seeking a new Pro -Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) to lead the renewal and development of education and the student experience at this distinctive and innovative institution. Over the 60 years since the foundation of the University, we have consistently sought to offer an alternative to the traditional higher education landscape. We pioneered interdisciplinarity in our teaching and research, developing a diverse and broad-based curriculum, and as an academic community we are radically global in orientation. With more than 18,500 students from over 120 countries, we have an international reputation for our research and teaching - 1st in the world for Development Studies for the seventh consecutive year in the QS World University Rankings, and with a further 11 subjects in the global top 200. We are committed to providing an inspirational education and a supportive learning environment for all our students, and we were proud to be recognised as University of the Year for Student Retention in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.
The new Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) will join the University at an exciting time, as the University embarks on creating a new strategic plan. They will provide strategic leadership for the education and students portfolio. Working closely with the Vice-Chancellor, the incoming PVC will develop the University’s education strategy, including playing a lead role in the ‘Curriculum Reimagined’ project which is remaking the University of Sussex’s curriculum in response to changing times. They will ensure operational delivery of a transformative and rigorous educational experience with excellent student outcomes, engaging with senior academic and professional services colleagues and the whole Sussex community of staff and students. They will build and sustain a strong relationship with the student body, liaising effectively with the Students’ Union and its sabbatical officers and representatives.
This is a critical post for Sussex, and we are looking to appoint an open, creative, collaborative leader with a passion for higher education and a deep commitment to students. We are seeking someone who is excited to rethink what a Sussex education should offer today’s students to equip them to flourish in a rapidly changing world, and who wants to work with our academics to embed a new approach to interdisciplinarity in our curriculum. They will be deeply committed to opening up opportunities and ensuring success for students from disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds, and to supporting diversity of belief, thought and method in our educational provision. Strong candidates will be communicative and persuasive educators and thinkers who bring new ideas about education and student experience in the digital, post-pandemic world. They will have a track record of engaging academics in significant processes of change and of realising improvements in learning, teaching, and student outcomes. They will have enthusiasm for the distinctiveness of the University of Sussex, and an understanding of the challenges facing universities in the current economic, political, and cultural context. A PhD and professorial standing are essential.
The University of Sussex is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and through this appointment process it is the Council’s clear stated aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities. The University particularly welcomes applications from women, people from black and minority ethnic communities, the LGBT+ community and from disabled people.
You can find out more about our values and our EDI Strategy, Inclusive Sussex, on our webpages.
Download job description and person specification C202 [PDF 2.10MB]
The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed from the UK.
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This role has been assigned an eligible SOC code and meets the salary requirements for Skilled Worker Sponsorship if full time. Please consult our Skilled Worker Visa information page for further information about Visa Sponsorship.
How to apply
Minerva Search is acting as an employment agency advisor to the University of Sussex on this appointment.
For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.minervasearch.com/sussexpvced.
Applications should be in the form of a CV and cover letter addressed to sussexpvced@minervasearch.com.
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