JOB DESCRIPTION

POST:Deputy Academic Registrar

POST REF:TBC

SCHOOL/ DEPARTMENT:Registry

GRADE:9

REPORTING TO:Academic Registrar

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY: Management of designated staff within Registry

JOB PURPOSE:

The postholderwill provide professional leadership for the development and implementation of the key business processes and services that underpin the student learning journey. Working with the Academic Registrar, the postholderwill lead the ongoing development and delivery of customer focused, efficient, and effective services to students and staff across the full range of student and academic administration activities, including those provided by Registry, the School Administration Unit, and the University Secretary’s Office, ensuring that these continue to represent value for money.

Working with the Academic Registrar,the postholder will ensure the effective management of the service and its performance against agreed objectives, leading, managing and developing staff members, and managing non-staff resources so that these are clearly directed at achieving our strategic goals and providing an excellent service to students.

The postholderwill deputise for the Academic Registrar across the full portfolio of administrative activities, and play a key role in supporting ongoing organisational development throughprofessional service and process review, and service development, ensuring compliance with statutory, and professional and regulatory body frameworks.

TheDeputy Academic Registrar will be responsible for the development, implementation and review of the University’s quality assurance systems and processes for taught programmes and research degrees. The postholderwill work with the University’s existing and prospective collaborative partners, in the UK and internationally, to ensure effective support, with robust assurance of quality and standards.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic leadership

  • Working with senior stakeholders, develop and implement the University’s strategies and policies for student administration, in particular in the areas of quality assurance and assessment.
  • Promoting and leading the continuous improvement and digital delivery of services and relevant processes and systems that support efficient and user-friendly access, maintaining expert knowledge of best professional practice in relation to student and academic administrative services and digital service delivery.
  • Lead on University-wide developments and take a role in influencing University strategy, in particular regarding its approach to quality management.

Service delivery

  • Provide leadership and expert advice within the University on assessment, academic quality, and other areas of student and academic administration, working closely with senior academic staff (in particular the Pro Vice Chancellor Academic and the Deputy Vice Chancellor Learning and Teaching), and effectively communicating your vision for the service to a wide range of staff.
  • Oversee the planning and coordination of support for quality processes relating to programme approval, monitoring and review, to ensure that resources are effectively deployed.
  • Work with staff members to develop a range of measures of performance against purpose and integrate the use of these measures into business processes and line management activities to ensure that service quality is continuously improved.
  • Lead the implementation and development of the University’s framework for the strategic review of professional services, ensuring the ongoing development of service delivery in alignment with the University’s Strategic Plan.

Compliance

  • Ensure that high-level professional advice is provided to internal stakeholders on the University’s legal and regulatory obligations in relation to student and academic administration.
  • Work in partnership with senior colleagues and others to ensure the University’s ongoing compliance with the conditions of registration with the Office for Students (OfS), including the early identification of ‘reportable events’, and with the requirements of other professional, statutory and regulatory bodies (e.g. Ofsted).
  • Work with the University’s collaborative partners, and prospective collaborative partners, in the UK and internationally to ensure and support initial and ongoing engagement with quality assurance requirements and statutory obligations.
  • Apply substantial professional knowledge to ensure the effectiveness and robustness of the University’s assessment and quality processes, advising Academic Board committees of their continuing appropriateness in the context of comparator information and national expectations, particularly those set out in the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.
  • Lead the University’s preparations for, and management of, random sampling by the OfS, working closely with the Academic Registrar, Pro Vice Chancellor Academic, University Secretary, and Deputy Vice Chancellor and other key stakeholders.

Relationships

  • Develop strong and respected relationships with senior colleagues (including members of the Executive Board and the Academic Leadership Team) and others to facilitate an integrated approach to assessment, quality assurance and enhancement, and other areas of student and academic administration.
  • Provide expert advice and support to partner organisations.
  • Provide inspirational leadership to and effective management of staff working within Registry.
  • Lead the development of the University’s engagement with external stakeholders including the OfS designated data body, and other key professional, statutory, and regulatory bodies.
  • Maintain professional standing nationally through involvement with organisations relating to assessment, quality, and student and academic administration.

Plus

  • Any other duties as may reasonably be required.
  • Ensure that the highest standards of professional performance are maintained
  • Promote equal opportunities in the work of the department to include a commitment to the International Strategy of the University
  • Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and statutory codes of practice, as advised
  • Participate in the arrangements for performance review
  • Ensure that professional skills are regularly updated through participation in training and development activities
  • Ensure all University policies are implemented within the remit of this post

HEALTH & SAFETY

Under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, whilst at work, members of staff must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of any other person who may be affected by their acts or omissions.


PERSON SPECIFICATION

POST TITLE:Deputy Academic Registrar

SCHOOL/ DEPARTMENT:Registry

The Person Specification focuses on the knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications required to undertake the role effectively.

REQUIREMENTS
The postholder must be able to demonstrate: / ESSENTIAL (E)
DESIRABLE (D) / MEASURED BY:
A Application form
I Interview
T/P Test/Presentation
EDUCATION/TRAINING
(Academic, vocational/professional and other training)
Educated to Degree level or equivalent / E / A
A relevant post graduate qualification and/or membership of a relevant professional body / D / A
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
(e.g. report writing, office experience, Microsoft office)
Experience of successfully leading, managing, and inspiring a team to deliver professional and student-led administrative services, with evidence of developing a customer-focused and high quality assurance delivery culture within the team / E / A/I
Experience of having developed and implemented strategy, and embedded business process and cultural change across a large and complex institution / E / A/I/P
Extensive current knowledge of the Higher Education environment, and legal, regulatory, and compliance requirements / E / A/I/P
Experience of identifying, setting, and monitoring targets and metrics to measure service provision and effectively manage performance / E / A/I
Experience of working cooperatively and effectively with academic and professional service colleagues, providing specialist advice, staff development/briefings, and influencing and supporting policy development / E / A/I
Experience of leading and managing the development of digital service delivery / D / A
Knowledge and experience of the development and implementation of quality assurance mechanisms and structures, including those relating to collaborative provision / D / A/I/P
Experience of leading interactions with the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) or equivalent body through reviews and audits / D / I
SKILLS/ATTRIBUTES
(e.g. communication, interpersonal, decision-making, problem-solving, team player, reliable)
Effective leadership, management and organisational skills, with the credibility to gain the confidence of senior staff internally and externally / E / A/I
Strong customer service focus and experience of effective service delivery / E / A/I
Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to work with a range of audiences using appropriate negotiation, presentation, interpersonal and decision-making skills / E / A/I
Ability to exercise reliable, insightful judgement on a range of matters covering quality, standards, and student and academic administration / E / A/I
Commitment to equal opportunities and an awareness of how approaches to student and academic administration can promote diversity within higher education / E / I
Ability to contribute to the development of the strategic vision for student and academic administration across Registry, the School Administration Unit, and the University Secretary’s Office / E / A
BEHAVIOURS
Behaviours will be tested at interview against the Contribution Framework (available on the recruitment web site under Our Culture & Values - Values & Principles)
Leading myself and others
Delivering a great service
Embracing change
Focusing on our strategy
Taking a professional approach
Working together as a team / E
E
E
E
E
E / I
I
I
I
I
I
SPECIAL FEATURES
(e.g. Travel, DBS)
Please note that the role may require some overseas travel.