Durham University
Head of the Academic Quality Service (Maternity Cover)
Job Location
Durham, United Kingdom
Job Description
The University
At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally. Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here
The Department and Role
The University offers an education that is challenging, difficult, enabling and transformative. The Academic Quality Service supports this offering.
Reporting to the Deputy Academic Registrar (Quality Assurance and Academic Services), the Head of the Academic Quality Service provides leadership for the University's quality assurance and related functions, and leads a team of 20 staff. In this role, you will be responsible for the support of the University's Education Committee (and its sub-committees), running and analysing Durham's student surveys, managing student appeals and academic misconduct processes, and overseeing the development and maintenance of new programmes, apprenticeship and educational partnerships (including the national Common Awards partnership, working with the Church of England and Theological Educational Institute (TEIs) partners across England, Scotland and Wales).
Researching, preparing and writing detailed evidence-based reports, you will advise committees (e.g, Education Committee) and senior leaders (e.g. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Education, Academic Registrar) within the institution. You will oversee the internal regulation of education, and be responsible for external engagement with key regulatory bodies as they relate to the oversight of education, and for the University's response to external review (QAA, TEF etc).
The Academic Quality Service is part of the Student & Academic Services Directorate. The Directorate provides a professional administrative support service to staff, students and potential students of Durham University. The Directorate - which also includes Student Registry, Student Immigration and Funding, and Student Recruitment and Admissions - sits within the Education Division, alongside the Careers and Enterprise Service and the Durham Centre for Academic Development (DCAD). The Education Division is led by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Education
All of the services are based at the Palatine Centre in Durham City.
This role is available as maternity cover until 30 January 2026.
Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.
Working at Durham
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:
• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 42 days per year.
• The University closes between Christmas and New Year - please include or delete if not applicable.
• We offer a generous pension scheme, as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into this University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.
Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion
Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It's important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.
We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.
What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification
When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.
Your application should cover the following criteria:
Essential Criteria
Qualifications/Experience
1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
2. Professional practitioner with specialist knowledge and expertise relating to the management of quality assurance and the regulatory requirements of UK Higher Education.*
3. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of staff, including more senior colleagues.*
4. Experience of participating in internal or external networks to share and discuss good practice, develop strong and productive working relationships and positively influence the University's reputation.
5. Experience of implementing policies and procedures and supporting service improvements.*
6. Track record of cross-functional management and development experience and/or an enhanced management qualification applied across a large service team or teams.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
7. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally
8. Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including digital communication tools and Microsoft 365 applications.
9. Excellent analytical skills, with experience of producing detailed, evidence-based reports to a high standard.*
10. Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.
11. Extensive knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.
12. Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.
13. Ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions.
How to apply
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. Please don't forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).
While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.
Submitting your application
We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.
What you need to submit
• A CV
• A supporting statement which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification
• An EDI statement which should make reference to the University's Equality Objectives 2020-2024
Contact details
For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Andy Rennie (andrew.rennie@durham.ac.uk).
Typical Role Requirements
Service Delivery/Development
• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University's values.
• Oversee and manage professional and regulatory standards (for example, in relation to the requirements set by OfS, QAA and PSRBs) and policies relating to education.
• Use your leadership and management expertise to implement any significant changes in the optimal way, in collaboration with other senior managers and specialists.
• Lead on the development of new areas of work or activities relating to education policy and process, and the delivery of the University's Education Strategy including scoping, planning and implementing any changes to achieve the outcomes expected by senior colleagues.
• Look for innovative ways to continually improve the services provided to your stakeholders.
• Develop and implement new or improved policies, processes and standards.
• Use your professional knowledge and experience as a quality assurance practitioner to resolve problems, shape processes and activities, develop systems and to provide subject matter expertise and advice
• Support quality and regulatory audits to ensure that system and processes are operating in an optimal and compliant way.
• Meet the professional development needs of your stakeholders by ensuring that an appropriate programme of training and learning activities are designed and delivered by the Academic Quality Service (AQS).
• Provide specialist insight that enables data driven decisions to be made in relation student satisfaction, student outcomes and education policy and process.
Planning and Organisation
• Use your expertise to help develop strategic plans and business plans that cover a wide range of operational activities.
• Define what needs to be achieved so that other colleagues can scope, plan and implement large scale/University wide initiatives such as upgrades to a student business systems, or changes to University regulations and policy.
• Ensure your services are performing at the optimal level by setting clear standards and introducing measurable performance indicators.
• Use your leadership expertise to help project teams understand what needs to be achieved, solve any problems that are encountered and keep implementation plans on track.
• Allocate and monitor designated budgets, expenditure and resources.
Leadership and Team Development
• Set operational and strategic objectives and use your leadership and management skills, to develop the people in your team(s) and ensure high standards of performance.
• Help shape the skills and expertise needed to deliver a professional service by recruiting, inducting and training team members and structuring your team(s) in way that will best meet operational and strategic priorities.
• Ensure that your team can deliver the required services by delegating responsibilities to appropriate team members and considering succession plans.
• Carry out regular performance reviews with colleagues to provide feedback on objectives and identify any development needs.
• Handle most HR issues and support the welfare and wellbeing of your team, taking advice on more complex issues to specialist services or senior managers.
Communication/Liaison
• Lead internal and external meetings and committees to influence University policy, standards and governance.
• Build and lead an influential network of internal and external contacts to increase your knowledge and skills, swap information with peers and use that information to improve and develop the University's education regulations, policy and processes.
• Identify opportunities to build relationships with external organisations to support the delivery of strategic level objectives.
• Research new approaches being taken by internal and external stakeholders such as other Higher Education Providers, professional bodies and regulatory agencies so that you can take these insights into account when developing the policies and processes overseen in AQS.
• Explore options to promote and increase engagement with processes and services being delivered by AQS.
• Design and deliver a programme of professional development activities to your stakeholders to support their development and information needs.
• Any other reasonable duties.
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.
MATERNITY COVER
Appointment to this post is fixed term to cover the substantive post holder's maternity leave and is not anticipated to be extended.
SECONDMENT
The post is full time, fixed term until Jan 2026 and may be offered on an internal secondment basis subject to the agreement of the current line manager.
When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.
Location: Durham, GB
Posted Date: 11/15/2024
At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally. Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here
The Department and Role
The University offers an education that is challenging, difficult, enabling and transformative. The Academic Quality Service supports this offering.
Reporting to the Deputy Academic Registrar (Quality Assurance and Academic Services), the Head of the Academic Quality Service provides leadership for the University's quality assurance and related functions, and leads a team of 20 staff. In this role, you will be responsible for the support of the University's Education Committee (and its sub-committees), running and analysing Durham's student surveys, managing student appeals and academic misconduct processes, and overseeing the development and maintenance of new programmes, apprenticeship and educational partnerships (including the national Common Awards partnership, working with the Church of England and Theological Educational Institute (TEIs) partners across England, Scotland and Wales).
Researching, preparing and writing detailed evidence-based reports, you will advise committees (e.g, Education Committee) and senior leaders (e.g. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Education, Academic Registrar) within the institution. You will oversee the internal regulation of education, and be responsible for external engagement with key regulatory bodies as they relate to the oversight of education, and for the University's response to external review (QAA, TEF etc).
The Academic Quality Service is part of the Student & Academic Services Directorate. The Directorate provides a professional administrative support service to staff, students and potential students of Durham University. The Directorate - which also includes Student Registry, Student Immigration and Funding, and Student Recruitment and Admissions - sits within the Education Division, alongside the Careers and Enterprise Service and the Durham Centre for Academic Development (DCAD). The Education Division is led by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Education
All of the services are based at the Palatine Centre in Durham City.
This role is available as maternity cover until 30 January 2026.
Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.
Working at Durham
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:
• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 42 days per year.
• The University closes between Christmas and New Year - please include or delete if not applicable.
• We offer a generous pension scheme, as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into this University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.
Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion
Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It's important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.
We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.
What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification
When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.
Your application should cover the following criteria:
Essential Criteria
Qualifications/Experience
1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
2. Professional practitioner with specialist knowledge and expertise relating to the management of quality assurance and the regulatory requirements of UK Higher Education.*
3. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of staff, including more senior colleagues.*
4. Experience of participating in internal or external networks to share and discuss good practice, develop strong and productive working relationships and positively influence the University's reputation.
5. Experience of implementing policies and procedures and supporting service improvements.*
6. Track record of cross-functional management and development experience and/or an enhanced management qualification applied across a large service team or teams.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
7. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally
8. Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including digital communication tools and Microsoft 365 applications.
9. Excellent analytical skills, with experience of producing detailed, evidence-based reports to a high standard.*
10. Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.
11. Extensive knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.
12. Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.
13. Ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions.
How to apply
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. Please don't forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).
While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.
Submitting your application
We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.
What you need to submit
• A CV
• A supporting statement which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification
• An EDI statement which should make reference to the University's Equality Objectives 2020-2024
Contact details
For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Andy Rennie (andrew.rennie@durham.ac.uk).
Typical Role Requirements
Service Delivery/Development
• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University's values.
• Oversee and manage professional and regulatory standards (for example, in relation to the requirements set by OfS, QAA and PSRBs) and policies relating to education.
• Use your leadership and management expertise to implement any significant changes in the optimal way, in collaboration with other senior managers and specialists.
• Lead on the development of new areas of work or activities relating to education policy and process, and the delivery of the University's Education Strategy including scoping, planning and implementing any changes to achieve the outcomes expected by senior colleagues.
• Look for innovative ways to continually improve the services provided to your stakeholders.
• Develop and implement new or improved policies, processes and standards.
• Use your professional knowledge and experience as a quality assurance practitioner to resolve problems, shape processes and activities, develop systems and to provide subject matter expertise and advice
• Support quality and regulatory audits to ensure that system and processes are operating in an optimal and compliant way.
• Meet the professional development needs of your stakeholders by ensuring that an appropriate programme of training and learning activities are designed and delivered by the Academic Quality Service (AQS).
• Provide specialist insight that enables data driven decisions to be made in relation student satisfaction, student outcomes and education policy and process.
Planning and Organisation
• Use your expertise to help develop strategic plans and business plans that cover a wide range of operational activities.
• Define what needs to be achieved so that other colleagues can scope, plan and implement large scale/University wide initiatives such as upgrades to a student business systems, or changes to University regulations and policy.
• Ensure your services are performing at the optimal level by setting clear standards and introducing measurable performance indicators.
• Use your leadership expertise to help project teams understand what needs to be achieved, solve any problems that are encountered and keep implementation plans on track.
• Allocate and monitor designated budgets, expenditure and resources.
Leadership and Team Development
• Set operational and strategic objectives and use your leadership and management skills, to develop the people in your team(s) and ensure high standards of performance.
• Help shape the skills and expertise needed to deliver a professional service by recruiting, inducting and training team members and structuring your team(s) in way that will best meet operational and strategic priorities.
• Ensure that your team can deliver the required services by delegating responsibilities to appropriate team members and considering succession plans.
• Carry out regular performance reviews with colleagues to provide feedback on objectives and identify any development needs.
• Handle most HR issues and support the welfare and wellbeing of your team, taking advice on more complex issues to specialist services or senior managers.
Communication/Liaison
• Lead internal and external meetings and committees to influence University policy, standards and governance.
• Build and lead an influential network of internal and external contacts to increase your knowledge and skills, swap information with peers and use that information to improve and develop the University's education regulations, policy and processes.
• Identify opportunities to build relationships with external organisations to support the delivery of strategic level objectives.
• Research new approaches being taken by internal and external stakeholders such as other Higher Education Providers, professional bodies and regulatory agencies so that you can take these insights into account when developing the policies and processes overseen in AQS.
• Explore options to promote and increase engagement with processes and services being delivered by AQS.
• Design and deliver a programme of professional development activities to your stakeholders to support their development and information needs.
• Any other reasonable duties.
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.
MATERNITY COVER
Appointment to this post is fixed term to cover the substantive post holder's maternity leave and is not anticipated to be extended.
SECONDMENT
The post is full time, fixed term until Jan 2026 and may be offered on an internal secondment basis subject to the agreement of the current line manager.
When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.
Location: Durham, GB
Posted Date: 11/15/2024
Contact Information
| Contact | Human Resources Durham University |
|---|