Academic Developer

Birmingham City University; England; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK university is seeking a dynamic professional in the Centre for Teaching Excellence. This full-time, fixed-term role involves advancing technology-enhanced learning and supporting curriculum development. Key responsibilities include collaborating with faculties and promoting teaching excellence while maintaining a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Candidates should have experience in academic development in higher education and strong IT skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in academic development within Higher Education.
• Ability to develop and implement mechanisms to monitor and evaluate initiatives.
• Experience working with student representatives and embedding student voice.

Responsibilities

• Support implementation of the University’s Education Strategy.
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders on curriculum development.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of HE pedagogy and educational development.

Skills

Strong and effective IT / digital skills

Good communication and teamwork skills

Understanding of the Higher Education sector

Knowledge of inclusive pedagogy

Experience in using data and analytics

Education

Fellowship/FHEA/SFHEA of the Higher Education Academy

Teaching experience at foundation, undergraduate, or postgraduate level

Job description

Department Centre for Teaching Excellence Location Joseph Priestley Building Salary £38,050 to £44,131per annum Fixed Term Post Type Full Time Release Date 27 November 2025 Closing Date 23.59 hours GMT on Tuesday 16 December 2025 Reference C525002

Birmingham City University is seeking a dynamic and experienced professional to play a key role in advancing technology‑enhanced learning within the Centre for Teaching Excellence. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to high‑quality teaching, learning, and curriculum development across the institution. This is a fixed term role (18 months) to support the implementation of some of the University’s key strategic activities

Job Purpose

• To support the implementation of the University’s Education Strategy by working with Faculties on the design and development of curriculum and learning activities.
• To act as a scholarly professional and specialist consultant to Faculty and Professional Services colleagues.
• To contribute to institution‑wide projects by working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders in the development and delivery of initiatives.

Main Responsibilities

• Work with colleagues across the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Professional Services to implement education development and enhancement plans, ensuring well‑aligned educational practices.
• Support Faculty academic colleagues in interpreting local data and reports to understand the student experience and identify potential improvements, reporting findings at programme, Faculty, and University levels.
• Support colleagues in developing their understanding of, and ability to demonstrate alignment with, the Professional Standards Framework (PSF).
• Design and contribute to the delivery of credit‑bearing and accredited programmes.
• Maintain productive working relationships with the Students’ Union and other student groups to ensure student voice is meaningfully integrated into educational development activities.
• Promote teaching excellence by providing specialist and professional advice to academic and professional services colleagues.
• Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of HE pedagogy and educational development through ongoing scholarly engagement.
• Undertake other duties commensurate with the role as required.
• Develop and implement mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the impact of academic development initiatives, using data and feedback to inform continuous improvement.
• Fellowship/ FHEA/SFHEA of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) or the ability to achieve recognition within one year.
• Experience in academic development within Higher Education.
• Teaching experience at foundation, undergraduate, or postgraduate level.
• Strong and effective IT / digital skills with confidence in the use and application of IT solutions to reduce bureaucracy and promote effective working.
• Good communication and teamworkskills with the ability to persuade, influence and negotiate with others.
• Effective practice in the mainactivities and responsibilities of the role including the ability to work within budgets
• Supportive, positive and non‑judgmental attitude.
• Understanding of the HigherEducation sector.
• Knowledge of inclusive pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
• Experience in using data and analytics to inform academic development interventions.
• Familiarity with curriculum frameworks and quality assurance processes.
• Experience working with student representatives and embedding student voice in development activities.

BCU is a diverse and inclusive learning community of over 30,000 students from more than 100 countries. We are committed to providing a transformational educational experience, supporting world‑class research, and fostering a collaborative and supportive working environment. In this role, you will play a key part in delivering excellence in education, research, and sustainability.

Our student demographic reflects the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, with a significant proportion of students from racially minoritised backgrounds. This diversity is a strength, and it calls for a workforce that is equipped to challenge deficit narratives and thinking, those assumptions that position students from underrepresented groups as lacking rather than recognising their assets and potential.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to an environment that supports lawful free speech and academic freedom. We will continuously review and improve our policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that we are promoting these in all aspects of our operations. We believe that by working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential.

The University is proudly Disability Confident. This means amongst other things that we commit to offering a guaranteed interview to disabled applicants who fully meet the essential criteria for each role.

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to enter the LGPS scheme will be able to do so and will be employed by Birmingham City University directly.