Deputy Head of Academic Quality and Partnerships Enhancement

University of the West of England; Bristol; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading higher education institution in Bristol seeks a Deputy Head (Standards and Accreditation) to enhance educational quality. This part-time role supports standards compliance and curriculum improvement. Ideal candidates have a strong background in higher education, leadership skills, and a commitment to student success. The position offers opportunities for career progression and professional development.

Benefits

Generous annual leave

Career development opportunities

Onsite nursery

Qualifications

• Experience in higher education and quality assurance.
• Capability to inspire teams and drive innovation.
• Strong understanding of regulatory compliance and academic standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead AQPE’s delivery of services supporting Standards and Accreditation.
• Collaborate with academic colleges and enhance educational quality.
• Drive the implementation of transformational projects.

Skills

Leadership capability

Communication skills

Customer-focused services

Education

Relevant higher education qualification

Job description

About us

We have an exciting opportunity for a skilled higher education professional with leadership capability to join UWE Bristol’s Academic Quality and Partnerships Enhancement (AQPE) team. The Deputy Head (Standards and Accreditation) is one of three deputy head roles, working in collaboration together under the direction of the Head of Academic Quality and Partnerships Enhancement – the other roles being the Deputy Head (Collaborative Provision) and the Deputy Head (Curriculum). Working closely with a jobshare partner, the successful candidate will lead AQPE’s delivery of services supporting Standards and Accreditation, as well as acting as business partner for one of our three academic colleges.

The Academic Quality and Partnerships Enhancement team provides university-wide support for the ongoing development and review of UWE Bristol’s educational portfolio across three interconnected areas of activity:

• Standards and Accreditation: supporting oversight of regulatory compliance in relation to quality and standards and engagement with professional, statutory and regulatory bodies
• Curriculum: supporting the design, development, approval and continuous improvement of the University’s academic programmes, including coordinating support for cross-university curriculum enhancement projects and initiatives and related evaluation activities
• Collaborative Provision: supporting the development, oversight and enhancement of the University’s UK and international academic partnerships and associated collaborative provision, including apprenticeships.

It is an exciting time to be joining UWE Bristol as we drive forward an ambitious programme of transformational projects to enhance the student experience. This role offers a unique opportunity for the right individual both to make a real difference to the University and to progress their own career.

About you

You are an experienced higher education professional with a track record of shaping and delivering agile, customer-focused services. You combine advanced knowledge and understanding of good practice and the latest thinking in academic quality matters, with a commitment to promoting innovation and continuous improvement in programme and partnership development and delivery. Energetic and resilient, you enjoy working at pace and are comfortable with complexity and ambiguity. With excellent communication and influencing skills, you are confident to challenge received wisdom and open to change. You are passionate about higher education and have the capability to inspire teams to deliver high quality services that support excellence in learning, teaching and the student experience.

About Education Services

We work in partnership with UWE Bristol’s academic community to create inclusive, inspiring environments that enhance every stage of the student journey. We are responsible for developing and maintaining the comprehensive regulatory and quality management and enhancement framework that underpins the University’s academic provision, including support for the academic governance structures. We take responsibility for ensuring that the quality and standards of the University’s awards are maintained and enhanced across the organisation, and in its current and future academic partnerships. We also play an important part in helping our Schools and Colleges develop relevant, sustainable and robust curricula in order to maintain and enhance the quality of learning opportunities available to all students. The development of policy to support our students and their academic endeavours sits within our remit, including areas of student conduct, professional suitability and handling complaints and appeals.

In partnership with the Students’ Union and our student representatives, we work to ensure the student voice is a key part of our approach to enhancement activities across all areas of our work and the wider University. As part of this, we facilitate the key sector student surveys, as well as the University’s internal student engagement strategies.

In all our activities, we are driven by a culture of continuous improvement, implementing enhancements to our service delivery to support an exceptional staff and student experience.

This post is based at our lively Frenchay campus where we have invested in the latest facilities and resources to give both our staff and students access to everything they need to succeed.

Why UWE Bristol?

We are one of the largest providers of Higher Education in the South West with 38,000 students and 4,000 staff from right across the globe. Based in vibrant Bristol, our ambitions are to make a positive difference to our planet, transforming futures through actions and solving real world challenges.

We offer a wide range of employee benefits including progressive pay rates, very generous annual leave and career average pension schemes as well as retail savings, onsite nursery and opportunities for training and personal development.

Add your individuality to ours

UWE Bristol recognises the power of a truly diverse university community. We are proud to be part of a dynamic, multicultural city that celebrates diversity, and we’re always looking for talented people from all backgrounds to join us. Our people are our strength, and diversity enhances our creativity and leads to better decision-making and problem-solving. Bring your talent and ambition to our stimulating and supportive community where we’ll help you thrive.

UWE is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity to create an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who share our ambition to be a university recognized for the success and impact of our practice-oriented programmes, our strong industry networks, and our inclusive global outlook.

We particularly encourage applications from global majority candidates as we are currently under-represented in this area, however all appointments are made strictly on individual merit.

As a Disability Confident employer, we welcome applications from those who identify as having a disability.

Further information

If you would like an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Harriet Castor on 0117 3282421 or email: [e-mail].

This is a part-time, permanent post, working 18.5 hours per week as part of a jobshare. Interviews will take place on Frenchay campus – date to be confirmed.

UWE Bristol is a campus-based University and it is important for our success and the delivery of an outstanding experience for our students that our campuses are dynamic and vibrant places to learn and spend time. This role is therefore campus based with some opportunity for home working.

The University’s normal practice is that new appointments will be made at the starting point of the grade.

The University has a legal responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to work in the UK. You will therefore be required to provide evidence of this right, please refer to the Home Office Right to Work Checklist for information on which documents are acceptable.

Should you be shortlisted you will be asked to provide your right to work documents at your interview. Please refer to the Home Office Right to Work Checklist which provides details of which documents are acceptable.

Please note that UWE does not cover any visa or health surcharge costs.