Head of Department for MBA and Executive Education

Arden University; Coventry; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution is seeking a Head of Department for MBA and Executive Education in Coventry. The role requires strategic academic leadership and involves curriculum innovation, mentoring staff, and enhancing student experiences. Applicants should have a strong background in business management education, with proven leadership and teaching credentials. The position offers hybrid working arrangements with a competitive salary range of £60,000 - £65,000 per annum plus benefits.

Benefits

30 days holiday plus bank holidays

Generous pension plan

Private Medical Insurance

Access to Perkbox benefits

Free Arden courses for staff and family

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in postgraduate education in Business Management.
• Demonstrated ability to lead academic programmes.
• Proven track record of achieving high levels of Student Experience and Satisfaction.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to the MBA and Executive Education department.
• Oversee curriculum innovation tailored to global business challenges.
• Line manage Senior Lecturers and recruitment of academic staff.

Skills

Leadership

Collaboration

Communication

Teaching

Programme development

Mentoring

Education

Masters or equivalent

HE teaching qualification

Job description

Salary: £60,000 - £65,000 per annum

London Weighting: £4,000 per annum if local campus is London and attendance required at least once per week.

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Head of School - Management and Executive Education

Department: MBA and Executive Education

Click here to read the full job description and view our excellent benefits here

Location: assigned to any of our UK campuses, you do not need to be London-based

This role operates on a hybrid working arrangement that will require some travel to our campuses. This may fluctuate in line with business requirements. Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

Travel will be required into the following locations:

• Coventry head office
• Birmingham campus
• Leeds campus
• Manchester campus
• Nottingham
• London area (Stratford, Holborn & Ealing)

About Arden University

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About our Department

Arden University is seeking an outstanding academic and strategic leader to join our Department of Management and Executive Education as Head of Department. Reporting to the Head of the School of Management and Executive Education, you will lead a highly experienced team of Lecturers and Senior Lecturers who are the driving force behind Arden University’s Executive MBA and Senior Leadership Apprenticeship programmes. Together, this dynamic team empowers experienced managers to challenge conventional thinking, embrace innovation, and lead meaningful business transformations.

The Department currently delivers a range of MBA and C-Suite Executive MBA programmes to a global audience, with an ambitious agenda to expand its Executive Education portfolio. This includes the development of micro-credentials, short courses, and bespoke executive training, designed to harness the potential of digital transformation, technology, and artificial intelligence to meet the evolving needs of modern leaders.

At Arden, our flexible learning approach is designed to fit around professional commitments, offering accessible, high-quality education that enhances—rather than interrupts—career progression. Our programmes equip students with the strategic insight, leadership acumen, and global business skills essential for success in a rapidly changing world.

About the Opportunity

You will focus on providing academic leadership within the department of MBA and Executive Education and be accountable for achieving outstanding quality features within Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Outstanding quality features within Student Experience includes:

• Embedding outstanding teaching, feedback, and assessment practices to support students’ learning, progression, and attainment.
• Inspiring and engaging course content (including physical and virtual learning resources) and delivery that stretches learners to develop knowledge to their fullest potential.

Outstanding quality features within Student Outcomes includes:

• Tailored departmental approaches for learners in and progress beyond their studies.
• Delivering outstanding departmental rates of continuation and completion for learners as well as setting programme curriculums that provide learners with the right skills, knowledge, and behaviour to progress into managerial or professional employment, or further study.

You will also line manage Senior Lecturers and potentially other members of the academic team. You will be responsible for recruitment of outstanding academic staff in their department and potentially undertake teaching and related duties on programmes relevant to their area of expertise, where possible. As Head of Department, you will represent the University and its values, promoting Arden University and their programmes at external and internal events and collaborate effectively with other academic colleagues and key stakeholders. The Head of Department is accountable for departmental subject KPIs.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and academic leadership to shape the vision, growth, and excellence of MBA and Executive Education provision.
• Oversee curriculum innovation, ensuring relevance to global business challenges and emerging technologies.
• Lead, mentor, and develop academic staff to foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and research-informed teaching.
• Strengthen partnerships with industry and professional bodies to ensure programmes deliver real-world impact.
• Drive innovation in delivery modes, including blended and digital learning.

About You

We're looking for a collaborative, inspiring and student-centred leader with significant experience in postgraduate education in Business Management, including senior leader apprenticeship as well as executive education (not limited to micro credentials and short courses). You will be an inspirational academic leader with:

• A strong record of teaching, programme development, and leadership within business or management education.
• Experience in Executive Education, MBA provision, or senior leadership development (ideally in a global context).
• A forward-looking mindset with an understanding of the opportunities presented by digital innovation and AI.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and people management skills.
• The vision and energy to shape the next generation of transformative leaders.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Masters (or equivalent)
• HE teaching qualification and/or Fellowship (e.g., PG Cert HE, SFHEA, PFHEA, QTLS/QTS).
• Proven leadership, people management, and team-building skills.
• A successful track record of leading academic programmes, achieving high levels of Student Experience, Outcomes, and Satisfaction (TEF metrics).
• Demonstrated ability to develop innovative environments for teaching, research, and industry-focused activities.

Desirable Skills & Qualifications:

• PhD or equivalent Level 7 qualification.
• Management training or qualifications showcasing leadership capabilities.

Why Arden:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!
• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%
• SimplyHealth plan option
• Private Medical Insurance coverage (applies to certain job roles)
• Access to Perkbox benefits
• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends
• Plus, other excellent benefits
• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education

Our Values:

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date: Tuesday 18th November

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Student Experience roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship statement:

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the points-based immigration system. However, we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.