Head of School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries

Northumbria University; North East; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK university in Newcastle upon Tyne is seeking a Head of School for Design, Arts and Creative Industries. This role involves providing strategic and operational leadership, championing excellence in education and research, and fostering an inclusive environment. The ideal candidate is an ambitious academic leader with a strong research background and a commitment to enhancing student experiences. The position offers flexibility in hours and location, as well as a range of benefits.

Benefits

Excellent pension schemes

Flexible working

Generous holiday entitlement

Qualifications

• Ambitious and values-led academic leader.
• Strong personal track record in research.
• Deep understanding of the higher education landscape.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership.
• Champion excellence across education and research.
• Ensure a positive, inclusive culture for staff and students.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Knowledge exchange

Emotional intelligence

Collaboration

Change management

Education

PhD or equivalent in relevant field

Job description

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Job Description

ABOUT THE ROLE

Join Northumbria to lead the School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries at a pivotal moment in our institutional development. This exciting role gives you the opportunity to shape the future of a thriving academic community, with a strong national and international profile, as part of our newly established Faculty Society and Culture.

Northumbria is a research-intensive university with a clear social mission: to unlock potential for all, changing lives regionally, nationally, and internationally. Our vision is that through world-leading research and transformative education, we enable people from all backgrounds to succeed, and support businesses and communities across the North-East, London, and beyond to thrive.

From August 2025, Northumbria will move to a new academic structure designed to further promote interdisciplinarity, collaboration, and real-world impact. The School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries will sit alongside the newly named Schools of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Business, creating a dynamic and purposeful environment for education, research and knowledge exchange across the new Faculty of Society and Culture.

The School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries boasts outstanding research, a strong and diverse student community, and highly engaged academic professional and Industry staff. As Head of School, you will provide strategic and operational leadership, championing excellence across education, research and knowledge exchange, and ensuring a positive, inclusive and empowering culture for staff and students alike.

We are looking for an ambitious and values-led academic leader with a strong personal track record in research and knowledge exchange, a deep understanding of the higher education landscape, and a demonstrable commitment to delivering an exceptional student experience. You will bring strategic acumen, emotional intelligence, and the ability to build strong relationships across disciplines, and with external partners. You will be confident leading change, fostering collaboration and managing performance, and committed to the continuous development of others.

This is an opportunity to join a financially robust and forward-thinking university at a time of real momentum. If you share our ambition to do things differently, to lead with purpose and impact, and to help shape the future of Design, Arts and Creative Industries within a connected, inclusive and research-intensive university, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Further information is available in the job description.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please [e-mail] .

To apply for this vacancy please click 'Apply Now'. Your application should include a covering letter and a CV.

ABOUT US

Join Northumbria University, a research-intensive institution unlocking potential and changing lives locally and globally. Named Times Higher Education's University of the Year in 2022 and Modern University of the Year in 2025, we rank top 25 in the UK for research power. Discover more about us.

With over 37,000 students from 140+ countries, we offer world-leading research, award-winning partnerships, and an outstanding student experience. We empower our exceptional staff, promoting a positive work-life balance and offering great benefits, including excellent pension schemes, flexible working, generous holiday entitlement and more.

Our Northumbria Values, co-created by our team, define who we are: Academic Excellence, Innovation, Inclusivity, Collaboration, and Ambition. Our Behaviours shape our work culture: We listen and learn, support one another, respect everyone, trust each other, and are bold.

Located in Newcastle upon Tyne and London, we are an on-campus organisation with flexibility in hours and location. We pride ourselves on diversity and inclusivity, holding numerous awards for gender and race equality, disability confidence, and research excellence. We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career Development of Researchers and are members of the Euraxess initiative to deliver information and support to professional researchers. The University has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements, and we are happy to explore candidate requirements as part of the recruitment process.

Apply now and join a community committed to transforming society and the economy. Explore "Our Exceptional People, Our Values and Behaviours" page to learn more about our commitments and see our Privacy Policy for further details.