Programme Director (Partnership Programmes)

Oxford Brookes University; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxford Brookes University seeks five Programme Directors to provide high-level academic leadership and quality oversight across our collaborative partnership campuses with Global Banking School (GBS). You will work with the Academic Director (GBS Partnership) and take on-site responsibility for academic standards, student experience, and governance across Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, and London.

The role requires proven HE leadership, strong collaboration with GBS, and a commitment to widening

Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in Health and Social Care, Business Entrepreneurship, or a cognate discipline.
• Teaching qualification for Higher Education.
• Proven HE programme leadership, change management, and academic staff line management.
• Comprehensive knowledge of HE quality processes and OfS regulations.
• Sophisticated relationship-building skills for inter‑organisational collaboration.
• Demonstrated expertise in curriculum design, current pedagogy, and andragogy for widening participation.
• Autonomous decision-making with strategic judgement on-site.

Responsibilities

• Lead partnership programmes, raising academic standards and chairing examination committees.
• Represent Oxford Brookes to partner staff and students, coordinating with GBS campus leadership.
• Maintain compliance with regulatory frameworks and OfS Conditions of Registration.
• Foster pedagogic and andragogic excellence and mentor academic teams across campuses.

Education

Master's degree or higher in Health and Social Care, Business Entrepreneurship, or cognate discipline

Teaching qualification for Higher Education

Academic Leadership & Management

Quality Assurance & Regulatory Mastery

Relationship Management Capability

Pedagogical and Andragogical Expertise

Autonomous Decision‑Making

Job description

Are you an established academic leader with the authority, regulatory expertise, and strategic presence to champion educational quality and student success across major university partnerships? Oxford Brookes University is appointing five Programme Directors to provide high-level academic leadership and quality oversight across our collaborative partnership campuses with Global Banking School (GBS). Delivering widening participation programmes in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, and London, this established partnership brings together Oxford Brookes' academic governance with GBS's regional campus locations to offer transformative higher education opportunities for diverse student communities.

The Role & Employment Context Employed fully by Oxford Brookes University, you will partner with the Academic Director (GBS Partnership) to realise the University's strategic objectives while acting with delegated authority as our senior anchor on-site. This role is designed for an autonomous senior academic who will build constructive, collaborative relationships with GBS leadership, foster a shared culture of teaching excellence, and lead on-ground quality enhancement. While maintaining a strong, direct connection to central Oxford Brookes directorates, you will take full ownership of on-site academic standards, student experience, and governance, exercising expert judgment independently on campus.

Key Strategic Responsibilities:

• Senior Strategic & Quality Leadership: Manage and play an active role in the leadership of partnership programmes, enhancing academic standards, leading curriculum design, and chairing examination committees.
• Collaborative Partnership & Representation: Represent Oxford Brookes University directly to partner staff and students, partnering with GBS campus leadership and assisting the Academic Director in the overarching management and success of the partnership.
• Regulatory & Quality Frameworks: Maintain accountable inter-organisational working relationships, ensuring academic delivery strictly meets Oxford Brookes regulations and Office for Students (OfS) Conditions of Registration.
• Pedagogic & Andragogic Excellence: Drive advanced pedagogic and andragogic best practice, mentoring academic teams across the partnership and fostering a vibrant culture of scholarly activity and teaching excellence. (Note: Operating within a matrix structure initially, candidates must hold proven academic leadership capability and the readiness to undertake formal line management if operational requirements evolve.)

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates whatever their background, and especially from candidates who are under-represented in our workforce. As a Disability Confident Employer, Oxford Brookes University is committed to encouraging applications from disabled people, ensuring an inclusive recruitment process, and providing reasonable adjustments throughout the application and employment lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in Health and Social Care, Business Entrepreneurship, or a cognate discipline.
• Teaching qualification for Higher Education.
• Academic Leadership & Management: Proven track record in HE programme leadership, change management, and academic staff line management or multi-disciplinary team direction.
• Quality Assurance & Regulatory Mastery: Comprehensive knowledge of HE quality processes, validations, periodic reviews, and regulatory standards, including the OfS Conditions of Registration.
• Relationship Management Capability: Sophisticated negotiation and relationship-building skills, with the diplomacy to foster positive inter‑organisational collaboration while protecting institutional standards.
• Pedagogical and Andragogical Expertise: Demonstrated expertise in curriculum design, current pedagogy, and andragogy tailored to widening participation student demographics.
• Autonomous Decision‑Making: High level of self‑direction, with the capability to act independently, solve complex problems on‑site, and recognise key strategic thresholds for escalation.