Lecturer - Early Childhood Education

Founded in 1902, UCL Institute of Education has been shaping policy and helping government, organisations and individuals navigate a changing society for the last 120 years. We embrace collaboration and excellence to create a future that is inclusive and just and have been ranked number one for education every year since 2014 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

The department is a major world leader in the following subject areas:
Early Years and Primary Education, Educational Leadership, Education Policy, and Initial Teacher Education (ITE).

We value innovative research, teaching and enterprise in all these areas and combine the very best of research innovation and evidence-based teaching, with a strong commitment to translating our work into policy and practice.

The Department of Leadership and Learning is seeking a qualified and motivated individual to join our faculty as a Lecturer in Early Childhood Education. In this post you will contribute to the teaching and research activities of the institute more widely and the department more specifically and play a pivotal role in shaping the education and professional development of our undergraduate and postgraduate students.

You will contribute to the teaching and assessment of the BA Early Childhood and the MA Early Years Education programmes as required. This will include:

• Delivering high-quality and engaging lectures, seminars, and workshops to undergraduate and postgraduate students in the field of early childhood education.
• Contributing to the development and enhancement of the curriculum for both the BA and MA programmes, ensuring that it reflects current research and best practices in early childhood education.

This post is available from September 2026.

Interviews will be held on 27th and 28th July 2026.

With a doctorate in early childhood education, or other relevant field, you will have the ability to teach successfully at higher education level. In addition, you will have evidence of relevant scholarship in Early Childhood Education and of success in obtaining research grants in Early Child Education, with clear plans for future submissions.

Your application form should address all the person specification points and should clearly demonstrate how your skills and experience meet each of the criteria.

It is important that the criteria are clearly numbered and that you provide a response to each one.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday: 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days (pro rata for part time staff)
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme (pro rata for part time staff)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme:
  Staff Support Service

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

Our faculty holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.