Academic Manager – Professional Programmes

Academic Manager
- Professional Programmes

Location: 30 Bedford Square, WC1B 3EE
, with hybrid working. Occasional UK and international travel may be required.

Reports to: Associate Director
- Learning Innovation

Contract: Fixed term contract for 9 months, 4 days / 28 hours per week (0.8

FTE)

Salary: £36,000 per annum (0.8

FTE of 45,000 per annum)

Established in 1969, Sotheby's Institute of Art is now among the world's leading specialist higher education institutions, offering programmes for professionals, pre-college audiences and postgraduate students seeking careers in art business and an understanding of the global art economy. Our offerings cover everything from art history to key business skills from our campuses located in the world’s art capitals of London and New York, as well as online.

Sotheby’s Institute of Art is owned by Edconic, an organisation that partners with prestigious companies to deliver relevant, experiential learning programmes taught by industry experts from the world’s best brands. As well as Sotheby’s Institute of Art, the Edconic portfolio currently includes The School of The New York Times, Vogue College of Fashion, Manchester City Sports Business School and WIRED Education.

This is an exciting time to join Sotheby's Institute of Art. As Professional Programmes enters a period of significant growth, we are expanding our portfolio across London, New York and Online, developing innovative new programmes that respond to the evolving needs of the global art world and professional learners. We are looking for someone who can join us in November 2026;

however, we can accommodate a start date up to early December 2026 for the right candidate.

Reporting to the Associate Director
- Learning Innovation, the Academic Manager will play a central role in this growth, leading the academic development of new programmes and working closely with Course Leaders, industry experts and internal teams to create intellectually rigorous, commercially relevant and pedagogically outstanding learning experiences.

The successful candidate will bring expertise in curriculum design, adult learning and academic quality, ideally within higher education or accredited professional learning. They will also possess broad knowledge of art history and the wider art world, exceptional relationship management skills, and an established professional network to help identify outstanding Course Leaders, guest speakers and future programme opportunities.

The role is fixed-term for 9 months as the Academic Manager will lead the development and initial launch of a new portfolio of asynchronous online credentials, a flagship initiative that will shape the future of Professional Programmes at Sotheby's Institute of Art.

While the role is dedicated to Sotheby's Institute of Art, it sits within the wider Edconic community, offering opportunities to collaborate on cross-brand educational initiatives and contribute to innovative learning projects across the group.

• Lead the academic design and redevelopment of new Professional Programmes across London, New York and Online.
• Work collaboratively with Course Leaders to develop curriculum, learning outcomes, assessment strategies and engaging learner experiences.
• Champion excellence in pedagogy, curriculum design and adult learning across all programme formats, including online, in-person and hybrid learning.
• Ensure academic consistency, quality and innovation across the Professional Programmes portfolio.
• Review scripts, teaching materials and assessments to maintain the Institute’s academic standards.
• Develop academic frameworks, programme documentation and quality assurance…