Digital Capabilities Lead

Permanent, full time.

Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00, with some flexibility in start/finish times.

Education and Students, Academic Performance.

Your line manager will be Dr Boryana Peevska-Cutting, Associate Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic Performance).

Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home*. The exact split of days/hours is negotiable but must include a minimum of two to three working days each month in Horizons on (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). The office closes on Fridays.
* Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable – please see the ‘Working from home’ section on our Careers Site for further information.

At the University of the Built Environment, the majority of our teaching and learning happens online through our digital campus, comprising the digital tools and platforms that enable our students to learn and our staff to teach and support them. Over the next five years, the University is making a strategic investment in its digital campus to ensure it supports our continued growth, further enhances our student experience, and positions us as a best-in-sector digital and online learning provider with a strong external recognition and validation.

As the Digital Capabilities Lead, you will be accountable to the Associate Pro Vice Chancellor (Digital Campus), and you will work with and support our Academic team and Professional Services teams. You will lead the development of the digital skills and competencies our people need to maximise the benefits of the digital campus investment and support our Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) agenda.

You will be a key member of a team of digital learning specialists and will contribute to the development of a University-wide centre for educational excellence. Here, you will build close partnerships with both Academic and Student Support teams and plan, create and deliver the resources, activities and events that take their digital skills and practices to the next level.

• Lead initiatives that enhance digital confidence, competence and innovation across academic and professional services functions, in line with the University’s Competency Framework.
• Ensure digital capability development activities support excellent student outcomes, online learning experiences, operational effectiveness and organisational resilience.
• Provide expert advice to senior leaders on digital capability development requirements, emerging technologies and sector best practice.
• Contribute to institutional digital transformation programmes and change initiatives.

• Design, commission and deliver an engaging programme of digital skills training, workshops, webinars, resources and development opportunities that align with recognised digital capability frameworks (e.g. Jisc).
• Develop learning pathways tailored to different staff roles, professional groups and levels of digital maturity.
• Support staff in the effective use of learning technologies, digital collaboration tools, artificial intelligence, digital assessment methods and other technologies relevant to their work.
• Establish communities of practice and peer-support networks to encourage knowledge sharing and innovation.
• Promote a culture of continuous professional development in digital practice across the University.

• Undertake digital capability assessments and skills audits to establish baseline measures and development…