Academic Director

Contract type

Full-time, Permanent

University of Huddersfield – London Campus, Stratford, Greater London

Study Group will deliver a selection of post‑graduate and under‑graduate courses for the University of Huddersfield (UoH) at its brand‑new Business and Technology School in London. Several pathway programmes designed to progress to these courses will also be offered. The campus is designed to attract a diverse international student body looking for the high‑quality teaching of UoH with strong employability opportunities in London.

The Academic Director will lead a teaching team of academics and provide academic leadership for delivery of the University of Huddersfield’s taught courses and Study Group’s pathway courses.

Responsible for the School’s Teaching and Learning and Research Strategies, professional body accreditation and compliance (AACSB, BCS), implementation of UoH Handbook of Quality Assurance processes, workload allocation, promotion of scholarly activity, student performance and success, and liaison with UoH representatives.

• Provide inspirational leadership across academic teams, working collaboratively with the campus management team, UoH and central Study Group teams on learning & teaching and research strategies.
• Under the direction of the Head of School, own the design, development, implementation and evaluation of the learning and teaching and research strategies for the University of Huddersfield London.
• Implement continuous improvements through a structured approach to enhancement to achieve targets for student outcomes and student success.
• Own compliance and liaison around the UoH professional body accreditation including AACSB and BCS.
• Undertake curriculum planning and staff resourcing requirements.
• Attend and actively contribute to relevant university partnership Boards and committees and work with university colleagues through approved liaison points, reporting regularly.
• Review student outcomes, feedback and that of other stakeholders to identify opportunities and areas for development, proposing appropriate actions to resolve issues and enhance delivery.
• Contribute to meetings, forums or projects within the Study Group network.

• Provide effective management and leadership to the academic team and direct reports, using Study Group’s Individual Contribution & Development process and other HR processes as required.
• Maintain high academic standing and lead by example building on quality teaching and learning activities, producing research, a publication record and professional engagement.
• Recruit academic staff with the appropriate qualifications and experience to comply with accreditation conditions.
• Plan the allocation of teaching resources within an agreed budget to meet operational margins and workload allocations.
• Organise peer observations and use anonymised feedback along with sector HE trends and practice to create annual personal development plans.
• Work with the Industry and Engagement Director to create a culture of business engagement with academics, embedding employability activities throughout the curriculum and teaching activities.
• Identify and promote scholarly activity and research opportunities, supporting and mentoring academics within the campus and liaising with University of Huddersfield on key projects, programmes and other related activities.

• Manage the effective academic delivery of all courses to ensure they are conducted in accordance with validation and course definitive documents and lead to the best possible student outcomes and student experience.
• Ensure the VLE element of courses is effectively managed and that a clear VLE framework for standards and enhancement is in place and consistently implemented in practice, including liaison with the relevant UoH teams.
• Raise opportunities for discussion with the Head of School to introduce new courses and products as appropriate to the strategic Partnership Development Plan.
• Work with the Student Experience and Operations Director, and co‑create effective…