Senior Academic Director in Newcastle upon Tyne

This role operates primarily on a remote working arrangement that will require some travel into our Coventry head office and Campus locations (this will typically be once a week but may fluctuate in line with business requirements). Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

About Arden University

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About Our Department

The Academic Office at Arden University plays an important role in supporting academic governance, quality assurance, and student success. The department oversees key processes such as programme validation and approval, policy development, regulatory compliance, and assessment management.

Working closely with faculties, professional services, and external regulatory bodies, the Academic Office ensures that Arden’s academic standards align with sector benchmarks and accreditation requirements. It is also responsible for enhancing student experience by maintaining fair and transparent academic policies, supporting assessment boards, and facilitating effective learning and teaching practices.

About The Opportunity

We are looking for a Senior Academic Director to play a pivotal leadership role in shaping the academic experience across Arden University’s campus network. You will provide strategic oversight and day-to-day operational leadership to ensure a consistent, high-quality, and student-centred academic environment that supports success at every stage of the learner journey.

You will directly lead a team of Academic Directors and oversee the effective delivery of institutional priorities relating to student engagement, continuation, completion, progression, satisfaction, and academic quality. Working in close partnership with Faculties, Student Experience, Academic Operations, Registry, and Campus teams, you will ensure that campus-based delivery is cohesive, efficient, and aligned with the University’s strategic ambitions.

A key focus of the role is driving operational excellence—embedding consistent academic standards, strengthening support for students and staff, and ensuring that campus operations contribute positively to institutional performance measures, including B3 and TEF outcomes. You will champion an engaged academic culture, foster high‑performing teams, and lead initiatives that enhance the overall student experience.

This is a senior leadership position with significant influence, offering the opportunity to shape academic delivery at scale and make a meaningful impact on student outcomes and institutional success.

About You

You will be an accomplished and confident academic leader who brings extensive experience in managing managers and guiding multi-disciplinary teams. You will operate with professionalism, clarity, and a strong sense of purpose, ensuring that teams remain aligned, accountable, and focused on delivering an excellent student experience. Your work will demonstrate meaningful impact on continuation, completion, progression, and satisfaction, and you will know how to translate institutional priorities into effective, high‑quality practice.

You will lead operational change with assurance, strengthening performance and embedding processes that support consistency and improvement across complex environments. Your leadership will be grounded in a thorough understanding of quality assurance and regulatory frameworks, applying this knowledge to ensure compliance while enabling innovation and enhancement.

You will use data as a central tool in your decision‑making, analysing information with precision, drawing clear insights, and using evidence to guide strategy, identify risks, and drive improvements. Collaboration will be a defining feature of your approach; you will work effectively across departments and stakeholder groups, building strong relationships that support cohesive, student-centred delivery.

Overall, you will bring the professional credibility, analytical capability, and collaborative mindset required to lead academic operations at scale and contribute meaningfully to institutional success.

Closing Date: Tuesday 11th August

Interview Date: Week Commencing 24th August

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs.

Why Arden

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!
• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%
• BUPA Cash Plan
• Private Medical Insurance
• Access to Perkbox benefits
• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends
• Plus, other excellent benefits
• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education

Our Values

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role. If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here. As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship Statement

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa, or fulfil the criteria we have for providing sponsorship. However we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.