Department Manager in North East

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Job Description – Department Manager (26000832)

Department of Philosophy, Durham University

Open-Ended / Permanent – Full Time

Working Arrangements: To be confirmed

Application Deadline

15-Jul-2026, 10:59:00 PM

The Role and the Department

This post offers an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to the development of internationally excellent research and teaching while allowing unrivalled opportunities to progress and embed your career in an exciting and progressive institution. For more information, please visit our Department pages at the Department of Philosophy, Durham University.

The Philosophy Department at Durham University has concentrations of research expertise across four research clusters: Aesthetics, Ethics and Politics; History of Philosophy; Mind, Language and Metaphysics; and Science, Medicine and Society. It is home to the Centre for Humanities Engaging Science and Society (CHESS) and has strong links with other interdisciplinary research centres and institutes at Durham.

At postgraduate and undergraduate levels, our students can choose from a wide range of teaching spanning the whole discipline of philosophy and the history and philosophy of science and medicine. The Department’s undergraduate programmes are among the top 10 in national rankings for philosophy. The Department has one of the largest PhD programmes in the UK, and many of our students go on to pursue highly successful academic careers.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Head of Department and other members of the leadership team to plan and implement policy to meet Department and University strategic aims and ensure the effective delivery of teaching and research.
• Hold overarching management responsibility for the Department’s professional services (administration) team and collaborate with academic staff within the Department as well as business partners and departmental contacts in key areas such as HR, Finance, Marketing & Communications, Strategic Planning and Student Support teams.
• Work with the Faculty Manager and other Department Managers in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities to share information and good practice, and to manage shared resources to ensure service delivery to students.
• Develop strategic and project management skills and support the implementation of change, ensuring effective engagement, review and delivery across the Department and more widely across the Faculty.
• Lead and manage the departmental professional services team, maximising administrative capacity to deliver departmental strategy.
• Create an atmosphere of positive responsiveness to change, foster initiative and develop staff.
• Act as a key communication channel between academic staff and professional services staff, both within the Department and across all academic, college and other professional services departments.
• Support the welfare, wellbeing and employment of your staff by providing professional guidance.
• Manage and develop the people, performance and resources within the Department (and more widely across the Faculty), ensuring a customer‑focused service.
• Recruit, induct and train team members and structure the team to meet operational and strategic priorities.
• Carry out regular performance reviews to provide feedback on objectives and expectations, identify development needs and handle most HR issues.
• Use your professional knowledge to identify and recommend priorities for Department business plans and provide specialist guidance on institutional policy, compliance, quality assurance, governance and related aspects of university business.
• Design creative and innovative communications to promote and increase engagement with different stakeholders in the Department, Faculty and University.
• Influence University policy, standards and governance by leading and participating in operational business meetings, working groups and sub‑committees.
• Represent the Department and the University at promotional events such as Open Days.
• Perform any other reasonable duties as required.

Qualifications and Experience

1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
2. Professional practitioner with specialist knowledge and expertise to influence service delivery, events and activities within the organisation, including strategic and operational oversight of staff, students and processes.
3. Extensive and in‑depth experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of colleagues, including senior colleagues.
4. Experience of participating in internal or external networks to share and discuss good practice, develop strong and productive working relationships and positively influence the University’s reputation.
5. Extensive and in‑depth experience of implementing policies and procedures and supporting service improvements in an administrative environment, including solving problems and planning appropriate solutions.
6. Track record of management and development experience across a large service team or teams.

Skills, Abilities and Knowledge

• Excellent spoken and written communication skills and an understanding of how to employ these across a range of stakeholders.
• Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps relevant to the role, including the ability to analyse data to produce outputs.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.
• Experience in a higher education administrative environment.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and a generous pension scheme; automatic enrolment into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• 30 days annual leave per year plus 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.
• Provision of ample parking, a cycle‑to‑work scheme, discounts with local bus and train companies, and a Tusker Car Benefit Scheme for electric or hybrid vehicles.
• Comprehensive professional development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career.
• Health and wellbeing support, including discounted membership for sports and gym facilities and access to a 24‑7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On‑site nursery rated Outstanding by Ofsted and holiday camps for children aged 5‑16.
• Generous maternity and adoption leave policies.
• Volunteer opportunities and exclusive discounts via the benefits portal.
• Salary sacrifice schemes and assistance with removal costs, house hunting, schools, visa costs and interest‑free loans for dependants.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential. We actively work towards providing an environment where all staff and students can study, work and live within a supportive community.

How to Apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification. Applicants should provide evidence for all criteria and identify any weighted criteria if indicated.

• A CV
• A supporting statement which clearly outlines how you meet each of the criteria within the Person Specification.

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process via automated emails from our e‑recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you have not missed any updates.

For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Alice Wilson, Department Manager, Philosophy, alice.wilson@durham.ac.uk.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which may apply to some visas.