Lecturer in Law (Early Career)

Press Tab to Move to Skip to Content Link

Applications are sought from candidates able to contribute to the growth of The Open University Law School. This is an ideal first academic post for someone looking to pursue a career in teaching and research, so we especially welcome applications from candidates who have recently successfully defended their PhD, or who have not held substantive academic posts since completing their doctorate. The post-holder will develop excellent teaching and research in law.

The post-holder will work in a team producing and delivering innovative learning resources across the foundations of legal knowledge (England & Wales), contributing to teaching on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as required. In addition to contributing to teaching within the Law School, the post-holder will be expected to conduct independent research and knowledge exchange in law at a level appropriate for their career stage.

The post-holder is expected to have the ability and willingness to teach across the foundations of legal knowledge (England and Wales) and candidates with teaching expertise in one or more of the following areas of law are particularly encouraged:

• Evidence
• SQE 1
• Business
• Employment
• Immigration

The successful candidate will be contractually based at the Milton Keynes campus. Regular attendance on campus is required, with both the cost and travel time incurred being the responsibility of the employee and not compensated by the University.

Key Responsibilities

You will be required to:

• Contribute to the creation of online teaching modules (undergraduate, postgraduate, and short courses)
• Contribute to the presentation of teaching modules (undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses), including setting and overseeing of assessment materials which are clear, accessible and inclusive
• Undertake research and produce publications relevant to University research, scholarship and knowledge exchange strategies
• Contribute to supervision of PhD students
• Contribute to income diversification to support research and teaching
• Participate in external engagement events and promotion opportunities to enhancethe Law School’s profile
• Contribute to monitoring of the quality of tuition, assessment and online student support
• Play a full part in the academic life of the Law School
• Serve as requested on Law School, Faculty and University committees

Skills and Experience

• An undergraduate law degree or equivalent
• A PhD completed in law or a closely related subject
• A postgraduate qualification or equivalent
• Teaching experience in higher education reflecting the ability to teach modulesacross the OU Law School’s LLB and LLM programmes
• Clear evidence of the ability to structure and write complex law teaching and assessment materials in English for online asynchronous delivery in an accurate, accessible and engaging manner suitable for students with a wide range of prior learning experiences
• Evidence of a capacity to develop a trajectory of 3* (REF standard) publications
• A commitment to conducting high quality research, evidenced by current and/or planned projects, a pipeline of relevant research outputs and/or evidence of applying for external funding and / or knowledge exchange activity
• An ability to work effectively both with other academics and with academic support staff in module and project teams, forming good working relationships
• The ability to work proactively and independently and to manage own workload to meet tight deadlines
• A commitment to, and understanding of, equal opportunities and accessibility, reflected in approach that makes learning open to all
• Digital literacy and IT competency in teaching as well as organisational administration
• Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends
• Professional qualification and experience in legal practice (e.g. solicitor, barrister)
• Fellowship of Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy) or PG CERT
• Teaching experience in a distance learning setting
• An ability to contribute to the development of one or more of the Law School’s existing research clusters.

To apply for this role, please submit the following as two separate documents:

• CV
• Supporting statement, up to 1,000 words, you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role.

Flexible working:We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

Work location:It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where you can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We’d expect this to be approximately twice per month or more frequently, if required.

Shortlisting and Interviews: The advert will close at midnight on the 31st August, with shortlsiting beginning the following day. Interview dates are to be confirmed.

Please Note:We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications.

If you have any queries or questions about the recruitment process, or regarding your application,please contact:Careers@open.ac.uk .

Looking for Associate Lecturer (AL) roles?

Please use our AL home page to find AL vacancies.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength.We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.

#J-18808-Ljbffr