Assistant Director, Learning Environments - Academic Services - 15261 - Grade 9 in Birmingham

Academic Services University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £58,225 to £67,468 with potential progression once in post to £87,974. Grade: 9. Full Time, Permanent. Closing date: 27th September 2026. UK and International travel may be required for this role.

Our offer to you:

• People are at the heart of what we are and do.
• The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university.
• We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
• We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential.
• With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
• We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.
• We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
• Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements.
• In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme.
• We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Background:

The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant city, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Professional Services play a crucial role in this by providing outstanding support to our researchers, enabling an exceptional educational experience for our students, and helping the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally.

Team overview:

Education Technologies and Learning Environments (ETLE) is a newly formed, pioneering team — one of the few of its kind in UK higher education — sitting at the heart of the University of Birmingham's ambition to become a global top 50 institution. As part of Libraries and Learning Resources within Academic Services, ETLE occupies a uniquely pivotal position: bridging the worlds of technology, pedagogy, and physical space to enable truly transformative education.

Role Summary:

This is an exceptional and rare leadership opportunity for a technically authoritative, strategically minded professional who is ready to shape the future of learning environments at one of the UK's most ambitious universities. As Assistant Director, Learning Environments, you will provide expert strategic leadership across a bold and high-impact portfolio encompassing AV and media services, learning space design, immersive and emerging technologies, study spaces, and space operations.

Main Duties:

• Strategic Leadership of Learning Spaces & AV Services: Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive service design and AV strategy across all University teaching, study, and event spaces.
• Learning Space Design & Capital Projects: Provide expert leadership and authority on learning space design, including input into new building developments and campus redevelopment projects.
• Immersive & Emerging Technology: Act as the University's expert authority on immersive and emerging learning technologies.
• Standards, Policy & Governance: Devise, maintain, and review a robust framework of standards, policies, and procedures relating to AV, presentation, video conferencing, lecture capture, immersive learning, and study space services.
• Strategic Planning & Reporting: Contribute to the development of the Library and Learning Resources directorate's strategic and operational plans.
• People Leadership & Team Development: Lead, motivate, and develop a diverse team of over 30 AV/Media Technologists, learning space designers, and student workers.
• Service Quality, Evaluation & Continuous Improvement: Lead the development and implementation of evaluation methodologies to assess the effectiveness and impact of learning space services and projects.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Partnership: Develop and maintain effective relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Student & Academic Experience: Ensure that service design and space development decisions are informed by student and academic feedback.
• Budget & Resource Management: Hold accountability for an annual budget in excess of £1 million.
• Asset & Lifecycle Management: Provide strategic oversight of the lifecycle management of all AV and learning space assets.
• Supplier & Contract Management: Lead the management of relationships with external installation engineers, maintenance contractors, and technology suppliers.
• Procurement & Tendering: Lead or contribute to procurement exercises and tendering processes for AV equipment, learning space technology, and associated services.
• Risk Management: Identify, assess, and manage operational and strategic risks associated with learning space services.
• Business Continuity: Lead the development and maintenance of business continuity plans for critical AV and learning space services.
• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: Champion and embed a culture that promotes equality, values diversity, and fosters inclusion.
• Accessibility & Inclusive Design: Ensure that all learning spaces, AV services, and technologies are designed, procured, and maintained to meet accessibility requirements.
• Sustainability: Promote and embed sustainable working practices across the team and its services.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience:

• Degree-level education in a relevant discipline such as Audio-Visual Technology, Music Technology, Broadcast Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Educational Technology, or a related field; or equivalent level qualification; or substantial relevant practical experience.
• Full, clean driving licence, required to support the operational needs of the department.
• Authoritative knowledge of AV systems and infrastructure.
• Strong knowledge of video conferencing platforms and systems.
• Demonstrable knowledge of lecture capture systems.
• Knowledge and practical understanding of immersive and emerging learning technologies.
• Significant and demonstrable experience of leading AV, learning technology, or learning space services at a senior level.
• Proven experience of leading, motivating, and managing large and diverse teams.
• Demonstrable experience of budget management at scale.
• Experience of procurement and tendering processes.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
• Proven ability to influence and negotiate with senior stakeholders.
• Ability to translate strategy into operational plans.
• Demonstrable commitment to and experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Desirable Qualifications & Professional Memberships:

• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline.
• AVIXA CTS, CTS-D, or CTS-I certification — strongly desirable.
• Membership of a relevant professional body.

Informal enquiries to Allison Hall, email: a.b.hall@bham.ac.uk