Dean of Student Experience in Cheshire, Warrington

The College UK Management College (UKMC) is a private, widening-participation higher education provider established in 2016, delivering degree programmes with an integrated Foundation Year in partnership with universities that act as the awarding bodies — the University of Wolverhampton (principal partner), Canterbury Christ Church University, Arts University Bournemouth and HealthSciences University — across campuses in Manchester, Derby, Newcastle and Sunderland. The College serves a predominantly mature, local and first-in-family student community, many of whom balance study with work, caring and financial pressures. Its student-support model is therefore central to its mission: success is measured by retention, continuation, completion and progression, and the College’s support ecosystem exists to deliver those outcomes for every student, at every campus, on equal terms.

The Dean of Student Experience is the College’s senior leader for academic services and the student experience. The post holder holds executive responsibility for the departments and functions that surround and enable course delivery: the Wellbeing Department; the Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) team; student engagement (non-academic); academic language and learning; employability, careers and student outcomes; research and knowledge exchange; and academic integrity. The purpose of the role is to ensure that every student receives consistent, differentiated and effective support to engage, persist, achieve and progress.

The Dean of Student Experience reports to the Associate Provost / Provost and works in close partnership with the Academic Dean, who leads course delivery, and with the Quality and Compliance department, with whom the post holder shares responsibility for evidencing that the College’s support for students meets the requirements of the Office for Students (OfS), partner universities and other regulatory bodies. The two Deans are jointly accountable for the College’s student outcomes: continuation, completion and progression at or above the College’s institutional targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership of the Student Experience: Provide institution-wide leadership for the student experience and academic services, ensuring a coherent support ecosystem across all campuses.
• Wellbeing, Safeguarding and Inclusion: Provide senior oversight of the Wellbeing Department and ensure the consistent implementation of reasonable adjustments and learning support plans.
• Personal Academic Tutoring (PAT): Ensure every student is assigned a Personal Academic Tutor and receives differentiated academic, pastoral and practical support.
• Student Engagement, Belonging and Student Voice: Ensure a rich programme of activities, events and communities that build belonging at every campus.
• Academic Language and Learning: Ensure effective language and study-skills support for all students.
• Employability, Careers and Student Outcomes: Ensure the Career-Ready Framework is delivered across every programme and campus.
• Research and Knowledge Exchange: Foster a research and scholarship culture among staff and ensure research-informed teaching enriches the student experience.
• Academic Integrity: Ensure academic-misconduct prevention, education, investigation and case management operate consistently and fairly.
• Quality, Compliance and Regulatory Assurance: Ensure the student-experience portfolio meets the OfS conditions of registration and compliance across the portfolio.
• Governance and Reporting: Present termly assurance reports on the student experience to relevant boards and committees.

The Dean of Student Experience is expected to model the College’s values at all times: to act with integrity, compassion, fairness and transparency; to champion equality, diversity and inclusion in every service and decision; to safeguard the welfare of students and staff; to maintain confidentiality and comply with the College’s policies.