Associate Dean - School of Arts and Media

By joining the University of Central Lancashire, you’ll become part of a thriving community of talent that’s united by a shared vision – to transform the lives of our students and create prosperity and opportunity in the communities we serve. Every colleague has a vital role to play in helping us achieve this vision.

Are you an inspirational and motivational educational leader?

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to lead the way in modern learning and deliver successful student outcomes and experiences?

If you are, we’d love to hear from you.

About the role:

The University of Central Lancashire’s School of Arts & Media has a proud history of educating students on our undergraduate, postgraduate, research and international programmes. We are on an ambitious course to transform our curriculum and approach to teaching, learning and assessment to deliver an outstanding education to all learners. The school is one of the largest Schools at the University, with over 200 academic and professional colleagues supporting a diverse community of over 1,500 students across a range of undergraduate, postgraduate, research and international programmes. Within the School we deliver a broad, dynamic portfolio spanning Fine Art, Design, Media, Journalism, Music, Dance, Theatre, Animation, Games Design, Fashion and more – designed to equip students with both creative and industry-focused skills.

We are nationally and internationally recognised for teaching excellence, with several courses accredited by professional bodies such as Creative Skillset, NCTJ and ScreenSkills; and we are home to award-winning students and graduates who regularly achieve success in competitions such as the Royal Television Society Awards, D&AD New Blood and Graduate Fashion Week.

Working closely with the Dean as part of the School Executive Team, the Associate Dean will have the opportunity to shape the educational offer to our learners, foster a supportive and empowering culture for colleagues, deliver exceptional outcomes to improve student outcome and experience metrics, and contribute to the University’s Strategy to 2028.

You will work closely with the PVC Students and Teaching, other Associate Deans and Professional Services colleagues to retain an oversight of the University’s Students and Teaching strategies, contributing to the next TEF.

About you:

The successful candidate will have a track record of providing strategic and visionary educational leadership, having successfully developed, led and implemented learning, teaching and assessment strategies at scale. You will have an ability to manage School level performance to improve league table rankings and assure regulatory compliance, and a record of leading successful transformation projects (e.g., curriculum design, classroom, and digital pedagogies, awarding gaps). Our people are important to us and so you will have experience of successful academic and people leadership; developing a supportive culture and pedagogic communities of practice. The successful candidate will possess a doctorate or higher degree and will be able to provide evidence of personal excellence and esteem in learning, teaching and assessment.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Andrea Burch to arrange a phone call with Professor Peter Lloyd, Dean of School.

What we can offer you:

Our people are our most important asset. We’ll encourage you to make the most of your talents and continually develop your skills and knowledge. As well as realising your career ambitions, you’ll be making a positive difference to other people’s lives. We also offer a fantastic package of rewards and lifestyle benefits – from an attractive annual leave entitlement to access to a comprehensive employee benefits platform.

We are proud to be a diverse, multicultural university. We are committed to building a truly inclusive culture where diversity is championed. Applications are particularly welcomed from individuals who will support the diversification within the University and support its development of a culture that is inclusive and welcoming to all.

The University is committed to providing a safe environment to study, work and visit, protecting children, young people and adults at risk from harm and abuse. Our safeguarding policy and safer recruitment procedure outlines our approach, alongside other internal policies, procedures and guidance which can be found on our Safeguarding page.

Applicants applying for roles in regulated activity and that are listed as an exception under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 will be required to disclose any spent and unspent convictions and undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check at the appropriate level, the University will only ask an applicant to make an application for a DBS check if they are legally entitled to.

We are proud to share that we will soon be known as the University of Lancashire. Building upon nearly 200 years of academic excellence, this exciting new chapter reflects our commitment and ambition for Lancashire and beyond. We believe in helping people to seize every opportunity to flourish in education, at work and for life. Together, we’re here to help you achieve great things.

Where opportunity creates success.