Quality and Academic Partnerships Manager Edinburgh, Scotland
Job description
The appointment will be at Grade: 8, Salary: £44,414 : £52,841.
Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and leading-edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business and industry.
Heriot-Watt University has five campuses: three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business and languages. Heriot-Watt University is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort.
About our Team
The Global Registry and Academic Support Directorate (RAS) supports students and staff across the full student life-cycle from enrolment to graduation. The Directorate has responsibility as the definitive record-keeper of all student information and programme and course details, and leading services that help students settle and stay at the University with professional help and advice, through a range of wellbeing services.
Additionally, RAS supports academic and professional services staff across the University in a number of areas, including: academic, institutional and student-related regulations and policies and global, national and institutional quality matters. It delivers these services through four Divisions, each managed by a Global Head, and two Head of Campus Registry:
• Student Life
• Online Students
• Academic Operations
• Academic Quality
• Head of Registry : Dubai Campus
• Head of Registry : Malaysia Campus
The Academic Quality Division is responsible for strategy and policy development in learning and teaching and the student learning experience. The Division also provides advice, guidance and support relating the assurance and enhancement of academic standards, the quality of taught programmes and the quality of the student learning experience, across the wider, global University (ie for all academic provision delivered at all five campus locations and by all study modes including via partnership arrangements and online).
The Academic Quality Division consists of three teams: Quality Assurance; Academic Enhancement; Accreditation and Academic Partnerships. The activities of the Quality and Academic Partnerships Manager are related to the “Quality Assurance� and "Accreditation and Academic Partnerships" function strands. The postholder will lead the "Accreditation and Academic Partnerships" strand and associated staffing, and will lead the staff and functions for certain aspects of the “Quality Assurance� strand. There are key areas of collaboration with the Quality Assurance team as a whole, particularly in relation to programme and partnership approval, partnership annual monitoring and periodic review.
Detailed Description
The specific role of the postholder is to lead and manage the University's global academic partnership and accreditation processes (internal and external) and key quality processes for all of HWU's educational provision across all modes and locations. The Quality and Academic Partnerships Manager is a member of the Academic Quality Management Team, and reports directly to the Head of Academic Quality.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
- Lead the development and manage the implementation of the University's global processes for approval, monitoring, renewal and termination of all academic partnerships (Scotland, UK and international).
- Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness in global processes for partnerships, including in collaboration with International Development
- Lead the development and manage the implementation of the University's global accreditation processes for all of HWU's educational provision across all modes and locations of study.
- Ensure effective institutional oversight of the quality, standards and enhancement of academic partnerships and accreditations.
- Responsibility for ensuring that the outcomes of partnership management and accreditation are reported to relevant authorities in Scotland, UK, Dubai, Malaysia and other countries as required on an annual or periodic basis.
- Lead the development of, and managing the integration and the implementation, of key quality assurance processes such as Professional, Regulatory and Statutory Bodies, External Examiners and Approved Teachers/Tutors/Markers/Demonstrators.
- Manage and lead designated reviews (both academic and Professional Services) within the University's global periodic review process in collaboration with the Quality Assurance Manager.
- Ensure that the University's strategies, policies and procedures for academic partnerships and accreditation are aligned to internal requirements and the external requirements of multiple agencies worldwide, eg Quality Assurance Agency (Scotland and UK Quality Code); Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA, Dubai); Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA); Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE, Malaysia); subject-specific Professional, Regulatory and Statutory Bodies; Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA).
- Lead, manage, motivate and empower staff within the Accreditation and Academic Partnerships Team, including those with a quality assurance function, based at the Scottish Campuses, with functional management links to Academic Quality staff based at the Dubai and Malaysia Campuses who have responsibilities related to accreditation.
- Act with the delegated authority of the Deputy Principal (Education and Student Life) in relation to internal and external academic matters related to academic partnerships, accreditation and quality assurance, eg in leading quality oversight of the approval, monitoring, renewal and termination of partnership contracts.
- Provide institutional oversight of the Dubai Campus' and Malaysia Campus' preparations for, and their engagement in, government accreditation and approval events and exercises (MQA, MoE in Malaysia; KHDA in Dubai) at programme and institutional levels, reporting to the University Committee for Quality and Standards.
- Provide specialist, professional advice, guidance and support (regulatory, policy and procedural). to Senor Management, Schools and relevant Professional Services in all aspects related to academic partnerships, accreditation and the quality assurance responsibilities within the postholder's remit.
- Management of committees and groups within the areas of academic partnerships, accreditation and quality assurance.
- Act as the institutional representative on the national specialist interest groups and events, keeping informed of, and contributing to, sector-wide developments, and ensuring that the University is appropriated briefed.
- Co-ordination of external and internal consultations on new policies and procedures, including the drafting of responses to national agencies.
- Deputise for Senior Staff as required at institutional, directorate and divisional levels.
- Undertake any other duties as required by the Head of Academic Quality and/or the Global Director of Student Experience + Academic Registrar
Education, Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- Educated to first degree level or equivalent or equivalent practical experience in the workplace.
- Experience of working in quality assurance, academic partnership and/or accreditation activity, particularly in HE.
- Well-developed knowledge and understanding of the UK higher education sector, including quality assurance and enhancement.
- Ability to develop institutional policies, procedures and processes in response to external developments, both UK and international.
- Experience of direct line management, developing staff and the area of work within their remits.
- Ability to persuade, motivate and lead a team, including setting objectives and managing workload.
- Ability to manage complex and challenging situations.
- Demonstrable initiative and proactive approach.
- Lead and manage significant change projects and change in institutional policies, procedures and processes.
- Excellent interpersonal, influencing and presentation skills, able to understand and communicate complex issues effectively for a range of different audiences and purposes.
- Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately, and to motivate others, in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment.
- Experience of working with a range stakeholders across all levels of the organisation, particularly in collaborating with and advising senior managers.
- Ability to research, analyse and present complex information effectively for different stakeholders and to identify and deliver solutions.
- High level planning and organisational skills, with the ability to progress and successfully deliver both initiatives within the postholder's remit and a diverse range of tasks within the team.
- Demonstrable professional approach, developing excellent customer service.
- Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
- Competent in the use of relevant IT packages.
Desirable
- Professional qualification or membership of professional body such as Association of University Administrators.
- Experience of staff management within quality assurance, accreditation or academic partnerships in Higher Education.
- Experience of working closely with external national and international agencies such as QAA Scotland/UK, CMA, MQA, and QAA.
- Experience of institutional committees and writing minutes, reports and papers for committees.
Special Factors (relevant to specific role)
- Requirement to travel nationally (occasionally) /internationally (once or twice per annum to the Dubai and Malaysia Campuses)
How to Apply
Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Sunday 28th May 2023.
At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.
Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.
Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
