£57,000 - £65,000pa plus Excellent Benefits

Hybrid working with occasional travel to our Coventry Head Office or one of our campuses (Birmingham, Leeds, London or Manchester)  

Full Time Permanent

Read the full job description here

About Arden University
Arden University is an award-winning institution with a bold vision to disrupt the higher education sector. We are passionate about innovation, digital education, and ensuring lifelong learning is accessible to everyone, everywhere. As we expand into new disciplines, forge global partnerships, and open new locations, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.

About the Role
We are looking for an experienced and inspiring Head of Department to lead the Distance Learning offering in our rapidly growing School of Psychology. With a focus on counselling psychology, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping outstanding student experiences and outcomes, as well as developing academic and operational excellence within the department.

Key Responsibilities
As Head of Department, you will:

• Lead and embed innovative teaching, assessment, and feedback practices to drive student success.
• Develop and oversee engaging course content and virtual learning resources that challenge and stretch learners.
• Drive student progression and attainment by delivering outstanding rates of continuation and completion.
• Design programme curriculums aligned to industry standards, preparing students for employment or further study.
• Line manage academic staff, including Senior Lecturers, and ensure team performance aligns with strategic goals.
• Represent Arden University externally, promoting our programmes and values at key events.
• Contribute to teaching and academic activities relevant to your area of expertise.

About You
We are looking for a collaborative, student-centred leader with a strong academic and professional background in Psychology, specifically counselling psychology.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• MSc (or equivalent) in Psychology, with Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) recognised by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
• HE teaching qualification and/or Fellowship (e.g., PG Cert HE, SFHEA, PFHEA, QTLS/QTS).
• Post-Graduate qualification counselling.
• Industry experience in counselling psychology.
• Proven leadership, people management, and team-building skills.
• A successful track record of leading academic programmes, achieving high levels of Student Experience, Outcomes, and Satisfaction (TEF metrics).
• Demonstrated ability to develop innovative environments for teaching, research, and industry-focused activities.

Desirable Skills & Qualifications:

• PhD or equivalent Level 7 qualification.
• Management training or qualifications showcasing leadership capabilities.

Why Arden:
At Arden University, you’ll join a forward-thinking team that values innovation, collaboration, and professional growth. This is your opportunity to shape the future of digital education while contributing to Arden’s mission of transforming lives through accessible learning.  Our staff receive some fantastic benefits, which include:

• 30 days holiday, add the bank holiday on top, and we even throw in Christmas closure
• A generous Aviva pension plan, our contributions start at 7%
• Private Medical Insurance
• Study any Arden course for free, with generous discount for all family and friends
• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education
• Plus, other competitive benefits!
  

Our Values:

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date:  5 January 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.