Salary: £75,000 - £110,000 per annum

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: The Provost / Chief Academic Officer

Department: Academic Office

Click here to read the full job description and view our excellent benefits here

This role operates primarily on a remote working arrangement that will require occasional travel into our Coventry head office and Campus locations. Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

About Arden University:

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

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

About our Department:

The Academic Office at Arden University plays an important role in supporting academic governance, quality assurance, and student success. The department oversees key processes such as programme validation and approval, policy development, regulatory compliance, and assessment management.

Working closely with faculties, professional services, and external regulatory bodies, the Academic Office ensures that Arden’s academic standards align with sector benchmarks and accreditation requirements. It is also responsible for enhancing student experience by maintaining fair and transparent academic policies, supporting assessment boards, and facilitating effective learning and teaching practices.

About the Opportunity:

The Director of Artificial Intelligence (Academic) will provide strategic, academic, and operational leadership for the responsible, ethical, and pedagogically robust integration of Artificial Intelligence across the University’s academic portfolio. This senior role shapes how AI enhances curriculum design, assessment strategy, student experience, academic development, and learning analytics, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements, academic standards, and institutional priorities.

This is an academic leadership position—not a technical IT role. The focus is on learning, teaching, quality enhancement, and delivering improved student outcomes through thoughtful, evidence‑based adoption of AI in higher education.

Key responsibilities:

• Enhance and deliver a University wide AI Academic Strategy aligned to institutional priorities and growth ambitions.

• Oversee the development of the Applied AI Academy.

• Lead the integration of AI-enabled learning approaches across undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes to enhance classroom engagement.

• Establish principles for AI-informed assessment design that protects academic integrity while promoting authentic learning.

• Establish strategic partnerships with AI/EdTech organisations.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of AI‑enhanced education at a strategic level. You will influence academic practice across the University, lead sector‑leading innovation, and play a pivotal role in preparing students and staff for an AI‑enabled future.

About You:

Essential Criteria:

• Doctorate or equivalent professional standing.

• Senior leadership experience in higher education (e.g. Associate Dean, Director, Head of School).

• Experience in leading AI or digital transformation initiatives in an academic context.

• Demonstrable experience in curriculum innovation and academic transformation.

• Strong understanding of:
- OfS regulation (including B3)
- Academic governance
- Assessment design
- Learning analytics

• Experience in leading cross-institutional change programmes.

• Evidence of delivering measurable improvements in student outcomes.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience with blended and distance learning models at scale.

• Professional recognition (e.g., PFHEA, or relevant fellowship).

Why Arden:

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!

• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%

• SimplyHealth plan option

• Private Medical Insurance

• Access to Perkbox benefits

• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends

• Plus, other excellent benefits

• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education
  

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: Sunday 22nd March

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.

Sponsorship statement:

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the points-based immigration system. However, we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.