Accountable to the Board of Governors the Vice-Chancellor will provide visionary leadership and strategic direction to the University, ensuring the highest standards of academic excellence, research, and student and staff experience.
Salary: Competitive
Hours: Full time
Contract type: Permanent
Job description
You will refine and implement a compelling, long-term strategy that leverages the University’s strengths and inspires its community to build an Edge Hill that retains its distinct culture while broadening teaching, learning, student experience, research and external engagement capabilities. You will develop and lead a strong Executive team to ensure the University consistently delivers excellence across its core activities, whilst ensuring financial resilience.
Your extensive experience of leading strategic change within a large, complex and values-driven organisation, coupled with your comprehension of the rapidly-evolving digital landscape, will position the University to renew and enhance its educational model to ensure the delivery of transformative outcomes for students, irrespective of their backgrounds. Welfare, student success and student engagement matter deeply to Edge Hill, and you will work to enhance these elements as part of the overarching student experience.
You will inspire colleagues in their commitment to international excellence in research and in the development of research and knowledge exchange that address economic and societal challenges through extended collaboration. Fostering opportunities for our research to drive innovation across the program portfolio and exploring new forms of commercial and academic partnerships are equally essential, as both will contribute to the University’s sustained success.
Edge Hill has invested over £350m to create a sustainable and inspirational campus for students, staff, and local communities. You will build on this legacy, elevating and adapting our campus to provide rich, digitally-enabled environments for our students and staff to thrive.
By immersing yourself in the social mission of the University you will be a compassionate leader who fosters an inclusive and empowering culture, in which all colleagues are motivated and supported to excel, and where academic discourse thrives.
Your passion for the University’s unique role will enable you to serve as a dynamic and credible advocate, representing its interests regionally and nationally, while engaging effectively with colleagues, external stakeholders, regulators, and influencers. Your efforts will continue to build the University’s reputation regionally, nationally, and internationally, positioning Edge Hill as an effective and influential anchor institution.
Your entrepreneurial instincts and financial acumen will build on our sound financial footing and enable diversification of the University’s income streams. This will include further expansion of our academic portfolio and the development of quality strategic collaborations and partnerships, whilst ensuring cost-effective operations.
You will appreciate the power of strong, trust‑based relationships with key stakeholders and will work proactively to build them. You will actively cultivate open, constructive and collaborative engagement with the Governing Body, Regulators and sector influencers. Equally, you will foster purposeful relationships with partners, staff and students, harnessing their insights to strengthen decision-making.
Your personal integrity will ensure the highest standards of governance, supported through productive relationships with the University’s Governing Board, Academic Board and the Students’ Union. You will demonstrate a sound and comprehensive understanding of the HE Regulatory environment and be the University’s Accountable Officer to the Office for Students.
Person specification
- Leadership Excellence: Demonstrable experience of leadership excellence at an executive level within UK higher education.
- Innovative Visionary: Proven ability to convey a compelling vision and create value for students and staff by demonstrably listening and communicating nuanced and complex change in a clear and distinct manner.
- Change Management: A significant track record of leading complex transformational change in a higher education setting, demonstrating the ability to build alignment and momentum across the organisation.
- Higher Education Context: A well-informed and credible sectoral voice in Higher Education. A deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in Higher Education relating to governance, emerging technologies, funding, and markets.
- Financial Acumen: Demonstrable experience in driving financial sustainability and governance while balancing opportunity focused and innovative approaches.
- Risk Management: A strong understanding of current, emerging, and potential risks impacting the University, with the capability to manage them effectively and seize opportunities through calculated risk-taking, while balancing multiple and competing priorities.
- Academic Passion: Active interest in a broad range of academic disciplines, with a strong passion for learning regardless of background, and a genuine enthusiasm to foster creativity. Demonstrate particular understanding of the complexities and opportunities presented by an increasingly digitised environment.
- Mission-Driven: Deep personal alignment with, and the ability to build on, the mission, values, and ambitions of Edge Hill University.
- Inclusive Leadership: An authentic, compassionate and visible leadership style, grounded in strong emotional intelligence, and a commitment to diversity of thought, intellectual curiosity, and constructive challenge. A team player who welcomes the contribution of others.
- Intellectual Stature: Demonstrable credibility as the leader of a higher education institution, with a strong and assured executive presence.
- Relationship Builder: Excellent ambassadorial and relationship building skills, with a proven ability to develop strong partnerships domestically and internationally.
- Bold and Decisive: Bold, decisive and innovative, with the ability to thrive in ambiguous and uncertain environments.
- Resilient and Tenacious: Resilience and tenacity, coupled with the ability to manage emotions under pressure and adapt to setbacks and change.
- Ethical Integrity: High ethical standards and personal integrity.