This senior role within the Future Students directorate, Head of Admissions and Applicant Support (Partnerships & Direct Delivery) has overall responsibility for the quality and effectiveness of the applicant journey and formal admissions processes for our partnership provision and the universities direct delivery sites.
You will be responsible for all aspects of service design, including statutory, legal and regulatory compliance dimensions relating to Partnership & direct delivery site Admissions at Bath Spa University.
You will lead the development, delivery, and continuous improvement of admissions services for our partnership and direct delivery provision. Working closely with the Director and senior colleagues, you will shape admissions strategy, policies, and procedures to ensure an inclusive, compliant, and high-quality applicant experience that supports institutional growth and student success. You will provide inspirational leadership to specialist admissions teams, oversee complex admissions operations across multiple intakes, and act as the senior decision-maker for partnership admissions.
The role requires extensive knowledge of the higher education admissions landscape, including regulatory requirements such as OfS, UKVI, HESA, and the Fair Admissions Code, alongside a strong focus on service excellence, data integrity, qualifications mapping, and process improvement. You will build and maintain effective relationships with franchise partners, direct delivery sites, and internal stakeholders, using data, sector insight, and evidence-based practice to inform strategic decision-making and enhance applicant conversion. As the University's lead for partnership admissions, you will represent the institution across key committees and external networks, deliver training and guidance to colleagues and partners, and drive innovation to ensure admissions services remain responsive, efficient, and aligned with evolving sector expectations and University priorities.
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Extensive experience / understanding of leading partnership Admissions, including UK and international markets.
- Experience of leading and motivating a high-performing Admissions teams to achieve targets and deliver excellent customer / applicant service along with being agile and embracing change.
- Experience of using applicant and student record databases ensuring data is collected and safely stored efficiently and effectively.
- Experience of producing and delivering high level reports and presentations to senior stakeholders ensuring it is clear and digestible in its format.
- Experience of working with recruitment Agents in relation to recruitment and admissions. Ensuring all activity is regularly reviewed and in line with sector / government polices to ensure the university remains effective and compliant in its usage.
- Experience of being the institutional lead for Admissions in staying abreast of current sector trends and challenges with the function and ensure the team are fully sighted and trained accordingly
- A relevant postgraduate or professional qualification
- Experience of leading on institutional change ensuring teams are both clear and motivated to maintain an excellent service.
For further information on the essential and desirable skills we’re looking for, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Salary Grade 8A - Starting from £48,823 rising to £56,536 per annum
The salary range shows the potential maximum pay progression in addition to any annual inflationary increase to your pay. Please note that our default position is to appoint into the lower end of the range, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Location: Bath/London depending on the candidate.
Interview Date: 1st September 2026
Staff Benefits
We offer a wide range of great benefits at BSU, including
- Generous pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme/Teacher's Pension Scheme). This is a defined benefit pension scheme which pays members a secure income for life, post-retirement
- Enhanced paid leave - 41 - 46 days depending on the role (Full Time) - more details here: https://apphub.bathspa.ac.uk/StaffBenefits
- Family friendly policies including hybrid working, flexible work environment, on-site nursery, and a sector-leading enhanced maternity scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme which offers access to on-demand GP appointments, wellbeing support and advice, and access to counselling
- Transport schemes including Electric Vehicle Scheme and Cycle to Work
- Wide range of discounts and financial benefits, accessed through and easy-to-use app
For further details about all our staff benefits, have a look at our rewards page: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/work-at-bath-spa/rewards-and-benefits/
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
At Bath Spa University, we believe in the power of education to break down barriers to opportunity and to transform lives. We are the Professionally Creative for the future. Professional Creativity transcends subject disciplines, and is just as important for our sciences, education, business and law subjects as it is for our sector leading creative industries provision. We connect learners, staff and external partners with applied research and innovation. We power inclusive growth through skills development and practice based, innovation – intensive learning for all.
Our main Newton park campus is based in stunning countryside just a few minutes from a World Heritage City. We are also proud to offer courses to students at our other campuses around Bath, and in London at our Canary Wharf and Hackney sites.
An impressive 84% of our staff said they would recommend the University to a friend as a good place to work.
We are a community of colleagues, striving for excellence to ensure students thrive. Our values are:
- Respect
- Inclusivity
- Collaboration
- Sustainability
We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community. We foster inclusivity, celebrating and respecting differences. We welcome diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds and genders. We consider our recruitment practices to be comprehensive and unbiased; ensuring fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity for all.
