Job purpose
The Director of Teaching and Learning provides strategic and academic leadership for teaching, learning, curriculum delivery, academic quality enhancement and student academic outcomes across UHE UK. The postholder leads the academic delivery structure of the campus, with line management responsibility for the Programme Leader(s) (Domestic) and Programme Leader(s) (International), and oversight of Module Leaders and Lecturers through those roles.
Working within the campus leadership structure led by the Campus Director, the Director of Teaching and Learning is responsible for ensuring that teaching and learning are academically robust, inclusive, student-centred and aligned with the requirements of the awarding body, the Office for Students, relevant quality frameworks and institutional expectations.
The role is distinct from the Campus Manager. The Campus Manager leads the operational delivery of professional services, student administration and campus operations. The Director of Teaching and Learning leads the academic dimension of the student experience: curriculum oversight, teaching quality, assessment standards, academic enhancement, academic staff leadership and student success.
Strategic academic leadership
- Lead the development and implementation of the campus teaching, learning and academic enhancement strategy in line with institutional priorities and partner university expectations.
- Provide visible academic leadership for curriculum delivery, pedagogic quality, assessment standards and student academic success across all programmes.
- Support the Campus Director in shaping the academic direction of the campus and in aligning provision with growth, quality and student outcome priorities.
- Promote a culture of high expectations, continuous improvement, inclusivity and academic integrity across the teaching team.
Leadership of academic staff and programme structure
- Line-manage and support the Programme Leader(s) (Domestic) and Programme Leader(s) (International), ensuring effective academic leadership across both areas of provision.
- Oversee the effectiveness of Module Leaders and Lecturers through the programme leadership structure, ensuring clarity of expectations, accountability and academic standards.
- Lead academic workload planning in conjunction with Programme Leaders and the Campus Director to ensure appropriate teaching cover, module leadership and assessment capacity.
- Contribute to the recruitment, induction, performance review and professional development of academic staff.
- Coach and develop academic leaders to strengthen module oversight, student engagement, assessment practice and curriculum enhancement.
Teaching, learning and curriculum oversight
- Oversee the academic delivery of taught provision across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, ensuring coherence, quality and an excellent student learning experience.
- Ensure that teaching approaches are pedagogically sound, inclusive, digitally enabled and appropriate to the needs of domestic and international cohorts.
- Lead oversight of curriculum delivery, ensuring modules are taught in line with approved specifications, learning outcomes and academic regulations.
- Support Programme Leaders and Module Leaders in the review and enhancement of teaching materials, learning design and academic support approaches.
- Provide leadership for cross-programme enhancement initiatives, including transition support, academic literacies, employability-linked learning and dissertation readiness.
Assessment, standards and academic quality
- Provide academic leadership for assessment design, moderation, feedback quality and standardisation, ensuring consistency and fairness across programmes.
- Ensure that academic standards are maintained in line with awarding body requirements and internal quality assurance expectations.
- Oversee module and programme monitoring, annual review, external examiner engagement and action planning for continuous improvement.
- Lead academic responses to quality findings, student feedback, external examiner comments and performance data.
- Work with academic and professional services colleagues to ensure effective operation of boards, assessment processes and academic decision-making.
Student academic outcomes and academic experience
- Take strategic responsibility for student academic outcomes, including continuation, progression, attainment, completion and dissertation readiness.
- Lead academic initiatives to improve student engagement, belonging, academic confidence and success, particularly for diverse and international student cohorts.
- Use data and evidence to identify risks to student performance and to drive targeted academic interventions.
- Oversee academic responses to student surveys, module evaluation and feedback relating to teaching and learning.
- Champion inclusive academic practice and ensure that students receive a high-quality, well-supported and academically stretching learning experience.
Quality, compliance and partnership working
- Ensure academic delivery remains aligned with awarding body requirements, institutional policies and external regulatory expectations.
- Work closely with partner university colleagues, the Campus Director, the Campus Manager and central quality teams on academic quality, enhancement and partnership requirements.
- Support readiness for audits, reviews, monitoring activity and partnership reporting by ensuring that academic evidence, actions and oversight are robust.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of academic policies, procedures and enhancement frameworks as required.
- Ensure that academic practice reflects relevant expectations in relation to equality, diversity, inclusion, academic integrity and student protection.
Professional development and teaching excellence
- Lead and promote continuing professional development in teaching, assessment, curriculum design and student support for academic staff.
- Oversee peer observation, developmental review and other teaching enhancement processes.
- Encourage scholarly activity, reflective practice and the sharing of effective practice across the teaching team.
- Promote innovation in learning, teaching and assessment, including effective and responsible use of digital tools and emerging technologies.
General responsibilities
- Promote safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the role.
- Undertake other duties commensurate with the seniority of the post as reasonably required by the Campus Director.
- Act at all times in a manner that supports the values, reputation and academic standards of UHE UK and its partner institutions.
Statutory requirements
- Eligibility to live and work in the UK.
- Appropriate DBS disclosure or willingness to obtain this where required.
Qualifications
- A Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant academic discipline.
- A recognised teaching qualification and/or Fellowship of Advance HE, or willingness to achieve this.
- PhD or doctoral-level qualification.
- Management or leadership qualification relevant to higher education.
Experience
- Significant experience of academic leadership or management within higher education.
- Experience of leading or managing teaching teams and improving the quality of teaching and learning.
- Experience of curriculum delivery and oversight at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level.
- Experience of academic quality assurance, enhancement and compliance with relevant regulatory or awarding body requirements.
- Experience of using student performance, progression and feedback data to drive improvement.
- Experience of working with diverse student cohorts, including international students.
- Experience of programme validation or reapproval activity.
- Experience within a collaborative provision or partner delivery environment.
- Experience of leading provision across both domestic and international student cohorts.
Knowledge and skills
- Strong understanding of the UK higher education environment, including academic quality, standards and student outcomes.
- Strong pedagogic knowledge, including inclusive teaching, assessment and student transition into higher education.
- Ability to lead, motivate and influence academic staff and academic leaders.
- Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
- Highly developed organisational, planning and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to interpret data and translate insight into effective academic action.
- Strong digital capability, including confidence with VLEs and technology-enhanced learning.
- Knowledge of Office for Students and QAA-related expectations within higher education provision.
- Experience of designing or leading academic enhancement frameworks.
Personal qualities
- A student-centred and academically focused leadership style.
- Commitment to academic excellence, student success and continuous improvement.
- High levels of professional integrity and sound academic judgement.
- Collaborative and supportive approach to leadership and team development.
- Resilience and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience of leading change and embedding new academic initiatives successfully.
This job description is provided as a guide to the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive description of duties and responsibilities and may be subject to periodic revision.
Oxford International is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. This role involves working with children and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Oxford International is an equal opportunity employer. Every applicant and employee has the same opportunities regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date should we receive a high volume of suitable applications. We therefore encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible.
Oxford International Education Group is a renowned institution dedicated to providing exceptional educational experiences to international students. With a global presence and a commitment to academic excellence, we strive to empower students to achieve their full potential and thrive in a dynamic, interconnected world. We are proud of our culture and have recently been officially certified as a Great Place to Work ©!
