The Role of Pro-Vice Chancellor

Reports to: Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost

Direct Reports: Deputy Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellors; Heads of School; related Professors.

As a Pro Vice Chancellor you will: 

• Work closely with the University Executive shaping and delivering the University’s Vision, Strategy and supporting plans
• Provide strategic, disciplinary and wider leadership and vision for the faculty and its academic departments, leading and promoting cross University working and strategic external partnerships, enabling empowered people to succeed and be the best they can, and supporting an inclusive, innovative and high performing culture
• Lead and direct the faculty’s activities and drives performance to achieve transformational change within the context of the University’s Vision, Strategy, plans, policies and procedures
  
  
  

Role Responsibilities 

• Lead translation of the University’s Vision and Strategy to develop and deliver the Faculty’s Plan
• Responsible for the overall performance of the faculty, including all aspects of academic provision, achieving targets and objectives for the Faculty and University, and for the management, leadership and effective deployment of the faculty’s resources and estate.
• Foster innovation and agility in all aspects of the faculty’s activity, ensuring the faculty is committed to high-quality, professional standards.
• Lead Faculty understanding and implementation of university policies and procedures – in areas such as financial management, workload allocation, engagement and partnership activity, student learning experience, research and knowledge exchange, internationalisation, etc. 
• Drive Faculty strategic contribution to the Research Excellence Framework (REF), Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) working closely with Deputy PVCs and Heads of School, ensuring quality and academic excellence lie at the heart of them. 
• Work with Heads of School, providing strategic oversight to academic recruitment plans and appointments to ensure high quality candidates. This includes quality assuring shortlists and chairing interview panels for Associate Professor and Professor roles.
  
  
  

Leadership Responsibilities 

• Lead and demonstrate Northumbria’ s Values and Behavior
• Lead, support, develop and performance manage direct reports and other colleagues where appropriate. 
• Lead and engage all colleagues with the University’s Vision, Strategy and plans, promoting cross university working and building a culture of collaboration and inclusivity. 
• Work with the Chief Financial Officer to take collective responsibility with the University Executive for the financial sustainability of the University, exercising personal financial leadership and accountability for devolved budgets in line with the University’s Financial Regulations. 
• Take collective responsibility with the University Executive for leading the quality and standard of the core activities of Education and Research.
• Take action to inform, implement and embed University policies, decisions and statutory requirements, e.g., Health and Safety, Wellbeing, Legal, Equality Diversity and Inclusion, IT, local estate planning, etc.  
• Participate in appropriate internal and external professional groups to develop networks and strategic partnerships, influence policy decision makers and share good practice within and beyond Higher Education to grow Northumbria’ s outlook, stature and global impact. 
• Chair relevant University groups and committees and lead and/or engage with cross university strategic projects and developments as required.  
• Share responsibility with the University Executive to respond to major incidents.
  
  
  

Knowledge, Experience and Skills for Success 

• PhD
• An exceptional academic evidencing a high level of personal credibility and standing in a discipline relevant to the faculty and the academic credibility to lead the faculty, demonstrated through a strong track record in research and delivering teaching excellence.
• Knowledge of UK Higher Education and current policy developments, and the ability to think strategically about the future of the faculty in the context of the University’s Strategy and the changing external environment.
• Significant leadership and management experience at a senior level in a large and complex HEI (ideally research intensive), with diverse groups of staff, and a sound grasp of how to manage academic success. 
• Demonstrable success in driving transformational change from developing vision to implementation in a complex environment.
• Strong analytical skills and an understanding of the financial dynamics of Higher Education and of the drivers that lead to optimizing performance. Ability to manage, encourage and deliver effective communication and engagement activities in multi-stakeholder environments. 
• Ability to learn and understand academic content and specialities in diverse areas. 
• Complex budget management experience and experience of Higher Education or public sector financial accountability.      
• Ability to evidence a leadership style aligned with Northumbria’s Values and Behaviours.