Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Applied Technology

Salary: £100,000 - £120,000 per annum

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Provost / Chief Academic Officer

Department: Academic Affairs

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

This role operates on a hybrid working arrangement that will require regular attendance at Arden Campuses and other locations as required. 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:

As Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology, you will provide strategic and academic leadership for one of Arden University's largest and most dynamic academic communities. Reporting to the Provost and Chief Academic Officer, you will be accountable for the Faculty's performance, student outcomes, teaching quality, academic standards, people leadership and financial sustainability.

Leading through Heads of School and the wider Faculty leadership team, you will translate institutional strategy into clear priorities and measurable results. You will use evidence and insight to drive continuous improvement, ensuring students receive an outstanding experience across blended, online and campus-based learning environments.

As a senior academic leader, you will work collaboratively across the University and externally with employers, professional bodies and sector partners to enhance the Faculty's reputation, strengthen employability outcomes and ensure the portfolio remains innovative, inclusive and relevant to future workforce needs.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced academic leader to shape the future of social sciences and technology education in a growing, digitally enabled university committed to widening participation and transforming lives through education.

About You:

You will be an accomplished and credible academic leader with significant experience operating at Dean, Head of School, Associate Dean or equivalent level within higher education. You have a proven track record of delivering improvements in student outcomes, teaching quality, academic performance and organisational effectiveness.

A strategic thinker with strong commercial and operational awareness, you will be comfortable using complex academic, workforce and financial data to inform decision-making and drive results. You will have experience leading large-scale change, developing high-performing teams and creating a culture of accountability, inclusion and continuous improvement.

You will bring a strong understanding of the UK higher education landscape, including academic quality, governance and regulatory requirements. Equally importantly, you will be passionate about delivering exceptional student experiences and embracing innovation in learning, teaching and assessment, including the responsible use of digital technologies and AI.

As an influential communicator, you will build effective relationships across diverse stakeholder groups and will be motivated by the opportunity to contribute to the wider success of the University while enhancing the impact and reputation of your Faculty.

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%

• BUPA Cash Plan

• 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: Wednesday 30th September

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, or fulfil the criteria we have for providing sponsorship.  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.