JOB DESCRIPTION Job title Grade College Responsible to Responsible for Liaison with Professor and Director of Research Management Professional Services PVC/Dean Providing academic leadership Head of Schools and Heads of Departments, academics in School and other staff at UEL JOB PURPOSE: Responsible to the PVC/Dean for promoting and coordinating research, knowledge transfer, and community engagement within the College. To establish and maintain recognition of the College as a centre of excellence in research, knowledge transfer and community engagement, while representing an external face of the College for networks within relevant business sectors, community organisations, industry and HE sector. To promote and represent the College at university level as required. The post holder will also make a significant contribution to the strategy for the postgraduate taught programmes in the College. MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Lead for the College in the University s corporate goals and strategic aims in research, partnership working and community engagement. 2. Lead on the development of an effective strategy for the postgraduate taught portfolio for the College that fits with the College plan to oversee the development and design of a series of new programmes at postgraduate level. 3. Ensure that appropriate strategies and policies are in place to enable the College to recruit and retain excellent researchers. 1
4. Develop an active research culture that fosters the highest achievements, encourages innovation and enriches the student learning experience. 5. In collaboration with central support services, to capture detailed information of all research undertaken in the College and to identify funding and knowledge transfer opportunities. 6. In collaboration with appropriate centres and services, to maintain and develop external partnerships in the private, public and third sectors, identifying opportunities for career development relationships for students, and research and enterprise opportunities for staff. To capture detailed information of such activity where necessary to maintain the relationship and to share good practice. 7. In collaboration with appropriate centres and services, to maintain and develop the College s community engagement activities and to build networks for students and staff in conjunction with the University corporate plan. 8. Liaise with marketing and corporate communication at UEL to maximise the exposure of research and associated activities. 9. Appraise and advise staff on personal research plans. 10. Promote research links, external partnerships and enterprise opportunities, and community engagement engaging staff and students within the College and across the University, and with external organisations. 11. In collaboration with the central support services, to evolve strategies to grow College research and enterprise income in line with the College plan. 12. Implement university-wide strategies and policies for research and to maximise the impact of research performed within the College. 13. Identify new research, enterprise, network and community engagement opportunities that have potential for significant growth and to liaise as required on grant and contract submissions. 14. Prepare the College case for University investment in resources, including capital resources, to grow research, and community engagement capabilities. 2
15. Leverage internal peer review mechanisms to strengthen the quality of the College research base and to nurture a culture and environment that promotes research, external networks, business and professional links and engagement in all the College s subjects. 16. Encourage academics to engage in multi-disciplinary research within the College, and across the University, and externally with other organisations. 17. Disseminate and implement good research practice across the College. 18. Work with the PVC/Dean, Head of Schools, Heads of Departments and Research Centres to ensure the strongest possible submissions to the Research Excellence Framework. 19. Ensure consideration of any issues referred to the College Research Committee/s by relevant University committees. 20. Formulate College responses to consultation papers relating to research, external networks and community engagement. 21. Lead, in liaison with the Head of Schools, Heads of Departments, in the development of the portfolio of activities across the School. 22. Assist the PVC/Dean, Head of Schools and Heads of Departments in developing appropriate action plans that align with University strategy and work with the College Senior Management Team to deliver these plans. 23. Contribute to the annual planning cycle and the production of the College plan. 24. Work with research centres in the College to ensure that they are contributing to the research culture of the College. 25. Carry out periodic reviews of research centres in the College. 26. Ensure that research, enterprise and external facing activities are undertaken in accordance with the governance, policy and regulatory frameworks of the University. 27. Chair the College Research Committee and to serve on or chair other Committees, working parties and groups in the College as required. 3
28. Represent the College on committees, working parties and groups of the University as required. 29. Maintain an individual academic profile, in research and in contributing to teaching and other work in an appropriate subject area in the College. The contributions here to be agreed with the PVC/Dean annually. 30. Undertake any other activities assigned from time to time by the Vice- Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor or the PVC/Dean. 4
PERSON SPECIFICATION PROFESSOR & DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: Essential criteria 1. PhD, professional doctorate and/or professional qualifications and relevant experience, which reflect the nature of the appointment. KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: Essential criteria 2. A personal research contribution and reputation appropriate to a research lead, with experience of Research Excellence Framework submission in line with a relevant Unit of Assessment. 3. Commitment to building networks with business and the professions, and skills associated with maintaining such relationships. 4. Good interpersonal skills and experience of communicating effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders. 5. Experience of contributing change in an organisation and developing a positive culture in the working environment. 6. Experience of instilling a research culture and supporting and motivating academics to increase and improve their research output, particularly in relation to the REF 7. Understanding of the issues involved in successfully integrating high-quality teaching, research, and business development activities within an academic setting especially modern university. 8. Demonstrable experience of working effectively with external agencies, as appropriate to the role. 9. Experience of effective line management. 5
10. A personal academic record of significant achievements, relevant experience at a senior level inside higher education. SKILLS AND ABILITIES: Essential criteria 11. The ability to lead and influence, including the ability to chair formal and informal meetings. 12. A strong, demonstrable commitment to working with and encouraging diversity and equality Appendix 1 Applicants for the title of Professor Applicants who are interested in applying for the title of professor should submit a case statement as part of their applications which indicates their experience and highlights specific aspects of their CV, conscious that the recruitment and selection panel will be interested in the quality of the submission as well as the quantity. The criteria listed below are not intended to be exhaustive and may vary depending on the applicant's discipline and the panel may appoint someone solely on their contribution under (A), (B), (C) or (D) below, or a combination of two or three of those categories. A. CONTRIBUTION TO RESEARCH AND SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY The successful candidate will demonstrate research achievement of high distinction with international recognition. (It is desirable but not essential to have a PhD in applying for promotion Professor). Please note that research and scholarly work yet to be published or in preparation needs to be referred to in a separate section of your application titled Work in Progress. Such work will not be regarded by the Panel as more than indicative and will have secondary consideration compared to your published and reviewed work. Research profile with significant and substantial output of international quality Demonstration of external impact of research that has reach and significance; joint or sole authorship of research publications, publications in refereed journals, and other articles, papers and conference proceedings, particularly with regard to the status of the publication and the role of referees in its assessment; other nationally/internationally recognised research-based articles in refereed publications; exhibitions, performances; 6
Evidence of external grant support: publication of book(s); regular presentations of research findings at major national/international conferences; organisation of major international or national academic conferences/meetings; award of medals, prizes or other academic distinctions by learned societies. evidence of a successful track record in bidding activity; external research grant support: information to include indications of support received from Research Council / other funding bodies, including grading of grant applications; formal evaluations of final grant reports; involvement of work with research funding bodies. Successful supervision of researchers/research students Evidence of external contributions at a local or national level to the subject and/or professional bodies and /or external esteem: status within the subject/profession, e.g. to be recognised as an expert member of a specified field/profession both at a national and international level; professional activity: e.g. membership of national/international professional panels and panels; exhibitions and performances of work; invited addresses to professional national/international meetings and conferences, including keynote/plenary sessions; experience of membership of editorial board(s); refereeing of articles for peer-reviewed academic journals; refereeing of grant applications by research councils and other major funding bodies; contribution to the public understanding of the subject. B. CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER, ENTERPRISE AND INNOVATION significant evidence of successful track record in bidding activity; a significant track record of successfully generating income for UEL from consultancy, business and public sector contracts or professional development activities key contribution to the successful commercialisation of patents, inventions and any other exploitable intellectual property; involvement in work that has made a significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge and/or its application to the subject area/professional practice/policy-making at a national/international level; 7
Significant contribution to the enhancement of professional policy or practice which impacts at local, regional and natation level An influential role in external professional, policy or decision making bodies at local, regional or international level; Significant contribution to public understanding of the subject at a national/international level; Significant contribution to capacity building in east London and wider communities; Initiation and sustained productive relationships with external bodies and local, regional, national or international level A leading role in a successful a spin-out company for UEL that is of benefit to the local, regional or national community; enrichment; A leading role in developing enterprise and innovation activities; Significant contribution to culture and cultural enrichment; A leading role in collaborations with other organisations, such as education providers, business and industry. C. CONTRIBUTON TO LEARNING AND TEACHING The successful candidate will demonstrate achievement in learning and teaching of high distinction with national and/or international recognition as follows: Evidence of significant contribution to the pedagogy of the subject/professional practice: involvement in learning and teaching at a national/international level, for example conducting workshops or specialist courses in universities outside the UK; conference presentations on pedagogy; contributions, e.g. books, articles or development of computer schemes, that have shaped the way in which the subject is taught nationally or have been adopted internationally; contribution to a professional organisation or learned society; collaboration - examples of teaching and research across subject and disciplinary boundaries that demonstrate a contribution to interdisciplinary/ professional education; external examining; contributions to national or international curriculum and pedagogy debate. Evidence of significant teaching innovation and /or course development: development of new teaching materials or methodologies influencing the pedagogy of the subject; contribution to the development of new approaches to course design, learning and teaching and assessment practice which may have been adopted internationally; 8
contributions, e.g. books, articles or the development of computer schemes, that have shaped the way in which the subject is taught at UEL; acting as an innovator/champion in Learning and Teaching. Evidence of significant scholarship related to learning and teaching: joint or sole authorship of books, publications in refereed journals, and other articles, papers and conference proceedings, particularly with regard to the status of the publication and the role of referees in its assessment; development and/or design of learning and teaching resources; evidence of obtaining external funding for learning and teaching developments. Evidence of a high level of teaching quality as indicated by quantifiable measures and confirmed by the school: a reflective, reasoned and innovatory approach to teaching, course design, assessment and evaluation; familiarity with, and use of, theory and publications on learning and teaching in higher education; commitment to quality of teaching ; explicit attention to meeting the needs of individual students; use of student feedback to evaluate and develop teaching; development and/or use of peer assessment of teaching; evidence of successful assessment of teaching by students and peers; commitment to the development of the teaching skills of other staff in the School; evidence of commitment to continuing professional development. Evidence of clinical teaching, if appropriate: evidence of clinical relevance, demonstrated by linking teaching with evidence based health care. D. CONTRIBUTION TO ADMINISTRATIVE/ ACADEMIC MANAGEMENT Enhancing UEL s reputation or profile, supporting our Corporate Plan for 2015 2020: the initiation or maintenance of significant links between UEL and national/international groups, organisations and businesses and the community; significant involvement in academic quality assurance at external institutions; 9
advising government bodies; significant involvement in the enhancement of UEL s profile for promoting equality and diversity. Contribution to inter-disciplinary or University administration: excellent and substantial contribution to management and policy formation at School, University, national and international level; significant and substantial contribution to planning, governance and academic management; significant and substantial contribution to staff/student processes; sustained ability to influence, stimulate and inspire staff and students. Leadership and senior level management: successful project management for large projects including interdisciplinary groups that have a national/international profile; excellent academic leadership with the proven ability to lead, develop and motivate colleagues to achieve Subject/School/UEL objectives; financial management for large projects or interdisciplinary groups, with a national/international impact; leadership and co-ordination of large University projects, with national/international significance; A leading role in public and community engagement. 10