Associate Director (ACE Programme)

THIS JOB HAS NOW CLOSED

The opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in the strategic leadership of a university wide transformational initiative to create an environment for academic excellence.

Join the University of the Arts London and play a key role in the Academic Capacity and Experience (ACE) programme.

This is a fixed term, 15-month contract, in line with the timeline for the project, and is a career defining opportunity to truly make an impact at a world leading university.

About the ACE programme

The ACE programme is a suite of university-wide transformation projects. It exists to transform the resourcing models that underpin academic delivery across UAL. ACE has a particular focus on creating an environment for excellence in taught course delivery.

The project encompasses the development of new operating models, delivery frameworks, resource allocation tools, and adaptations to the interfacing between the academic business and a range of professional services functions. 

The role

Working closely with the ACE Programme Director, three Project Managers and administrative colleagues, you will be responsible for providing strategic oversight and ownership of relationship management to support the successful delivery of the ACE programme.

Acting as an enabler of change, you will work with a range of teams across UAL and build relationships with key stakeholders, in particular at senior levels, to secure trust and two-way engagement on the ACE programme.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Maintaining strategic oversight of key relationships and successful partnership working between the ACE team and other programme-critical teams
• Developing and maintaining productive working relationships with the programme’s Director, sponsor, steering group, and advisory groups during all phases of the programme lifecycle
• Building relationships with other relevant change programmes across UAL
• Working to ensure that ACE’s activities and outputs are aligned with the university’s strategy
• Taking an active approach in identifying key stakeholders and building and managing those relationships to support the successful delivery of ACE
• Ensuring relevant and appropriate documentation and updates for the ACE project board and steering group are produced to the highest standard

About you

You will need experience of collaborating with senior executive teams within higher education institutions to lead and deliver large-scale projects.

Experience of overseeing relationship management engagement in a complex institution and/or for a complex programme is equally important.

You will also need experience of working on behaviour /culture change campaigns and initiatives, in addition to experience of planning and delivering several major projects simultaneously.

We are UAL

University of the Arts London (UAL) generates and inspires the creativity the world needs for a better future. Since 1842, our colleges have been defining creative education. With curiosity, imagination and intent we make work which creates lasting change for people and our planet. London is core to who we are, a place where we meet and share ideas with people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Our creative network influences learning, culture, industry and society on a global scale. Our academics and practitioners deliver creative education and inspire new ways of thinking through research and innovation. We work with students at every level from pre-degree and short courses to postgraduate and online learning, enabling them to build the careers they want. Together, we are a community of makers, thinkers, pioneers and storytellers redesigning the future.

Our culture

We are a global University, welcoming over 22,000 students and 6,000 staff from 130 countries. We aim to be a university where people can be themselves and feel supported to reach their full potential. That’s why we are proud to be members of the Race Equality Charter (REC) and Business Disability Forum, are a Disability Confident Scheme Committed and Living Wage employer and maintain our status as a Stonewall Diversity Champion.

Application process

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Thus, you will need to create an account and submit an application through our job board. As part of this, you will need to provide a supporting statement/answer some competency questions to demonstrate your suitability. Our recruitment process involves: Application, Shortlisting, Interview and Assessment, Offer, Onboarding.

We understand the benefits of using AI in work. But, if you are thinking of using it to submit an application, we ask you to think about what value it adds. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

If we receive a high volume of applications, the closing day date might close early. We aim to communicate any changes to the closing date with at least 24 hours’ notice. If you have any general questions or have accessibility needs, please refer to our Contact us page.

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