Head of Quality and Standards

Overview

In this role you will lead the University’s Quality & Standards function, ensuring robust academic quality assurance and enhancement while maintaining regulatory compliance. You will provide strategic direction for quality activity, governance, and risk management across academic programmes and oversight bodies. You will collaborate with senior colleagues to drive continuous improvement and reduce bureaucracy. This is a pivotal position for shaping institutional quality and supporting an outstanding student experience. The role offers the opportunity to influence the university’s strategic ambitions through principled, solution-focused leadership.

Pay / Benefits

• sector-leading salary
• pension scheme
• comprehensive staff training and development
• focus on equality, diversity and inclusion

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for academic quality and standards, including programme approval/modification, periodic review, and quality monitoring
• Oversee governance arrangements, risk identification and management related to quality and standards
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and external quality expectations
• Manage external examiner processes and academic regulations
• Support continuous improvement of quality assurance processes while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy
• Collaborate with senior academic and professional services colleagues to deliver an outstanding academic experience
• Lead teams and deliver complex projects in a fast-paced environment
• Communicate effectively with diverse academic and professional communities to influence and build relationships

Key requirements

• Substantial experience of quality assurance and academic governance in higher education
• Strong understanding of the UK regulatory environment and sector expectations
• Working knowledge of quality frameworks and external quality requirements
• Experience in managing teams, driving service improvement, and delivering complex projects
• Exceptional communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills
• Collaborative, pragmatic approach with sound judgement and attention to detail
• Commitment to service excellence

• exceptional communication
• stakeholder management
• leadership
• quality assurance frameworks
• academic governance
• programme approvals and modifications

…