Associate Dean - Faculty of Foundation Studies

Salary: £87,975

London weighting: £4,000 per annum (If applicable)

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Dean of Faculty of Foundation Studies

Faculty: Foundation Studies

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

This role operates on a hybrid working arrangement that will involve a split between remote working and working on site at one of our UK campuses. This may fluctuate in line with business requirements. 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, by leading the thoughtful integration of AI into teaching and learning and equipping our students to thrive in an AI-enabled world.

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 Faculty

The Faculty of Foundation Studies is Arden University’s academic gateway into higher education, supporting students from admission and induction through to achievement, progression and future success. Bringing together Foundation Year, Foundation Degree, new-student induction and academic admissions activity, the Faculty provides accessible and inclusive pathways for students from a wide range of educational, personal and professional backgrounds.

Our purpose is to widen participation while ensuring every student is prepared to succeed. We combine subject knowledge with academic, digital and professional skills, helping students build confidence, develop a strong sense of belonging and progress successfully into further study or employment. Our teaching is applied, supportive and career-focused, with clear links between learning, assessment, workplace practice and students’ future ambitions.

You will join a large, collaborative and growing academic community committed to excellent teaching, inclusive curriculum design and evidence-informed student support. This is an exciting time to join the Faculty as we develop discipline-aligned Foundation Year routes, expand our Foundation Degree portfolio and embed employability, enterprise and responsible use of AI across the student experience.

About the Opportunity:

This is an exciting opportunity to join Arden University’s academic leadership team as Associate Dean (Academic Programmes and Student Success), helping shape the future of the Faculty and deliver our ambitious vision for higher education. Working closely with the Dean, you will translate strategic priorities into meaningful action, driving excellence in student experience, academic outcomes and faculty performance. You will champion innovation, use data and insight to drive continuous improvement, and build strong partnerships across the University and beyond. With the opportunity to lead in areas such as academic programmes, student success, research and enterprise, or external engagement, you will play a key role in strengthening our academic community and transforming opportunities for our students.

About You:

We are looking for an experienced and forward-thinking academic leader with a strong commitment to academic excellence, student success and innovation. You will bring a clear strategic vision, the ability to lead complex change and a proven track record of developing teams and improving outcomes across higher education.

Essential requirements:

• A Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline, with a strong record of research, scholarly activity or pedagogic practice.

• Recognised higher education teaching qualification and/or professional recognition (e.g. PG Cert HE, FHEA, SFHEA, PFHEA, QTS or QTLS).

• Significant senior-level academic leadership and management experience within higher education, including quality assurance and accreditation.

• Proven success in leading Faculty-wide initiatives that improve student experience, student outcomes and academic quality.

• Strong understanding of higher education policy, sector challenges, teaching and assessment practices, and digital learning technologies.

• Experience leading and developing diverse teams, managing complex change and supporting staff recruitment and development.

• Ability to use data, performance metrics and student feedback to inform strategic decisions and drive continuous improvement.

• A strong record of achievement in education, research, professional practice or knowledge exchange.

• Excellent strategic planning, analytical, communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence at all levels.

Desirable requirements:

• A PhD or other Level 7 qualification.

• Professor status in a relevant discipline.

• A management qualification or training demonstrating leadership capability.

• Evidence of playing a key role in the development and delivery of high-quality academic programmes.

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 coverage (applies to certain job roles)

• 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: 12th November

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.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Student Experience roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.

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.