Director of Assessment Organisation and Delivery Candidate Pack
The University of Law (ULaw) is one of the world’s largest law schools. With an impressive history dating back to 1876, the University employs over 900 staff and has over 14,000 students studying on their undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, along with an alumni network in excess of 100,000. They were the first-ever independent institution to be granted degree awarding powers and in 2012 gained university title. With a rich heritage and a reputation for innovation and contemporary teaching practices, the University continuously focuses on developing the best legal and business minds. In 2016, they opened their leading Business School, further enhancing their reputation as a full service legal, business and educational training specialist, operating from campuses throughout the UK, Berlin and Hong Kong and an Online campus. What really sets them apart from other universities is the guiding principle that future lawyers and business leaders should learn in a realistic, professional and contemporary context, with plenty of practical interactive engagement. That’s why they keep their contact hours high and their teaching groups small. Over the past 5 years the University has doubled student enrolments and continues to grow. They are extremely ambitious and plan to expand and diversify both in the UK and worldwide. As they have grown, the continuing enhancement of their brand and reputation for teaching quality and student satisfaction has been at the core of everything that they do. Whilst their legacy and identity as a specialist legal education provider remains central to who they are, they have successfully diversified their offering into business and accounting dis- ciplines, with a rapidly expanding suite of programmes delivered in their UK and overseas campuses. They plan to expand their portfolio into new applied and professionally accredited disciplines. As a pri- vate university, they are agile and innovative, anticipating the future needs of their students, their client firms and society as a whole. In 2020 their student recruitment exceeded 10,000 for the first time in their history and, whilst they remain a predominantly postgraduate university, their undergraduate numbers are also growing strongly. In 2020 they were ranked 1st for overall student satisfaction in England in the National Student Survey. Their success is driven by their reputation as a specialist university of the highest quality, offering students a unique and practice-led learning experience.
BACKGROUND
Vision and Strategic Plan
Vision and mission
In 2025 we will be the leading global university of law, business and the professions with a network of online and worldwide locations. Digital technology will enable us to offer unparalleled flexibility, based around cutting edge facilities and environments, further removing geographical barriers to education. We will offer the same quality of teaching and learning experience, with the convenience to study where, when and how our students want. At the heart of this are our people and values. Many of our staff, stakeholders and students helped to shape our new vision and strategic plan.
Vision and Mission
Strategic Plan
Strategic Plan
Caring for our students is at the heart of everything we do. We stand shoulder to shoulder with them, supporting their ambitions and ensuring they are respected and valued.
We are deeply committed to delivering a high-quality service and education. We support and accept appropriate and managed risks, in the pursuit of growth and progress whilst maintaining quality.
We are dynamic and future-focused, anticipating and embracing change with creativity and motivation.
We are agile and adaptable, leading change and meeting the changing demands of our students and employers, all the while updating our knowledge and practice to improve our performance and the student experience.
We embrace our challenges as learning and growth opportunities and prepare our students, with confidence and resilience, to do the same.
We work together in a collegiate way, challenging one another whilst treating each other with dignity and respect - embracing diversity of experience and background that allows people to do their best and thrive.
We have a global outlook and connect across different cultures. We are a diverse, inclusive community where everyone is welcomed and valued, and our differences are a source of strength.
Our diversity and inclusion initiatives are at the heart of our strategic plan to empower our staff and student community.
Vision and Strategic Plan
Core components of our Strategic Plan
Our Learning Journey
Building on our heritage of outstanding teaching and support for our students, we will deliver excellent standards in innovative learning, teaching and applied research that transforms lives and is globally recognised However, our learning journey does not end in the classroom, and we will continue to grow our support services and technologies, deepening our care for our students and offering ever closer support networks. We were ranked top university in England for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2020 and also achieved top ten placements amongst other universities for eleven further categories across the UK including: ‘The Teaching on my Course’ (4th), ‘Student Voice’ (4th), and ‘Assessment and feedback’ (7th). And in the latest Teaching and Excellence and Student Outcome Framework we were awarded silver for our teaching, learning and outcomes. Our performance in the critical categories of teaching excellence and academic support for students is sector leading.
Core components of our Strategic Plan
Our Learning Journey
Our Learning Environment
Our International Community
Our People
Our Impact
Our Learning Environment
We will transform our study and work settings through the use of the most advanced technology and resources.
By combining our physical and online campus environments and infrastructure, we will create adaptable and flexible spaces for learning and support.
Our International Community
We will establish new, and strengthen existing, pathways for international students to join us - including through our oversees campuses and our strategic partnerships.
We will embed inclusivity and multicultural values into the curriculum and develop new modules to define and address ethical issues and the rights of minority and protected groups.
Through collaboration with our international partners we will create global learning and employability opportunities.
Our People
We will develop, retain and recruit the highest calibre people, increasing the ethnic representation to reflect the diversity in our students.
By uniting academic and business professionals, we will innovate and personalise our students’ future teaching and learning, bringing knowledge from the front line of practice.
Our Impact
Graduates will leave ULaw with the experiences and skills to drive change, helping to transform the future of society and the professions.
They will have not only a world class qualification, but also a sense of purpose and empowerment that they can have a positive impact on their environments.
Through our pioneering Employability Service we will shape our graduates into the next generation of professionals. They will be digitally confident, have broad project management skills, and strong leadership potential.
CAMPUSES
1. Birmingham
2. Bristol
3. Chester
4. Guildford Campus
5. Leeds Campus
6. London Bloomsbury Campus
7. London Moorgate Campus
8. Manchester Campus
9. Nottingham Campus
10. The University of Law at UEA in Norwich
11. The University of Law in Exeter
12. The University of Law in Liverpool
13. The University of Law at Reading
14. Hong Kong Centre
All of our campuses are in thriving commercial areas and offer the same fully-resourced facilities, including well equipped IT suites with PCs for DVD and i-Tutorials, comprehensive law libraries with all the latest legal texts, quiet study areas and places to relax.
15. Online
16. The University of Law at Chester
17. GISMA Berlin
18. Sheffield
Birmingham
Nottingham
Hong Kong
Guildford
Moorgate
Bristol
Main Function of Job
JOB DESCRIPTION
To provide strategic centralised leadership and cross-function planning of the University’s assessment requirements, with specific accountability for the successful delivery of assessments at the ‘point of attendance by our students’. To agree and sign-off robust service level agreements with departments on which delivery is dependent but which are not under direct control of this role. These include Programme teams for content, design and logistically achievable formats; Registry for compliance, results management; IT for systems management; MTELO for media related integration; Timetabling for planning. To manage dedicated central teams as a combined ‘operational delivery’ and ‘central quality unit’ format to organise and deliver assessment instruments in a timely and accurate manner, embedding the principles of quality assurance at each stage of the delivery process.
Main Function of Job
Specific Responsibilities
Reporting to COO
Location Flexible Location
Direct Reports Central organisation and delivery teams (c46 UK and 14 offshore)
Specific Responsibilities • To plan and put in place sufficient staffing structures, systems and other resources to enable successful long term delivery of assessments systems. • To lead the development of a reliable quality assured system with agreed processes, timelines and accountabilities for the operational delivery of all assessment instruments. • To develop and implement assessment delivery processes that are risk averse, logistically and systemically feasible, and are operable across the University’s range of programmes, modes, campuses and timezones. • To co-ordinate the development of training and recognition of assessors, examiners and supervisors • To regularly review assessments organisation and delivery processes against ULaw’s strategic plans for faculty and course diversification and expansion, ensuring you are included early in any strategic decision making that may generate new or different assessment delivery requirements. • To apply the principles of quality assurance to the organisational and delivery processes that underpin the assessments service, including pre and post ‘point of delivery’, designing and implementing sufficient audit systems to identify and prevent failures - or repetition of failures - that impact delivery, students or ULaw’s reputation. • To provide specialist expertise and advice to faculties on ‘deliverable’ assessment options when they are developing new programmes or needing to change their assessment requirements. • To support academic leaders in managing relationships with regulators and other external bodies on all aspects of compliance and reporting • To work closely with the leaders of ‘short course’ format programmes to integrate their assessments into quality controlled ULaw systems. • To be responsible for appropriate governance and reporting for all activities and projects within the scope of this role and department. • As a budget holder; set budgets, monitor and manage overall performance against agreed budgets. • To manage direct-line reports; directing, motivating, and monitoring their performance through appraisals, guidance and regular feedback. • To develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, partners and providers in order to support the development and delivery of reliable and trusted assessment delivery processes. • To represent the organisation on stakeholder groups and projects. • To ensure that any changes to, or developments of, assessments delivery processes are communicated effectively to all stakeholders as appropriate.
PERSON SPECIFICATIONS
Education
Essential • Degree level education or relevant evidenced CPD gained within an educational or complex administrative environment Desirable • MBA level qualification • Professional Project Management qualification • Lean Six Sigma or equivalent certification
Education
Skills
Experience
Behavioural Skills
Special Requirements
Skills
Essential • Able to work well in a matrix management structure / multi-site environment • Negotiation skills • Highly organised, methodical and with high levels of attention to detail • Excellent oral and written communication skills • Excellent people management and leadership skills • Demonstrable high level collaboration skills with key stakeholders • High level and IT literacy skills • Ability to challenge colleagues, cut through ambiguity • Analysis and continuous improvement skills Desirable • Demonstrable experience of establishing or re-shaping a new team or service within an organisation
Experience
Essential • Substantial proven experience in a management /leadership role • Converted strategy to high quality detailed operational delivery plans • Process mapping • Quality Assurance principles • Delivering assessments in an on-line environment • Experience of compliance with detailed assessment related rules • Effecting and managing change
• Proven ability to achieve targets and goals • Recruiting, managing and developing staff
Desirable • Previous experience in an educational establishment particularly in course administration, assessments, student records or timetabling • Experience of developing effective working practices in an on-shore/off-shore environment • Outline understanding of the legal and legal education market place, particularly in the relevant location • RPA experience (Blue Prism)
Behavioural Skills
Essential • Professional, credible, commands and gives respect • Role model for diligence, accountability and dedication to quality. Positive & proactive attitude • Excellent interpersonal skills – in a fast moving and sometimes high pressure environment, lead by example • Flexible and prepared to be hands-on, where required
Special Requirements
Essential • Flexibility in working hours will be required to meet demands of the role
Application Process
The University is being supported on this recruitment campaign by the search consultancy The Management Recruitment Group (MRG) .
To arrange a brief conversation please contact our advisor Sian Gardiner of MRG on 020 3962 9900 / 07932 717 458 or at sian.gardiner@mrgpeople.co.uk.
Applications should contain a CV and Covering Letter and should be sent to Sian Gardiner at the Management Recruitment Group sian.gardiner@mrgpeople.co.uk.
Closing Date is Sunday 5th September 2021.
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