Featured job

Head of Quality

Principal Accountabilities

To lead and manage designated staff and activities specifically relating to academic standards and quality and to provide guidance and direction to senior managers across the University and to the academic community, to ensure that the University’s reputation is protected and that the University is compliant with quality assurance and regulatory frameworks. They will take a leading role in developing further the way in which quality assurance can lead to quality enhancement, as well as in responding to external assurance requests and audits (QER for example) and developing a strategies as required for the institution.

The activities of the Head Quality influence the way in which the University is perceived locally, nationally and internationally in terms of reputation, academic standards and the quality of the student experience. They also are responsible for making key decisions on institutional wide matters and to regularly advise, guide, and influence at the highest levels within the University.

The post-holder will report to the Director of SPSA, also working closely with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and other senior colleagues.

Key Tasks

• To lead on quality assurance delivery and oversight for the University and be the primary source of advice for the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and the Board of Governors on quality assurance matters.

• To work closely with Senior University managers to ensure that there are appropriate academic structures and policies in place that enable the University to implement its academic strategy, its obligations to its students and which ensure that the University’s good name and reputation is protected and is compliant with external academic quality assurance, regulatory and legal frameworks.

• To develop the institutional strategic approach to quality enhancement, ensuring robustness and consistency. Leading on the use of assurance information and data for improvements and maintaining the evidence base of such and leading on institutional quality related strategies and strategic initiatives.

• To lead, direct and manage the Quality and Regulation team within SPSA, to ensure effective quality enhancement strategy implementation and that core elements of quality assurance are delivered effectively and that the team is suitably equipped and experienced to give professional advice and guidance.

• To promote a culture of proactivity, innovation, transparency, collaboration, flexibility in the areas of quality and standards management and to encourage the effective deployment of resources which are distributed across different parts of the University.

• To proactively develop innovative, agile and digitally enabled solutions and approaches to the work of quality assurance, using knowledge and awareness of external, sector best practice, using their expert knowledge and experience to solve often complex problems in the area of quality assurance regulation, policy and practice.

• To lead the shaping of the quality management framework and the academic regulatory framework in order to promote academic standards of University awards and the quality of the student experience across all the University’s provision, whether at Wrexham, regionally, or internationally and that all are in compliant with external regulatory and statutory requirements.

• To provide high level, expert advice and guidance to University senior managers and governors on the interpretation and implementation of legislation, regulations and policy relating to quality assurance, which can be highly complex and technical in nature.

• To ensure that policies and procedures are effective and promote quality assurance, excellence and enhancement.
• To ensure the effective working of and support for Academic Board and its sub-committees, enabling the Board to fulfil its key role in academic quality assurance. To act as Chair or Vice-Chair to subcommittees and working groups as required.
• To ensure that there are effective and integrated quality management processes and procedures in place across the University and that these are followed by Faculties in Wrexham and in collaborative teaching partnerships.
• To ensure that the quality management processes and procedures in place in the international teaching partnerships comply with University, are being applied effectively, and are integrated into the work of the Faculties.
• To lead the initiation, development and implementation of major institutional projects and reviews, including those by external regulators or audit where they will be expected to be the lead coordinator of institutional responses to, for example, the QAA institutional review (QER).
• To play a lead role in representing the University externally, maintaining and developing key external networks and relationships with other professional groupings as well as national assurance and regulatory bodies (such as the QAA or HEFCW) and to be informed by these (and wider sector practice) in their work.
• Input into curriculum development and quality assurance processes to support the University’s development of an internationally relevant curriculum and modes of delivery suited to market demand.
• Effectively plan and manage the Quality Office budget.