Professor & Chair of Department of Media & Communication, School of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

• Key Leadership Position in Media & Communication
• Full-time, ongoing Professor position + 3-year Department Chair title with possibility of renewal
• Academic Level E $182,272 + 17% superannuation + up to 10% loading

Swinburne University of Technology’s School of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (ASSH) invites applications for the role of Department Chair of Media and Communication. We seek a senior academic and experienced leader to head this vibrant, industry and research-engaged academic community. Our teaching and research spans the discipline areas of Cinema and Screen, Media, Writing, Public Relations, Advertising and Journalism. The successful candidate will have an established record of working in one or more of these areas and will be actively engaged with cultural and creative industries and organisations.

Offering many opportunities for collaborative research across traditional and practice-led areas, the Department boasts specific research strengths and world-renowned researchers in Social Media and Cinema and Screen Studies. The appointee will help build on our Above World Standard rankings in the Australian fields of research codes of 1902 (Film, Television and Digital Media), FoR 2001 (Communication and Media Studies), or our World Class FoR 1904 (Performing Arts and Creative Writing). The recent 2018 Excellence in Research assessment ranked Swinburne as one of only four Australian institutions to achieve Above World Standard research nationally in FoR code 1902 and as one of 11 at Above World Standard in FoR 2001.

The department holds a distinguished record of pedagogical excellence with staff winning over 30 teaching awards for work in our flagship Bachelor of Media and Communication and two postgraduate programs. The appointee will encourage the continued development of staff pedagogical skills and will also share our commitment to student employability by shepherding our multiple connections with industry, including the state’s most renowned media and cultural organisations and active partnerships with research centres and institutes. These include funded research and engagement relationships with one of Australia’s most significant screen bodies, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image; the dynamic future-focused Centre for Transformative Media Technologies; the partnership-driven Social Innovation Research Institute; the Swinburne Social Media Research Group; and the Cinema and Screen Studies Research Network. Our community of HDR students and alumni are also a central part of our department’s teaching, research and seminar culture.

The Department Chair is responsible for the academic leadership in the area and the senior role is focused on leadership and research. Competitive candidates will have substantial academic leadership experience and demonstrated capacity to manage and further develop the breadth and depth of the Department’s academic staff and programs. The successful candidate will also initiate and lead high-profile external partnerships and projects with industry and community in addition to extending existing internal and external engagement projects across the department’s teaching and research portfolios.

The role is a three-year appointment with the possibility of renewal and is supported by an underpinning, ongoing, substantive Professorial position at Level E.

Benefits

• Participate in regular staff and management development programs
• Paid parental leave for primary caregivers and secondary caregivers
• Onsite childcare
• Private health insurance discounts

To find out more about the extensive range of benefits offered to Swinburne employees please visit Employee Benefits

Further information

Should you require further support for an interview due to special needs or consideration, please contact our Diversity Consultant, Dr Walter Robles, on inclusion@swin.edu.au. For support or queries related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment, please contact DeadlyCareers@swin.edu.au

Swinburne is a large and culturally diverse organisation. We are proud to be recognised by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency as an Employer of Choice for women for 10 years in a row and of key initiatives such as our Pride@Swinburne Strategic Action Plan and our Reconciliation Action Plan. Equity and diversity are integral to our 2025 vision to be a world-class university creating social and economic impact through science, technology and innovation.

Melbourne was voted the world’s most liveable city for six years in a row, since 2011. If you would like more of an insight into our great city, please click here.

How to apply

Please submit your application by clicking on the ‘Apply’ link, and submit a resume, cover letter and a response to the Key Selection Criteria, as listed in the relevant position description. In your cover letter, please refer to the Department Chair vacancy or vacancies you are applying for.

For further information about this position, contact Professor Mia Lindgren, Dean of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities mlindgren@swin.edu.au or +61 3 92146102. If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your application, please contact the Recruitment team on staffrecruitment@swin.edu.au

Applications close at 5pm on 20 November 2019.