VC Office

Location: Highfield Campus
Salary: Competitive: Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience (Level 7)
Full Time Permanent
Closing Date: Wednesday 16 February 2022
Reference: 1627721PK

Shape our success

This is an exciting time to join the University of Southampton.

We are seeking a visionary Vice-President (International and Engagement) who shares our commitment to build on and drive forward our current achievements, and who will proactively seek out opportunities to champion our students on the global stage. We will work collaboratively to enhance our reputation as a world-leading University and a destination of choice for anyone seeking a world-class education and experience.

The new Vice-President (International and Engagement) will instil a culture of high performance, ensuring that Southampton is established and renowned as an innovative, entrepreneurial and international university, with a genuinely distinctive offering for both education and student experience. You will play a key role in delivering the University’s international vision and academic mission alongside the President and Vice-Chancellor and the senior leadership team.

This is a fantastic opportunity to take your career to new heights. You will have University-wide oversight of all activities relating to our international reach, both globally and within the UK. You will also be responsible for the International Strategic Plan, supporting student success by ensuring a rich international experience, and working with our partners to enhance our global reach in education and impactful research. Your innovative thinking and passion will ensure the continued success of the University’s global partnership activities. You will lead and inspire others, evaluating, implementing and reviewing core projects that improve and enhance our international reputation.

Reporting directly to the President and Vice-Chancellor, you will be part of the University’s executive leadership team. As such, you will have responsibility for the strategic direction and performance of the University, representing the University externally to enhance reputation and contribute to our development activities.

Southampton is aspiring to be a truly agile organisation; we developed an interim bridging strategy which has helped us navigate the impacts of COVID-19, both as we experience them today and as we prepare for future health and economic uncertainties. This has enabled us to emerge from the global COVID-19 pandemic strongly and safely. Our new strategy will encapsulate the triple helix of excellence that is research-education-enterprise, which aim to make the Southampton offer distinctive. It is against this backdrop that you will use your professional and personal life experiences to help us take the next steps.

We welcome students and staff from all walks of life, and we champion a uniquely diverse working environment in which every colleague is able to excel, regardless of their background or life choices. Quite simply, we want to attract likeminded people to our community – people who care about the world, and who share our passion for creating an innovative and forward-thinking learning and research environment.

About you 

We are currently number 77 of the world’s top 100 universities* and this post is key to advancing our position. You will play an instrumental role in this as you use your life experiences to engage with and inspire diverse teams across the University. You will deepen relationships with our international alumni community, build high-value global partnerships, and enhance our international profile with academic, government and corporate partners to influence opinion formers and policy makers. You will create synergies and opportunities throughout the whole University community that will be instrumental in the continuous improvement of our offering to our students.

With a deep understanding of the global Higher Education sector, as well as a proven ability to lead and manage innovative change throughout an organisation, you will be able to think both analytically and creatively. Crucially, you will come up with innovative solutions to complex problems and will have the scope to build relationships with people at all levels and empower them in their roles. With exceptional communication and influencing skills, you will rise to the challenge of shaping the debate around higher education both nationally and internationally.

A global and diverse university

As a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group, we have a global reputation for delivering world-class education, research and enterprise that makes a real impact on society’s biggest challenges. These challenges are broad and complex, and with the impact of the pandemic to contend with, it is more important than ever that we work creatively to reaffirm what matters most to us as a diverse community.

We believe that we can only truly meet our objectives if we are reflective of society, so we are passionate about creating a working environment in which you are free to bring your whole self to work. We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion, and we are immensely proud to have been awarded an institutional Athena SWAN silver award, which underpins our pledge to improve equality for women. In particular, we work with our people to ensure their ideas are always heard – so share your background and life experiences, and help us create a truly unique working environment.

What we can offer you

We support a flexible approach to work, as well as additional benefits that will make your life easier, such as a corporate healthcare scheme and generous holiday allowance. We will support your long-term future too, with access to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), subsidised health and fitness facilities, and a range of discounts. Furthermore, Southampton is a fantastic place in which to live, work and socialise – so regardless of what life stage you are at, you will find a dynamic and vibrant city that caters for all.

If you want to take your career to new heights and believe you have the skills, experience and drive to help shape the future of the University of Southampton, then we look forward to receiving your application. This job is being equally considered as both a full-time or job share role. It’s important that we find the right person(s), for this role and we will endeavour to be as flexible as we can to make this possible.

How to apply

For more information and details of how to apply, please email TalentEdu at southampton@talentedu.co.uk or call on 0203 290 2907

Please apply here: https://talentedu.co.uk/UoS

The closing date for receipt of applications is midnight (GMT) on Wednesday 16 February 2022.

Important dates

Following a long-listing meeting of the Search Committee, successful candidates will be invited to attend an ‘engagement day’ on Tuesday 15 March 2022.

Interviews will take place on Tuesday 05 April 2022.

Additional information

This post is offered on a tenured basis initially for a period of five years, which is extendible upon mutual agreement. At the end of this tenure, the successful candidate will return to a substantive Professorial position within the University.

*QS World University Rankings, 2022

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Further details:

• Recruitment Pack - VP International and Engagement
• Job Description and Person Specification - VP
• Job Description and Person Specification-Professor

We aim to be an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Please note that applications from agencies will not be accepted unless indicated in the job advert.