Head of Engineering Programmes and Accreditation

Overall purpose
The Head of Engineering Programmes role is a key postholder in our academic management structure. The role involves the academic leadership and line management responsibilities for the whole Engineering portfolio and associated staff and resources.
The core responsibility will be to ensure the Engineering programmes meet OfS B conditions of registration, specifically around quality of teaching, learning and assessment. As Head of Engineering Programmes you will assure a consistent, excellent academic experience for our students. You will ensure that there are sufficient and suitable resources and that the Engineering portfolio aligns with sector-recognised standards and relevant professional, statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) accreditation requirements.
You will need flexibility on occasions, in order to assure provision across different campuses, different modes and across a variety of timetables, including evenings and weekend..

Specific duties and responsibilities
The key responsibilities of the Head of Engineering Programmes are to:

• Oversee the academic and operational delivery of the Engineering programmes in line with OfS B conditions of registration and relevant accreditation requirements.
• Ensure a consistent and high-quality academic student experience.
• Monitor, review and drive enhancements to the teaching, learning and assessment of Engineering programmes.
• Ensure all assessment processes (marking, moderation, external review) are delivered appropriately and to the required standards.
• Develop relationships with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure the academic quality and professional relevance of the Engineering portfolio. This will include our university partners, external examiners, relevant professional bodies including IMechE and IET where applicable, as well as staff and students.
• Liaise effectively with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that programme management is both effective and efficient. This will mean recruiting, developing and managing suitable academic staff, including managing Programme Leaders and Lecturers so that they are able to perform their roles successfully.

• Manage key academic staff which may include: Programme Leaders, Senior Lecturers, Lecturers and Associate Lecturers.
• Ensure that newly appointed academic staff receive a suitable academic and operational induction in line with college and Partner policies and procedures.
• Provide communication, guidance, and support to all programme academic staff.
• Liaise with other Heads of Programmes, Programme Leaders and Senior Lecturers and departments as appropriate to ensure that staff receive appropriate academic and operational guidance and communication when teaching on programmes that are not your immediate responsibility.
• Ensure that each member of staff line managed by you has clear objectives and a personal development plan and receives an annual performance appraisal in accordance with college policies.
• Identify staffing needs and work with relevant colleagues to allocate staff to timetables to ensure a balanced workload and appropriate resourcing across the programme.
• Engage in recruitment/marketing activities in relation to the programme.

• Ensure that all aspects of the Engineering programmes comply with the Academic Regulations for the Taught Programmes.
• Oversee programme web pages and relevant programme / module handbooks and programme / module specifications, ensuring they are up to date, reflected on the VLE and that faculty staff are appropriately briefed.
• Ensure constructive alignment so that programme learning outcomes are fit for purpose and module learning outcomes and assessments align with them at the right level, including mapping to AHEP4 learning outcomes where applicable.
• Ensure that programme and module changes are carried out in line with the college and university partners' modification and validation procedures and relevant PSRB accreditation requirements.
• Oversee content development, learning and teaching, assessment, marking and moderation, academic staff and processes so that they meet required academic quality and standards.
• Liaise with registry, quality and partnership staff to ensure the programmes are appropriately managed and that Examination Boards run smoothly.
• Oversee exam board preparation meetings and university examination boards, committee meetings, quality / partnership and accreditation review meetings, chair programme committees, staff student liaison committees and any other quality and standards meetings as required.
• Ensure the related policies, plans and procedures of the college and/or partner University are implemented in the delivery of the programmes, including the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Plan, the Programme Action Plan and relevant accreditation action plans.
• Oversee and liaise with the academic manager and/or relevant colleagues so the production of appropriate papers (agendas, minutes, etc.) is timely and accurate.

• Facilitate student registration on the programme in conjunction with appropriate enrolment and registration staff (at regular start points and for late-registering students).
• Oversee the student induction process, liaising where appropriate with relevant colleagues, support services and agencies (e.g. HUBX, Library, student experience, health and wellbeing service, students representatives).
• Ensure student representatives selection process are working and that there is suitable training and support and any issues are responded to appropriately.
• Manage student queries relevant to the programme where these have not been satisfactorily resolved elsewhere and ensure students are appropriately supported through the programmes.
• Oversee student attendance and engagement monitoring and action plans that support participation working with relevant colleagues as appropriate.
• Ensure that the requirements of students with Student Support Plans are met.
• Contribute to the staff-student liaison committee and report on key issues to relevant colleagues.

• Ensure the Engineering programmes and students' experience are consistent with OfS B conditions and relevant PSRB accreditation requirements.
• Be responsible for Annual Monitoring report(s), Programme Action (Enhancement) Plan(s) and periodic reporting as required, in conjunction with the programme team, partnerships, quality and university partners.
• Lead Periodic Programme review and re-approval in line with college and university partner regulations and policies and relevant professional accreditation cycles.
• Monitor comments from external examiners and professional accreditation bodies and ensure that actions are implemented where appropriate and responses provided.
• Assure students' experience, satisfaction, achievement, continuation, completion and progress.
• Ensure suitability and availability of learning and teaching resources, including specialist engineering laboratories, workshops, software and library resources.
• Assure the currency and relevance of the Engineering curriculum, including alignment with current Engineering Council AHEP requirements and relevant IMechE/IET expectations where applicable.

• Ensure both they and their staff can engage in relevant research and scholarship as required to update knowledge and support high quality teaching activities.
• Extend, transform and apply knowledge from scholarship to teaching and draw on appropriate external activities, including knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer activities

Compliance Statement

Successful applicants will be required to complete pre-employment checks, including a criminal records check, two references, ID and Right to Work verification, and education confirmation. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion, selection for employment is based solely on an individual’s skills, qualifications, and experience relevant to the role.