Director of College Professional Services & College Operations – College of Arts & Humanities
WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
Dear Applicant
Welcome to the University of Glasgow and to the College of Arts & Humanities - one of the world's leading centres for teaching, research and collaboration in a broad range of Arts & Humanities disciplines. I am delighted that you are considering applying for the post of Director of Professional Services & College Operations in the College of Arts & Humanities. This exciting and rewarding senior leadership role offers the opportunity to make a significant contribution, working alongside me as the Vice-Principal and Head of College and our senior management team, to the College's ongoing success and future plans.
On behalf of the College, thank you for your interest; we look forward to receiving your application.
Professor Jo Gill
Vice Principal and Head of the College of Arts & Humanities
The College of Arts & Humanities has been at the forefront of delivering world-leading teaching, learning and research in the arts and humanities since 1451. We are in the world’s top 75 universities for Arts and Humanities (QS World University Rankings 2024). We are in the process of implementing our new College Strategy 2023-28 and we have ambitious plans for future growth and success.
Our Professional Services
Professional Services within the College are overseen by the Director of College Professional Services & College Operations, supported by the Professional Services Leadership Team. Across the College we provide professional support services across all areas of the College’s activity including:
- Student Services, including Marketing and Communications, the College Graduate School and international student activity and support e.g. via our Erasmus Mundus programme;
- Research Services, which make a key contribution to our broad grant portfolio and Knowledge Exchange and Impact activities at a College level as well as our Research Institute, Artslab;
- The Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities – Scotland’s national centre for doctoral training in the Arts & Humanities;
- The Scottish Council for Global Affairs;
- External relations including alumni and donor relations and our partnerships with Arts, Cultural and Civic organisations such as the Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery and Glasgow Life.
Additionally, there is local support for operations, learning, teaching & student experience and research located in our four Schools under the leadership of our four School Heads of Professional Services.
We have key business-partner relationships with Finance, Planning & Business Intelligence; People & Organisational Development; Estates; Technical Services; External Relations, and Information Services (IT), some of which sit locally, while others are located centrally at University level.
We are connected with the institution’s Transformation Programme – including in relation to the institution’s future development of a “Service Excellence” (or functionally aligned) approach to the delivery of core services, and we actively support their initiatives. As part of our new College Strategy we seek to enhance the alignment of School, College and central services; to build resilience and flexibility into our model; and to ensure that our talented Professional Services colleagues have opportunities for career development and professional fulfilment. We pursue a joined up one-University approach to professional services by working with the Professional Services Group (PSG) chaired by the Chief Operating Officer.
Our Schools
The College of Arts & Humanities is home to four innovative Schools renowned for their world-leading research and a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree opportunities:
School of Critical Studies
The School of Critical Studies reflects a core commitment to criticism, textual interpretation and the analysis of language, over diverse but inter-related subject areas. The School houses several subjects including English Literature; Scottish Literature, Theology and English Language and Linguistics;.
School of Culture and Creative Arts
The School of Culture and Creative Arts is home to four Subject areas (Film & Television Studies, History of Art, Music, and Theatre Studies) and two Centres (Centre for Cultural Policy Research (CCPR) and the Kelvin Centre for Conservation and Cultural History Research). Its distinctiveness lies in the engagement with a comprehensive spectrum of creative arts and cultural practices supplemented by expertise in cultural policy. The complementary nature of the subjects underpins the School’s status as an international centre in research and teaching that integrates a focus on artistic practice with critical and theoretical reflection at the highest level.
The College of Arts & Humanities and the University have made significant investments in the School and the redevelopment of Kelvin Hall, based on a unique partnership with the National Libraries of Scotland and Glasgow Life, which offers distinctive opportunities for new forms of scholarship and public engagement.
School of Humanities
The School of Humanities, the largest in the College of Arts & Humanities, is at the forefront of research, teaching, and civic engagement. There are six subject areas and eleven research centres and groups that encompass histories and languages, technologies and collections, theories and traditions, and global issues that concern us all.
As well as outstanding teaching and research, the School is renowned for its public engagement; amongst other successes, our work on transatlantic slavery formed the basis for Glasgow becoming the Times Higher University of the Year 2020. The School’s subject areas are: Archaeology; Ceiltis is Gàidhlig/Celtic and Gaelic; Classics; History; Information Studies; and Philosophy.
School of Modern Languages and Cultures
The School of Modern Languages and Cultures embraces the subject areas of Comparative Literature; French; German; Italian; Portuguese; Russian; Spanish; and Translation Studies. The School seeks to foster a culture of excellence in research in each area of its activities, thereby fomenting an intellectual climate in which learning and teaching of the highest quality can be delivered. English for Academic Study offers a range of courses to support students' development of English language skills within an academic environment whilst Languages for International Mobility are aimed at students who are interested in learning a language but for whom courses in SMLC's language degree provision may be unsuitable or unavailable.
Teaching highlights
The College of Arts & Humanities degree programmes offers unique opportunities with the flexibility to follow students’ own interests, developing the next generation of global thinkers and leaders. There are also exciting opportunities to study abroad, either as part of a degree in Modern Languages or through established exchange programmes. The variety of choices on offer is reflected in the diverse career paths graduates embark upon, from actors to archaeologists, musicians to managers, and playwrights to presenters, to name just a few. A growing number of programmes are professionally accredited (see, for example, Information Studies).
We also offer an MSc degree in Translation Studies with Nankai University, China; TESOL programmes and courses in collaboration with the College of Social Sciences; an intercalated degree in Medical Humanities with the College of Medicine, Veterinary & Life Sciences and a range of English for Academic Skills courses for international students on programmes across the institution.
We have a close collaboration with the University’s Careers Service and with our Development & Alumni Relations Office (DAO) - supported by the College’s own recently appointed Alumni Officer. We work in partnership with students to co-create knowledge and learning and they benefit in real time from our rich and dynamic research environment and expertise, connecting teaching with our focus on global challenges. We are investing in the digital realm to enhance the learning potential and student experience. Some examples of this in the College of Arts & Humanities can be found at: https://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/arts/aboutus/news/
International and External Partnerships highlights
The College is committed to a range of important international partnerships via individual institutions, through our membership of important consortia such as CIVIS, The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities and Universitas 21, and through long-standing links with key non-HEI partners such as the Smithsonian Institution. Alongside other Colleges in the University we host Erasmus Mundus joint masters programmes, including MAGMA (Managing Art & Cultural Heritage in Global Markets). We have also recently launched a joint PGT degree in Reparative Justice with the University of the West Indies. We support a wide range of other civic, community and regional partnerships across industry, the arts, culture and heritage sectors and with other organisations.
Research highlights
The College of Arts & Humanities provides a rich environment for research and collaboration. In REF2021, across all of our disciplines, the majority of our research was judged to be ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. The impact of our research beyond academia was assessed across 28 case studies. In six out of the nine units we submitted , the quality of all the case studies was judged to be ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Similarly, the environment in which our research takes place was considered to be ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ in all aspects in six of our nine units, with 100% of our research environment judged to be at least of international standing. We are current holder of a UKRI Impact Accelerator Award which we use to support high-quality, impactful partnership and knowledge exchange activities.
Research is intertwined with our graduate and undergraduate programmes and greatly influences the content of our academic curriculum.
Recent research highlights include:
- The award in 2023 of a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education to the Centre for Robert Burns Studies (this is the second time that the College has received this prestigious award, following on from the Historical Thesaurus of English in 2017).
- Ongoing research on Runaway Slaves in Britain and in reparative justice
- Collaborative research in tourism and over-tourism
- Innovative research in Digital Humanities and Digital Cultural Heritage
- Research in areas relating to the Creative Industries, including CREATe and sustainable music, and in VR/XR technologies including through our Museums in the Metaverse project.
Arts Lab
The Arts Lab was founded in October 2009 with the aim of supporting and encouraging research and interdisciplinary collaboration across the College of Arts & Humanities and beyond, and open to all colleagues, from postgraduates and early career researchers to senior scholars willing to share their expertise. It promotes productive research links with other Colleges and with the University’s outstanding museum, art and research collections at the University Library, the Hunterian and Kelvin Hall.
Research Centres and Networks
Our centres and networks have a global reach, and our researchers are pioneering new techniques and discoveries in their fields.
- Andrew Hook Centre for American Studies
- Centre for Cultural Policy Research
- Centre for Gender History
- Centre for Robert Burns Studies
- Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies
- Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience
- COGITO Epistemology Research Centre
- Glasgow Global Security Network
- Kelvin Centre for Conservation and Cultural Heritage Research
- Medical Humanities Research Centre
- Scottish Centre for War Studies
- Scottish Religious Cultures Network
- The Scottish Council for Global Affairs
- The Stirling Maxwell Centre for the Study of Text/Image Cultures
Postgraduate Research
The Graduate School is a vibrant hub for around a thousand postgraduate students in the Arts & Humanities. We exist to foster postgraduate research and teaching of the highest standard, facilitating student productivity and development whilst promoting community, well-being and providing excellent support. We are also home to the national Doctoral Training Partnership, the Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities.
Cultural assets
The University of Glasgow is situated in the heart of the West End of Glasgow, a vibrant hub for the creative arts industry. The city is the UK's top cultural and creative city (European Commission, 2019), a UNESCO City of Music, and home to more than 100 cultural organisations and five of Scotland's internationally renowned performing arts companies.
Within the University, the College of Arts & Humanities, and University life in general, are enhanced by a rich set of cultural assets that includes special collections, archives, a theatre, a cinema and studios for use by students, staff and the wider public. Highlights include:
The Hunterian
Founded in 1807, The Hunterian is Scotland's oldest public museum and home to one of the largest collections outside the National Museums.
The Hunterian is one of the leading university museums in the world and its collections have been recognised as a Collection of National Significance. It is one of Scotland’s most important cultural assets.
The Hunterian continues in its Age of Enlightenment mission to be a central resource for research and teaching in the arts, humanities and natural and medical sciences, attracting scholars and visitors from around the world.
Job purpose
The Director of College Professional Services & College Operations is a Chief Operating Officer role, responsible for the development and execution of the College’s vision and strategy across the full range of our activities. They have accountability for providing strategic and senior operational leadership in the planning, implementation, and development of an efficient and effective support service across the College and wider University to enable the College to achieve its objectives and to support its future growth.
Reporting to the Vice Principal / Head of College, the Director of College Professional Services & College Operations has overall responsibility for the coordination of key areas of College services and operations, for accessing central services in support of the College’s mission and for the coordination of strategic planning, policy development, resource management and infrastructure development. A major field of responsibility is the strategic development and efficiency of the College Estate.
The Director of College Professional Services & College Operations is a vital member of the College leadership team, the College Management Group (CMG), and represents the College on key University committees as well as representing College interests, as agreed, within the University and externally. The post-holder has direct line management responsibility for the Professional Service functions within the College and, through the Heads of Service / School Heads of Professional Services, for all of the Professional Services staff delivering the full range of services and support for the academic business provided across the College and in our four Schools and related Centres.
Main duties & responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership in the development of College professional support services – both those managed locally and those provided to us from central teams via Business Partner relationships.
- Build positive working relationships and partnerships to drive service improvement and, where appropriate, change and to ensure successful delivery in a timely fashion against agreed KPIs.
- Lead the delivery of the high quality, customer-focused and efficient services required to ensure the implementation of College and University strategic priorities and operational plans.
- Co-ordinate the development, implementation and delivery of the College Strategy, annual Strategic Planning Review, budgeting round, risk register and similar processes, ensuring that goals and objectives are clearly articulated, optimally aligned and delivered in line with the overall University strategy and KPIs, and that these are regularly measured, monitored and acted upon.
- Provide strategic advice and support to the Vice Principal/Head of College with regard to the management and development of the College, maximising the efficiency and contribution of the College to the wider University, anticipating future change and managing plans over the longer term.
- Assume accountability for the strategic development of College policies, procedures and operational plans, aligned with those of the University, including all aspects of governance ensuring University regulatory, statutory and legislative compliance.
- Lead and ensure the effective implementation at College level of agreed University strategies, policies and procedures by working closely with the wide range of professional staff locally and centrally including by managing key Business Partner relationships and accessing services via a ‘matrix management’ model.
- Lead, manage and develop a team of professional, administrative and support services staff to ensure the provision of professional support services across all academic and service functions and to optimise the performance of the College. Actively participate, with the College Executive Team, other College Directors of Professional Services and senior University Services staff, in developing and delivering an effective University-wide support service in line with College and University strategies and the resource envelope.
- Make a leading contribution to the resource allocation and resource management process as part of the senior College team and through engagement in the strategic budget dialogue.
- Oversee delivery and support for various projects across the range of College activities, ensuring services and resources are aligned to the College’s and University’s ambitions.
- As agreed by CMG and other relevant bodies, lead and/or make a significant contribution to major change programmes typically over a period of 12-36 months in duration and typically impacting across the College/University.
- Play a leading role in College-wide business process reviews and subsequent implementation of effective and cost-efficient action plans across all College support activities in alignment with academic and financial targets.
- Ensure fit-for-purpose College-wide support services through effective communication and benchmarking with University Services, other Colleges and externally.
- As appropriate, guide and support the operation of teams, projects and initiatives outwith our usual School structures but related to the College e.g. the Doctoral Training Partnership (SGSAH) and the Scottish Council for Global Affairs.
- Implement agreed University strategies, policies and procedures by working with and through a wide range of stakeholders across the University and beyond including with key civic, community, arts, culture and heritage partners.
- Represent College interests in an ambassadorial capacity with a range of external agencies, establishing and maintaining relationships with professional bodies in the realisation of University and College strategies.
- Deputise for the Vice Principal/Head of College when required.
- Other duties as requested by the Vice Principal/Head of College.
Knowledge and qualifications
Essential
- Degree/postgraduate qualification/professional qualification or equivalent plus extensive relevant experience.
- Excellent knowledge of administrative and support systems.
- Extensive experiential knowledge of change and project management methodology and practical applications.
- Thorough understanding of the principles of good governance
- Understanding of the key challenges facing HE and the College.
- Evidence of ongoing continuing professional development
- Demonstrable fluency with financial and budgetary concepts
Desirable
- Good knowledge of University funding and governance arrangements
- Experience and practical application of process design, systematic process improvement and monitoring.
Skills
Essential
- Ability to provide strategic leadership in all areas of College operations.
- Ability to develop, deliver and articulate a clear vision.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to develop, implement and monitor operational plans to support strategic initiatives
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to engage with a diverse range of academic and Professional Services colleagues and leadership/management teams within and outwith the College in a positive, collaborative and constructive manner.
- Excellent ability to empower and motivate others to deliver a high-performance culture in a participative manner.
- Strong ability to lead and manage complex business challenges applying tact and diplomacy in sensitive or contentious issues
- Strong ability to lead professional teams to ensure the effective delivery of all support activities aligned with the College
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, demonstrating clarity and focus and the ability to influence, guide and challenge.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to drive multiple projects simultaneously.
- Proven ability to work on own initiative.
- Excellent presentation and public speaking skills.
- Extensive budgetary, financial management and analytical skills
Experience
Essential
- Track record of successfully managing significant human, fiscal and physical resources
- Substantial experience of working in partnership with senior colleagues to formulate, develop and implement strategies and major projects
- Significant leadership experience including providing strategic support in a knowledge-based organisation over an extensive period.
- Extensive experience of leading effective multi-disciplinary teams and building a strong and responsive customer service culture.
- Substantial experience of successfully initiating, planning and managing change encompassing staff and systems in complex organisations.
- Significant project management experience at a senior level in wide ranging and multi-faceted areas.
- Demonstrable experience of leading and successfully implementing change
- Ability to shape and leading substantive initiatives.
Campus development plan
Our Vision
Over the next 10 years, the major investment will expand our campus footprint by 25%, creating a new urban quarter with the University at the heart of a revitalised west end. This is the largest development since the creation of the original campus in 1870.
This is a unique opportunity for a University to extend the boundaries of its historic core in a central city location. It will create:
- New learning and teaching facilities
- Refurbishment and repurposing of existing iconic buildings for specialist uses
- Identification and design of social spaces that support the student and community experience.
The expansion of our Gilmorehill campus into the 14 acre, former Western Infirmary site will transform the West End of Glasgow. The Masterplan for the site will incorporate:
- New learning and teaching facilities supporting our students and making sure they get the best in modern teaching and learning styles and approaches
- Creation of a Research Hub, housing large-scale multidisciplinary projects and incubator space for spin out collaborations with industry. This will encourage further innovation development
- New public cycle and pedestrian routes and a new central square which will link Byres Road to the up-and-coming cultural quarter for the West End, with new links to Kelvingrove and the newly-refurbished Kelvin Hall
- Refurbishment of five listed buildings: The Chapel, the Outpatients building, the Macgregor building, the Tennent Institute and Anderson College
- Commercial opportunities, including a hotel, restaurant, bars and cafes
- The state of the art Learning and Teaching Hub adjacent to the Boyd Orr building on University Avenue will be completed next year.
Find out more
Living in Glasgow
A UNESCO City of Music, a vibrant arts and culture scene, a food-lover’s delight, and a shopper’s paradise. Just some of the highlights of the ‘friendliest city in the world’. As well as that accolade by the Rough Guides poll, Glasgow has also been named a must visit destination by publications including the New York Times, The Guardian, and Wanderlust.
Music
The city hosts an average of 130 music events a week catering for every taste; from rock to rap, and classical to country. Glasgow also has a world class club scene playing host to some of the world’s top DJs.
Shopping
Outside of London’s West End, Glasgow is frequently voted the best place for shopping in the UK. A must-visit destination for any shop-a-holic, it houses high street chains, international designers, and independent retailers. The West End, home to the University of Glasgow, is bustling with vintage fashion, vinyl stores, and second-hand bookshops.
Arts and Culture
Glasgow’s arts scene has gone from strength to strength, and is the base for five internationally renowned performing arts companies including the National Theatre of Scotland and Scottish Ballet. The city has several world-class museums, which are free to the public, and the city’s architecture is a work of art in itself.
Food and drink
You can be in Glasgow and taste the world with its many diverse restaurants, cafes, and bars. And if you’ve yet to sample the delights of haggis and whisky, Glasgow is the place to be.
The City and Beyond
Glasgow has all the opportunities and excitement of a big city but its compact size means you can quickly travel from one vibrant district to the next. You could be relaxing in one of its many parks, before shopping in the quirky West End, and then dancing until the wee small hours in the Merchant City.
And when you fancy getting out of the city you can reach the stunning Loch Lomond in just 30 minutes, climb one of our many breath-taking Munros, play golf at one of Scotland’s many world-class courses, visit one of our ancient castles, or go further North and search for Nessie! Scotland has also just been named the world’s most beautiful country by Rough Guides.
Relocating to Glasgow
Choosing to relocate to Glasgow is a big decision. There are numerous things to be considered, such as the costs of moving, the cost of living, and where exactly to relocate to. We have created two guides to aide you in the decision making process.
Find out more on relocating to Glasgow at the below link:
WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
WORLD CHANGING GLASGOW 2025
Our outstanding disciplinary breadth and expertise has enabled us to make world-changing advances in fields as diverse as medicine, physics, linguistics, public policy and global development.
The key to our success is our talented staff and students pushing back at the boundaries of knowledge and understanding together.
Our World Changers Together strategy recognises the fundamental importance of a culture of open cooperation: not just as colleagues and mentors or students and teachers, but as a community of discovery that reaches beyond its walls and draws inspiration and strength from its connections and partnerships worldwide: excellence that's part of something bigger. The strategy is articulated across three themes:
COMMUNITY
- People centred, globally engaged
CONNECTIVITY
- Collaboratively minded, digitally enhanced
CHALLENGES
- Solution focused, impact oriented
Find out more
How to apply
Full details of the role and how to apply can be found by visiting our website:
The closing date for applications is 23:45 on 21st August 2024.
If you would like a confidential, informal discussion in relation to this role, please contact Martina Cooper, Director of Strategic Recruitment and Talent Acquisition martina.cooper@glasgow.ac.uk
Terms & Conditions
Salary will be Competitive on the Management, Professional and Administrative, Senior Administrative Group, level 10.
This post is full time (35 hours per week) and open ended (permanent). Relocation assistance will be provided where appropriate.
As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.
As a valued member of our team, you can expect:
- A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.
- An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension, benefits and discount packages.
- A flexible approach to working.
- A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University.
We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community here.
We endorse the principles of Athena Swan and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.
We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.
It is the University of Glasgow’s mission to foster an inclusive climate, which ensures equality in our working, learning, research and teaching environment. We strongly endorse the principles of Athena SWAN, including a supportive and flexible working environment, with commitment from all levels of the organisation in promoting gender equity.
Our values
The future holds innumerable challenges for our sector, our society, and our world. We will have to adapt and change what we do and what we offer if we are to navigate these successfully. Our strategy and approach may evolve as the landscape changes, but our values will remain constant: a fixed point of certainty in uncertain times.
We have identified our values in consultation and partnership with our staff and student community. Living and upholding these values will ensure that we remain true to the spirit of our community and ourselves:
Ambition and Excellence
- We strive for excellence through our work
- We defend academic freedom globally
- We recognise and celebrate shared success
- We have an unrelenting focus on development
Curiosity and Discovery
- We innovate and solve problems together
- We lead by influence and example
- We engage with lifelong learning and personal development
- We learn from our mistakes
Integrity and Truth
- We uphold honesty, integrity and fairness
- We share our work widely and generously
- We do the right thing, not the easy thing - or we don’t do it
- We take responsibility
An Inclusive Community
- We are one Glasgow team, and we care for and respect one another
- We advocate for diversity and believe in variety as a vital part of a healthy university
- We champion education as an engine for social progress
- We practise and advance sustainability