Job Description

Job Title: Associate Dean (Education)

Posting Start Date: 19/10/2026

Job Id: 3339

School/Department: Management School

Work Arrangement: Full Time (Hybrid)

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary per annum (£): £72,997 - £113,619

Closing Date: 18/11/2026

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

The Associate Dean Education is the strategic lead on the School Executive Team responsible for the delivery of the component elements of the Education pillar. More broadly the Associate Dean supports the Dean in delivering a range of collective and individual activity within the school designed to improve all aspects of the Schools performance in Education and Student Experience.

Excellent academic leadership is critical to the University of Sheffield's vision of life-enhancing, research, innovation, and education. Each member of the School Executive Team plays a vital role in creating an inclusive environment where staff and students can succeed and flourish.

The Associate Dean of Education will need to be a role model, manager, mentor, and coach in to order to build a diverse community of staff and students. They will also be a member of the Faculty Education Committee to facilitate collaboration with other Directors of Education and ensure appropriate alignment and governance.

The University of Sheffield has an established Academic Career Pathway, which is built upon our shared understanding of what it means to be an academic in an ambitious, research-intensive institution like the University of Sheffield. As a Chair (Teaching & Research or Teaching Specialist Pathway) you will contribute in the areas of research, teaching, leadership, professional standing and wider engagement.

Main duties and responsibilities

As Associate Dean (Education):

Take a lead role in the development and delivery of action plans related to the relevant areas of the School Planning Framework, specifically: Quality Education, Employability and Digital Education.
Develop accompanying action plans to improve School performance across the range of Education activities. Drive major academic initiatives in education within the School, and work effectively with relevant professional service staff to embed efficient and effective student-centred services and ways of working.
Coordinate and oversee the work of other staff in the School who are leading on specific areas or projects related to Quality Education, Employability Innovation and Student Experience.
Working with School Executive Team colleagues, develop and share best practice for all Education and Student Experience activities, to aid the development and performance of Academic staff within the School.
With the HoS, provide targeted support in aspects of Education activities to individual Academic staff as required.
Support the professional development of staff contributing to education in the School. For example, through induction, promotion and signposting to professional development opportunities, advice and collegiality.
Be aware of developments in Education policy and regulation, raising awareness within the School.
Ensure delivery of regulatory responsibilities and requirements with regard to both the OfS (B and C conditions) and other regulatory bodies, raising awareness within the School to support compliance.
Ensure compliance of the School with Safeguarding policies and procedures.
Chair the School Education Committee. Take a lead role in developing and promoting the School’s Education strategy (UG and PGT), and ensure that the School reflects Faculty and University direction in these areas.
Work with Head of School and programme leads, adopting a Programme Level Approach to ensure the School maintains and delivers a portfolio of high quality, current, research-informed taught programmes (all taught courses – both UG and PGT) that are attractive to the market, align to student needs and demands and recruit students on a sustainable basis.
Oversee the development of new programmes and modules, proposing any changes to the Faculty Education Committee and Senate Learning and Teaching Committee.
Support the Head of School in ensuring the School provides an outstanding student experience through all stages of the taught student journey as evidenced by Tell Us and NSS data.
Embed student voice at each level across the School so as to inform curriculum design and development, establishing an ongoing dialogue between students and staff (TEll US, student fora, working groups etc).
Work with the other members of the School Executive team to ensure there is synergy between the different aspects of the School strategy – for example, ensuring efficient delivery of high-quality education and assessment is complementary to research performance and attempts to address academic workload.
Ensure that University policies for all education activities are implemented and adopted throughout the School.
Monitor the quality of Education delivery across the School and provide intervention, support and guidance on improvements where necessary.
Contribute to relevant Faculty or University level projects and initiatives as required.
Work with other School Directors of Education and the Faculty Director of Education to ensure the University continues to improve the quality of its education and ensure the delivery of a high-quality student experience.
Work with the Faculty Director of Education and other School Directors of Education to provide evidence of excellent education and student outcomes for use in a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) submission.
Embed the results of the Education review to establish a culture that supports Education, Research and Impact & One University principles.
Provide effective leadership and line management for any direct reports, including recruitment, conducting Staff Development Reviews (SRDS), supporting wellbeing, mentoring, facilitating professional development and excellent performance.
Carry out other duties commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

As a member of the professoriate and in line with the underlying Chair appointment once the leadership role concludes:

Contribute fully to Sheffield University Management School as a teacher, researcher, leader and collaborator.
Demonstrate high-quality teaching practice by leading on the design, delivery and assessment and evaluation of high-quality research-led teaching programmes to enable effective learning. This includes identifying learning objectives, selecting appropriate curricula, teaching methods, and resources, and determining, designing and producing appropriate study material. You will also prepare and implement student assessments, ensuring effective moderation and timely feedback.
Provide high-quality student support through personal tutor/pastoral responsibilities for undergraduate and postgraduate students, directing them, as required, to University support services appropriate to their needs.
Supervise undergraduate and postgraduate projects.
Enhance curriculum in the Department, including reviewing and developing new programmes of study that are accessible, inclusive, attracting new students and markets and contributing to the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy. This includes reviewing and updating current provision and teaching techniques, ensuring compliance with quality and accreditation standards and effective links with external organisations.
Plan teaching up to one year ahead unless there are significant teaching programme changes or new courses then plan for up to two years ahead of their introduction.
Demonstrate a strong commitment to continuing professional development in teaching by developing and implementing ideas for improving teaching design, delivery and assessment, in order to build pedagogic knowledge and demonstrate impact.
Liaise effectively with academic staff, other colleagues and external stakeholders to ensure taught programmes are appropriate and relevant to the needs of both students and employers.
Share and promote good practice in teaching within the School and Faculty.
Establish, lead and sustain excellence in research (pedagogic scholarship or a management research discipline aligned with the School’s mission and areas of strength), with a commitment to synergies with teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Conduct personal research of international standing, independently and collaboratively, in line with the Faculty Research Strategy.
Maintain a strong academic and professional profile through national and international engagement, high quality publications.
Determine research objectives, and initiate and implement a strong programme of research, leading to visible academic and non-academic impact.
Direct and supervise the work of research students and research staff.
Lead and participate in applications to secure external funding to support high-quality and ambitious research activity.
Provide strong academic leadership, including line management and staff development as appropriate.
Provide leadership in developing a strong research or scholarship portfolio.
Participate in University, School and Faculty committees as appropriate.
Foster high quality links with academic colleagues in relevant disciplines across the University, with other academic institutions and with industry.
Plan and prioritise own work and forward plan up to five years for some tasks.
You will be a role model and champion for the values and behaviours of the ‘Sheffield Academic’ and promote its integration into the life of the University.
As a member of staff you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, including embedding the University strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and are respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Criteria

Essential or desirable

Stage(s) assessed at

Have a PhD in a subject area relevant to the activity of the Management School.

Essential