Dean of Gray's School of Art

Robert Gordon University (RGU) is an innovative, inclusive and professional university, focused on delivering courses that provide our graduates with the best outcomes for their future.

Over the last decade RGU has consistently had one of the best records of any UK university for graduate level employment. It celebrates a high-quality student experience and is currently ranked in the top three universities in Scotland for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey. It has been named as the Scottish University of the Year 2021 in The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2021.

RGU is now seeking to appoint the next Dean of Gray’s School of Art, one of the four major art schools in Scotland and a critical driver for the creative industries in the North-East, providing support for creative pathways from school through to employment and creative leadership.   

The new Dean will lead a multi-disciplinary school spanning the fine art and design disciplines, with approx. 40 academics, 32 professional service staff, and circa 700 undergraduate, postgraduate, and research students, and will manage a budget of £3.5 million The successful candidate will be central in setting the context and strategic direction that will drive forward Gray’s way of working, ambitions and profile.

Priorities will include: developing the academic portfolio; championing and growing areas of research strength; strengthening the research / teaching interface; enhance the collaborative culture with other schools that provide courses on creative industries such as the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture & the Built Environment, School of Computing, and the School of Creative and Cultural Business; building on the strong engagement with the community and maintaining student / staff partnership links key to the school culture

The Dean will be a key member of the University Management & Deans Group, and will be expected to contribute to cross-institutional projects.

The successful candidate will bring a passion for high quality, progressive, student-centred learning and personal research credibility. They will be deeply committed to teaching and research, providing an outstanding student experience and building research capacity and capability.  They will have a track-record of developing a strategic vision and uniting people behind it. They will need to be a strong people manager with emotional intelligence who will understand and appreciate the diversity of the academic and student population within Gray’s. They will be connected in the creative economy, in the UK and internationally, and become an RGU ambassador in this space.

This is an opportunity to lead and shape the strategic direction of a school that has been leading and defining culture and industrial development for over 130 years. If you have vision, passion, creativity and determination to make a difference, we want to hear from you. This is a key appointment for us, and it will be for you – so we will invest time with candidates to get to know you and to give you the chance to get to know us.

For further information on how to apply please read the candidate information pack we have put together for this role. If you need further clarifications, please contact our advisors:

Kit Rooney: kit.rooney@gatenbysanderson.com / 02074263983

Hilda Gjika: hilda.gjika@gatenbysanderson.com  

Closing date: Closing date: Tuesday, 2 May 2023

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