Lecturer in Computing & Communications (Project & Service Management)

Since its inception, The Open University (OU) has focused on innovation in teaching and learning, with a track record of providing inspiring, world-leading programmes of higher education for students who learn at a distance. Building on award-winning initiatives such as the OpenSTEM Labs and the Institute of Coding, the University is committed to delivering the highest quality teaching, together with excellent research. We provide rewarding academic career paths that are focused on world-class teaching, research, and knowledge exchange.

We aim to appoint inspiring and innovative teachers and scholars, who enjoy developing novel approaches to teaching and research, and is effective in working collaboratively with colleagues.

We are seeking a candidate with a strong background in Project Management and Service Management, and able to support our capstone research and project modules.

Teaching

• Actively contribute to the design and teaching of a high-quality distance learning curriculum in project and service management, at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• Be an active member of the School of Computing & Communications to help deliver academic excellence by:

1. developing innovative and effective teaching approaches, drawing upon educational scholarship and industry best practice as appropriate
2. developing novel models for assessing practical competencies as well as domain knowledge
3. promoting employability and career progression for our students.

Research, scholarship and knowledge exchange

• Pursue high quality research in project and service management or a related area (including supervising research students)
• Enhance our links with industry to enable teaching and research collaborations and knowledge exchange
• Attract external income to the School
• Contribute to the vibrant scholarship environment in the School.

General

• Act as an ambassador, both internally and externally, for the academic excellence of the School, Faculty and University.
• Take responsibility for administrative and/or other academic duties as required by the Head of School.
• Contribute to the outreach activities of the School, Faculty and University.

Essential:

• A PhD, or substantial experience, in a relevant area
• Ability to contribute to the distance teaching of a range of modules including service management, project management and capstone projects.
• Expertise in service and project management approaches in IT, with a good understanding of recent developments (commensurate with career stage).
• Ability to undertake high quality research and produce research/scholarly publications in a relevant subject (commensurate with career stage).
• An understanding of the educational and study needs of students, particularly those studying part-time at a distance (commensurate with career stage).
• Evidence of, or the potential to deliver, innovative teaching.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent written and spoken English skills, together with the ability to offer and receive constructive criticism.
• Ability to plan, organise and complete work to agreed deadlines.
• Commitment to the aims, ethos and values of the Open University.
• A strong commitment to excellence in inclusive learning and teaching for a diverse student population. 

Desirable:

• Experience of producing distance/online learning materials and assessment materials.
• Experience of supporting students in a distance/online learning setting.
• Evidence of successful research student supervision.
• Relevant professional qualifications.
• Fellowship (or higher) of the UK Higher Education Academy, or equivalent teaching experience/standing in the UK or in another country (commensurate with career stage).
• Ability to develop new collaborative partnerships within the University and with external organisations (commensurate with career stage).
• Successful experience of gaining external funding (commensurate with career stage).

Find out more about us and our mission by following the  link to the School website here. 

Our capstone modules are TM470 and T802. 
TM254 and M815 teach project management, with the former also covering service management. 

If you would like to discuss this vacancy please email STEM-CC-HOS@open.ac.uk

To apply for this role please submit the following:

• CV that includes details of academic qualifications, teaching and research experience, grants received and publications.
• Supporting statement, up to 1,000 words, you should set out in your supporting statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the essential and desirable criteria for this role as detailed above. You may find it helpful to list each point and give an example for how you meet that requirement. Alternatively, you might find it easier to put your application into the form of a table.

You will need to have your documents ready ahead of submitting the electronic application.

Work location

It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where you can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that attendance on our Milton Keynes campus will be required when necessary and in response to business needs, for example for laboratory-based research and/or supervision of research students or occasional team meetings.

Flexible working 

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what may work for you and the role.

Early closing date notification 

We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications.