Associate Head for Politics, International Relations, Religion, Sociology and Criminology

Introduction to YSJ University

York St John is an ambitious, modern university at the heart of historic York and there has never been a more exciting time to join us.

As one of the fastest growing universities in the U.K over recent years, we have a new strategy for the next decade, emphasising our commitment to widening opportunity through the power of education and contributing our talents to creating a fairer world, and a more prosperous region. We are putting inspirational learning and impactful research at the heart of this strategy, recognising our academic expertise as our greatest asset.

The school

The School of Humanities offers a range of degree programmes across ten subject areas, as well as a Foundation Year in Liberal Arts. We have a diverse Postgraduate portfolio and a rapidly growing Postgraduate community. As a School, we are committed to student-centred teaching that challenges learners to think about the world in different ways. We are active in projects involving decolonising the curriculum, work-related learning, and supportive and inclusive pedagogies. We have a thriving research community and there are lots of opportunities for colleagues to share research and get involved with wider research projects. We have a combination of early career researchers as well as active senior researchers, and we engage with a range of academic interests that impact our excellent teaching provision and expanding research portfolio. With around 60 staff in the School in total, we are a friendly and collegiate community.

The role

As the Associate Head for Politics, International Relations, Religion, Sociology and Criminology, you will be responsible for bringing together a new subject cluster for the School, the aim of which is to align research collaborations. You will work to achieve the success of these distinct undergraduate programmes, as well as a range of MA and MRes programmes. All subject areas have an excellent reputation for learning and teaching, and have received strong NSS results over the last few years, as well as very good scores for PTES and PRES. We pride ourselves on offering an outstanding experience for our students. In this role, you will be part of the School Academic Leadership Team and will work closely with four other Associate Heads to support the Head of School in making key strategic decisions relating to a range of topics including staffing, recruitment, external partnerships and internationalisation. You will line-manage colleagues from each academic team (around 25 colleagues in total) and be responsible for delivering key performance objectives across your programmes. You will facilitate good communication across your teams and motivate colleagues to be the best that they can be. As an approachable, decisive, and inspiring leader, you will be an enthusiastic advocate for your programmes and actively engaged with the university strategic plan.

Required skills and experience

The successful candidate will have research expertise in at least one of the areas of Politics, International Relations, Religion, Sociology and/or Criminology. Regardless of your personal specialism, you will need to demonstrate an appreciation and understanding of the other subject areas. An experienced professional, you will have a strong portfolio in terms of teaching innovation, as well as having recognised scholarship in your area of expertise. Experience of programme management, leadership, and strategic thinking is essential. At York St John, our approach to leadership is collegiate and focuses on both empowering and supporting staff.

Additional information

For informal queries, please contact the Head of School, Professor Anne-Marie Evans (a.evans@yorksj.ac.uk).

It is anticipated that the assessment process will involve a presentation and panel interview. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates.

This role is eligible for Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship subject to UKVI criteria being fulfilled. For further information regarding this visa route please visit Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).