Senior Lecturer

Arts University Plymouth is seeking to appoint an experienced Senior Lecturer to lead our BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing and Printmaking degree. This is an academic leadership role that will assist in driving pedagogic innovation and subject specialism within the University. The successful candidate will be professionally active in their field, and will contribute to Arts University Plymouth’s research culture, ensuring the highest standards of learning and teaching, research, scholarship, and student experience in line with the ambitions of our strategic plan. 

About You:

You will be:

• a practising, exhibited and/or published artist.
• a passionate advocate for the Arts.
• able to demonstrate an extensive range of knowledge and expertise in your subject area. 
• a dynamic and progressive educator, with excellent interpersonal skills, able to create a positive course culture and a distinctive community of artistic practice.
• educated to postgraduate level, and with a recognised teaching qualification.

You will have:

• professional teaching experience at Higher Education level, including curriculum planning, all aspects of teaching and learning, assessment, pastoral support and management of the student experience. 
• good people management skills, capable of motivating and supporting individuals and teams to deliver high standards to ensure you successfully lead a team of academic lecturers as their line manager.
• strong administrative skills, capable of organising and prioritising workload, managing budgets and delivering projects.  
• a good level of digital literacy and the ability to analyse and interpret data to support management reporting and decision making.  
• a good understanding of the creative and cultural industries you will be able to build external relationships and partnerships, raising the profile of the University and creating progression opportunities for our graduates. 

About The Role:

As Course Leader, you will lead all aspects of the content, organisation, management and development of the course,  supporting our academic ambition to deliver  innovative research-informed teaching  that champions the integration of theory and practice. This will include the fostering  of cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary relationships, a  commitment to expanded practices (including new and emergent technologies),  and new curriculum  initiatives that embrace a  breadth of  professional contexts. 

Key to the role will be ensuring that the student experience is positive and is reviewed on an ongoing  and annual basis, and that appropriate strategies are implemented in support of maintaining  academic quality and standards. You will work closely with the  Assistant Dean and Registry in support of quality assurance processes such as the annual monitoring review (AMR) You  will actively contribute to University Committees and  Boards, Interim and Unit Award Boards, and student feedback meetings as required on a regular basis. 

In support of maintaining the annual target application and enrolment figures for the course area(s) and university at large, you will proactively develop and undertake recruitment and retention initiatives, both  internally and externally. This will involve active outreach such as visits to schools, attendance at open days and UCAS fairs, and related events. 

In return you’ll receive:

• 35 days annual leave per annum plus bank holidays, and closure efficiency days.
• Access to a supportive Employee Assistance Programme.
• Enrolment onto a generous Teachers Pension scheme.
• Additional benefits such as a cycle to work scheme and discounted bus tickets.

Please refer to the role profile for more information.

Closing Date: Sunday 29 June 2025 at 11:59pm

Please note: We reserve the right to close the advertisement early if we receive a high volume of applications. To avoid disappointment, we encourage early submission.

Interview Date: Monday 7 July 2025

The successful candidate will be professionally active in their field and committed to contributing to our research ambitions and international reputation as an innovative, sustainable, and broadly inclusive arts university.

Eligibility to Work in the UK
Please note that all applicants must have the right to work in the UK with no restrictions, as we are currently unable to offer sponsorship or work visas. Proof of Right to Work will be required at the interview stage.

If you are interested in the role and would like to learn more, please contact Tim Gundry, Principal Lecturer and Assistant Dean, tgundry@aup.ac.uk. 

Arts University Plymouth has a strong commitment to the safeguarding & welfare of young people & vulnerable adults. A satisfactory Enhanced DBS disclosure will be required for the successful candidate as a condition of appointment.

We value and celebrate equality, diversity, and difference, and welcome applications from all communities.

In the event that the University has employees eligible for redeployment at the time of shortlisting, for example due to the end of a fixed term contract, these candidates may be entitled to priority consideration for interview.

Creative Education for a Changing World

Arts University Plymouth will set a vision towards 2030 based upon sustainable growth, solution focused teaching and research, and a commitment to impactful social justice and ecological change through its people, culture and place. Our strategy Creative Education for a Changing World will ensure that our work is energised and designed to meet the ambitions of its students and staff while acknowledging the shifting realm of creativity through new technologies and the workplaces of tomorrow.   

Our strategy is built upon three pillars, Creative Endeavour, Sustainable Futures, and People & Place. Through this, we have set a critical path towards a holistic and embedded pedagogical approach under the title Teaching for our Time, that will guide all of our creative endeavours. We believe that authenticity, fulfilment and kindness are indexical qualities in the process of thinking, making and living.

Strategic Vision

Our vision for Arts University Plymouth is a new kind of arts university for the 21st century, preparing graduates who are uniquely placed to provide creative solutions to the complex global challenges of our times.

We will champion our people, place and pedagogy at the heart of our mission, delivering sustainable growth and impactful change in terms of creative economies, civic engagement and cultural ambition in Plymouth and the wider region.

We will enhance our reputation as a catalyst for individual, societal and ecological transformation, delivering innovative and distinctive learning, teaching and research through its interdisciplinary ecosystem of materials, processes, technologies and knowledge exchange. 

Why Plymouth?

Our beautiful city was voted as Britain’s best city to live and work in by The Telegraph in September 2024, beating Bristol, London, Manchester and Birmingham. Take a look at the showreels to see why we are proud to boast about our City!

We've also been named one of the world's top underrated travel destinations by Time Out. Plymouth is a vibrant city that offers stunning coastlines, wild moorlands, and a rich cultural scene. Attractions include the iconic Tinside Lido, and some of the region’s best entertainment and culture, from award winning museum and gallery The Box, to Real Ideas Market Hall, home to Europe’s first-of-its-kind 350-degree Immersive Dome. 

Plymouth is Britain’s Ocean City, a confident and growing city that is undergoing a cultural revolution. With world-class connectivity, one of the highest rates of superfast broadband availability in the UK, excellent transport links, an international airport under an hour away, and stunning outside spaces on the doorstep such as Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, Dartmoor National Park it offers a great lifestyle. Find out more here: