Director of Academic Programmes

The Director of Academic Programmes (Non-award Bearing Programmes) [DAP NAB] will have overall lead responsibility for three key non-award bearing programmes delivered by the University of Cambridge's Institute of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE)

(1)         Online Short Course Programme 

(2)         University of Cambridge's official Summer Programme 

(3)         Lifelong Learning Weekend Programme 

The Online, Summer and Weekend programmes are high-quality open higher education programmes designed for adult students. They comprise professional and continuing education courses ranging from topics in AI, data science and coaching to history of art, literature and music. Combined, the three areas include over 150 different courses and attract around 8,000 course enrolments each academic year. 

Ultimately, the DAP NAB's vision for an inclusive and engaging student experience will impact positively on adult students from all backgrounds, nationalities and life stages.

The DAP NAB will work closely with other Directors of Academic Programmes, employed academics, hourly-paid adjunct tutors and professional services leads in areas such as marketing, finance, admissions and enrolments, course administration and technology-enabled learning to design and deliver a compelling market-relevant non-award bearing course portfolio.

The DAP NAB will understand market trends in adult education, lifelong learning innovations and related policy, academic quality assurance in a regulated context, and curriculum design.  Importantly, they will be skilled in working collaboratively across university departments, with a range of academics from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and in partnership with professional services functions to foster engaging online and residential short course learning for students.

Reporting to the Director of Professional and Continuing Education (Head of Institute) the DAP NAB will be a member of PACE's Senior Leadership Team. They will line manage a group of academics involved in course delivery, task manage adjunct tutors and actively coordinate with professional services staff to ensure effective course administration. 

They will work closely with other Directors of Academic Programmes responsible for award-bearing courses, the encore education programme (Better Futures) and bespoke programmes to ensure that the course portfolio is integrated, meaningful educational pathways are created and signposted for students, and teaching resources are successfully and sustainably designed. 

The DAP NAB will act as the Weekend Warden for a selection of residential Lifelong Learning Weekends and be present during the delivery of the Summer Programme. In addition, they will be required to regularly undertake national and international travel to develop partnerships with other universities and scholarly groups intended to drive enrolment and revenue growth. Given the collaborative nature of the role, they will need to be office-based in Cambridge for a minimum of three days each week.

The successful applicant is likely to be a senior academic or administrator with extensive experience of academic programme management. They will have a broad interest in a range of fields and be committed to open access higher education for all.  They are likely to hold a doctoral-level qualification or may have an advanced management qualification. An academic appointee will also hold the title of Associate Professor on the University of Cambridge Teaching and Scholarship pathway. 

The initial interviews will take place in-person in Cambridge on Wednesday 17 September 2025. Preferably, the successful candidate will be able take up their role by 01 December 2025.

Please submit a CV and cover letter in support of your application.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

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