President and Vice-Chancellor

The University of Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group, ranked in the world's top 100 universities, with approximately 26,000 students from across the globe and an annual income of £748 million. Southampton is renowned for its world-leading research and innovation. We are developing trustworthy and secure artificial intelligence, creating a fast, smarter internet through our fibre-optic research, and harnessing the immune system in the fight against cancer. We provide sustainable solutions to support global businesses, blend art, design, and AI to improve eye health, and use global demography research to secure resources for vulnerable populations.

As a civic university in one of Britain's great maritime cities, Southampton contributes over £1 billion annually to the regional economy. We were the first international university to establish a campus in India, and we are the proud recipients of a prestigious Queen Elizabeth Prize for Higher and Further Education for our groundbreaking rail research. Our global alumni community numbers 300,000 across 186 countries.

Our Council is now seeking to appoint our next President and Vice-Chancellor. Building on strong foundations and clear strategic direction, the new Vice-Chancellor will sustain Southampton's academic character and research-intensive reputation, deliver outstanding education in partnership with students and the Students' Union, advance research excellence and societal impact, ensure long-term financial sustainability, foster a culture of trust and collegiality, and build the University's standing through strategic partnerships and effective advocacy.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an exceptional individual to bring strategic vision and leadership to the University community and the achievement of our ambitions. Candidates must demonstrate evidence of: substantial senior leadership experience in research-intensive higher education or a comparable knowledge-intensive organisation, supported by a credible academic background; a strong record of strategic and financial leadership, with proven success in delivering sustainable solutions in complex environments; a visible and engaged leadership approach that builds trust through integrity, transparent decision-making, and meaningful engagement at all levels; the ability to communicate with clarity across diverse audiences; sound judgement in navigating the national and international landscapes; and a demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, alongside a clear commitment to upholding freedom of expression and open academic debate.

We strive always to be an inclusive university, where difference is respected, encouraged, and celebrated. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their ethnicity, sex and sexual orientation, gender reassignment, relationship status, religion, or disability.

Applications should consist of a CV and supporting statement which includes a brief overview of your experience with relevance to the personal specification, as well as an indication of the reasons for your interest in this opportunity.

Completed applications should be uploaded to the Perritt Laver portal using the apply link above, quoting reference number 8302.

The deadline for the receipt of applications is 11:59pm BST on Monday 6 April 2026.

For a confidential informal conversation about the role, please contact Senior Research Associate, Harvir Bains, at the following email address: harvir.bains@perrettlaver.com or +44 (0)20 3928 7355.

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Please visit the following link to find more information about the use of personal information provided by candidates to the University of Southampton: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/about/governance/regulations-policies/policies/data-protection.