Associate Professor and Deputy Head of School

Vacancy terms: Full-time or job share, permanent

Hours per week: 37.5

Advert closes midnight on: 21 May 2026

About the role

Founded in 1966, Leicester Law School is a highly successful, growing Law School at a Top 25 UK university according to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026.

 The Law School is seeking to appoint an exceptionally talented Associate Professor on a Teaching Focused or Professional Practice contract. Please specify in your cover letter which contract is most suitable for you and ensure you address the relevant shortlisting criteria in your application.

The appointment as Associate Professor is on a permanent basis. The successful candidate will also be appointed Deputy Head of School for a three-year term and will devote 40 percent of their entire workload to the Deputy role in the first three years of appointment. The remaining 60 percent of time in the first three years of employment will be spent on other academic activities as appropriate for an Associate Professor depending on the academic route (Teaching Focused or Professional Practice).

The successful candidate in their Deputy Head of School capacity will work closely with the Head of School to support the engagement of the Law School in a number of important fields. These include but are not limited to:

• An ambitious widening participation agenda.
• The creation and management of a growing number of relationships with external partners.
• Promoting innovation in legal pedagogy.
• Supporting the expansion of the Legal Advice Clinic.
• Creation of synergies with the legal professions.

About you

You will join a dynamic and forward-thinking team that values creativity and innovation. You will hold a PhD in a relevant subject area (if you choose to apply for the Teaching Focused contract) or you will be a UK qualified barrister or solicitor (if you choose to apply for the Professional Practice contract). You will have the ability to lead and motivate a team of legal academics. You will be a collegiate team player able to collaborate with the Head of School and to work effectively with the College and University management.

Eligible candidates will meet the essential criteria for the Associate Professorship (either Teaching Focused or Professional Practice) and will also demonstrate the ability to lead, motivate, develop and manage the performance of a team. 

Additional information

For informal inquiries regarding this vacancy, please contact the Head of the Leicester Law School Professor Carlo Panara at carlo.panara@leicester.ac.uk

The University of Leicester has been changing the world, and changing people’s lives, for 100 years. When you join us, you’ll become part of a community of Citizens of Change, which includes not only our staff and our current students but also thousands of Leicester graduates around the world.

As a diverse and forward-thinking employer, we embed the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion into everything we do. That includes not just our core missions of teaching and research, but also our support for staff, students and our local community through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive.

We’re committed to the wellbeing of all our staff and to the sustainability of our environment, on our campus and beyond. We offer a competitive salary package, excellent pension scheme and a generous annual leave allowance, along with opportunities to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.

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