Lecturer in English Literature

Weekly Working Hours: 37

Fixed Term Contract: End Date: Not a fixed term contract

Welsh Language: Not Applicable

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About the Role

We are seeking to appoint a Lecturer in English Literature within the School Arts and Humanities. 

To apply for this post, you should have a proven track record of research in the literature of the Romantic period. You should also have a readiness to prepare teaching materials on the literature of the eighteenth and nineteenth century.

The post is based in the department of English and Creative Writing in the School of Arts and Humanities.

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences comprises:

• School of Arts & Humanities
• School of Social Sciences & Global Studies
• School of Psychology & Counselling
• School of Creative Industries

The Faculty is the largest and most diverse at The Open University, with some 50,000 students studying our modules with excellent completion rates and consistently outstanding student satisfaction ratings. Noted for the strength of our interdisciplinary approaches, our scholars of international standing teach and research a very wide range of topics and themes in specific subject areas, recognized as world class or internationally excellent in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2021, and having a direct and profound influence on our undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. To find out more about the Faculty’s teaching, learning and research, please visit: http://fass.open.ac.uk/ 

More information about the School of Arts and Humanities can be found here: https://fass.open.ac.uk/schools/school-arts-humanities  and the Department of English Literature here: English & Creative Writing | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences 

Along with the preparation of new teaching materials, the role involves contributing to the development and delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate modules currently in presentation. There will be opportunities to contribute more widely to the management, administration, and coordination of our qualifications in English, along with the development of curriculum and teaching strategies.

Key Responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Develop learning materials, including the planning and preparation, updating, writing and redrafting of materials for distance learning modules and resources, critical reading, and the editing of associated material, as well as the production of audio-visual and online resources.
• Contribute to the administration of modules in presentation, including preparing and monitoring of assessment, and provision of tutor and student support.
• Contribute to decisions about curriculum, teaching and assessment strategies.
• Meet the requirement of direct contact with students through a variety of means, for example at day schools, moderating forums and delivering lectures online, and research student supervision, as appropriate.
• Contribute to the briefing, debriefing and training of Associate Lecturers.
• Contribute to high-quality research publications for REF submission, with bids for research funding encouraged.
• Contribute more broadly to the activities of the School and Faculty as required.
• Promote equal opportunities and participation across all aspects of School activities, including teaching and research.

About You

Essential Criteria:

• An honours degree in English Literature or a related subject.
• A completed PhD in English Literature (completed is defined as having a successfully signed qualification at the point of application, rather than having submitted a thesis which is pending amendments).
• A research specialism in literature of the Romantic period.
• A track record of successful research, commensurate to career stage, and detailed plans for future research with clear potential for REF submission.
• Broad experience of undergraduate teaching, with a willingness to contribute to teaching beyond the post-holder’s area of specialisation
• The ability and readiness to develop, research and write (together with other colleagues) innovative distance-learning materials.
• The ability and readiness to manage (together with other colleagues) modules in presentation, including the preparation of assessment materials and participation in examination and Quality Assessment processes.
• A lively interest in pedagogical techniques for teaching English Literature through distance-learning in Higher Education.
• The ability and willingness to work in a way that aligns with the ideals of The Open University, including a willingness to engage in activities to widen participation in Higher Education.

Desirable Criteria:

• A qualification in teaching in a Higher Education context (e.g. PGCert, FHEA).
• An interdisciplinary approach in research and/or teaching, with a willingness to think across genre/subject boundaries.
• Experience of teaching Literature at postgraduate level.
• Experience of (or with plans for) securing external research income.
• The ability to contribute to maintaining and raising the profile of the School and the Faculty (e.g. through outreach work or activities with a public impact).

Support with your application

If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on 01908 541111 or email careers@open.ac.uk quoting the advert reference number.

What's in it for you?

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

Flexible working

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where you can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office, some attendance in the office will be required in response to business needs. We’d expect this to be at least once every other month, but this could be more often as business needs dictate.

Next steps in the Recruitment process

Interviews will likely be held in the week commencing 6th July 2026.

Early closing date notification

While most roles will remain open until the advertised closing date, applications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In some cases, vacancies may close earlier if a sufficient number of suitable applications has been received and equality impacts have been appropriately considered. All roles will remain advertised for a minimum of one week before any early closure is implemented. If you have started an application or were in the process of applying when the advert closed, we encourage you to get in touch. We are committed to understanding individual circumstances and can offer further support where needed, including reasonable adjustments for applicants with protected characteristics.

How to apply

To apply for this role please submit the following document(s):

• CV
• Supporting statement of up to 1000 words clearly demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

You can view your progress and application communications when you are logged into our recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folders if you do not receive associated email updates.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.