Principal Academic Partnership Lead (UK) - Fixed Term

Please note a full application including a covering letter detailing your experience alongside a CV is required for applications to be considered.  Please be advised applications made without providing a cover letter will not be accepted. 

Fixed Term Contract - 3 Years

Background of Role 

Working closely with the Associate Dean, UK Partnerships, this role is responsible for operationally managing academic activity to provide and ensure a high-quality education and an outstanding student and teaching and learning experience for students taught at our UK Academic Partner Institutions.

Who are we looking for?

To be successful in this role, you will have extensive experience of leading the strategic development, academic oversight, and successful delivery of higher education provision through academic partner institutions, including large-scale commercial providers, operating within complex and high-growth environments. You will have demonstrable expertise in designing and maintaining effective academic governance arrangements for subcontracted, franchised, validated, and other partnership models, ensuring academic quality, standards, and regulatory compliance. You will have a proven track record of building, leading, and developing high-performing teams and sustaining productive relationships with senior stakeholders across complex partnership portfolios and extensive experience of translating institutional strategy into operational delivery, driving continuous improvement, enhancing student outcomes, and ensuring excellence in teaching, learning, and the overall student experience.

Due to the nature of the work undertaken within the Collaborative Partnerships (UK) Team, candidates will be required to demonstrate experience and knowledge of working with Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) and the regulatory frameworks that support higher education provision. Preference will be given to candidates with experience of partnership provision and academic leadership within Accounting and Finance and/or Economics disciplines.
 
How will you work? 

We are committed to supporting flexible methods of working and recognise the benefits this brings to both colleagues and the University.

This role operates within a hybrid working environment; however, regular travel is an essential requirement. The postholder will be expected to travel to partner institutions and University locations associated with their portfolio to support relationship management, academic oversight, quality assurance activities, and stakeholder engagement.

How to apply  

Start date for applications: 07/08/2026
Closing date for applications: 31/08/2026 
Interviews are to be held: w/c 14/09/2026  

If you require further information regarding the post please feel free to contact Dr Katy Warden, Associate Dean, UK Partnerships, katy.warden@canterbury.ac.uk (strictly no agencies, thank you) quoting reference number REQ06206.

Please note, Canterbury Christ Church University reserve the right to bring the closing date of this position forward where a high volume of applications is received.  
 
Employment Visa Clarification: According to the UK Government Points Based System, this position may not fulfil the requirements for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker Route application. 

Additional Information 

Canterbury Christ Church University truly welcomes fresh perspectives and new voices. We want you to bring the real you to work, so we are committed to building a genuinely inclusive working environment where everyone is welcomed and where everyone can have a true sense of belonging. Our spirit of community will help us to eliminate discrimination and will enable us all to thrive in a culture that is underpinned by fairness and justice. We therefore seek people to join us who will proactively support and shape this aim and contribute in their own unique way. If this is you, then we are waiting to hear from you. #yourCCCU

Our University is deeply committed to shaping sustainable futures as a key part of its mission and values. If you share this passion, we encourage you to join us in making CCCU a more socially and environmentally conscious, sustainable place to study and work

Employment Visa Clarification: According to the UK Government Points Based System, this position does not fulfil the requirements for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker Route application.

Please note applications must be made online via the University website; details sent directly via email cannot be considered.

No agencies, thank you.