Director of Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression

King's College London is one of the world's leading universities, with a global reputation for excellence in education, research and societal impact. Located in the heart of London, King's is home to more than 40,000 students and 12,000 staff from across the world and is consistently ranked amongst the UK's and world's leading universities. 

King's College London is seeking to appoint a newly created Director of Academic Freedom & Freedom of Expression, a strategically important leadership role within the Senior Vice President (Academic)'s portfolio. At a time when expectations of universities continue to evolve, the role offers a unique opportunity to help shape King's approach to one of the most important and dynamic issues facing higher education. The postholder will support King's in continuing to foster a culture where diverse perspectives can be expressed openly and responsibly, enabling all members of our community to uphold both freedom of expression and mutual respect in line with King's values. 

Reporting to the Senior Vice President (Academic), with a dotted line to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director will provide leadership across academic freedom and freedom of expression, helping ensure King's meets its statutory obligations while supporting the University in navigating complex issues where legal duties, institutional values, community welfare and competing stakeholder interests intersect. Working closely with communities across King's and external stakeholders, the role will lead activity across governance, policy development, stakeholder engagement, institutional risk, compliance, incident management and horizon scanning. 

The Director will play a central role in ensuring King's remains coordinated internally, responsive to an evolving external environment, and confident in its decision-making. The successful candidate will help enhance institutional capability, support the ongoing development of policy and governance frameworks, represent King's externally, and contribute to the University's ambition to be recognised as a sector leader in this space. 

We are seeking an individual with exceptional judgement, political awareness and relationship-building skills. Candidates may come from a range of backgrounds, including higher education, governance, public policy, public affairs, regulation, risk and compliance, or other complex stakeholder environments. Above all, the successful candidate will be comfortable operating across organisational boundaries, building trust with diverse communities and navigating sensitive issues with credibility, resilience and sound judgement. 

For further information, please visit the job description and to apply, visit the Jobs at King’s pages. For a confidential and informal conversation, please contact Jamie Surgenor or James Ralphs within King’s in-house Search team at kings-search@kcl.ac.uk. 

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 9^th September 2026, 23:59 hours

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