Head of Department - Foundation Degrees (FdA/FdSc)

Salary: £61,749 - £72,975

London weighting: £4,000 per annum (if applicable)

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Head of School - Foundation Degrees

Faculty: Faculty of Foundation Studies

Click here to read the full job description and view our excellent benefits here

This role operates on a hybrid working arrangement that will require a split between working remotely and working on site at our various campuses. This may fluctuate in line with business requirements. Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

About Arden University:

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About our Faculty:

The Faculty of Foundation Studies is Arden University’s academic gateway into higher education, supporting students from admission and induction through to achievement, progression and future success. Bringing together Foundation Year, Foundation Degree, new-student induction and academic admissions activity, the Faculty provides accessible and inclusive pathways for students from a wide range of educational, personal and professional backgrounds.

Our purpose is to widen participation while ensuring every student is prepared to succeed. We combine subject knowledge with academic, digital and professional skills, helping students build confidence, develop a strong sense of belonging and progress successfully into further study or employment. Our teaching is applied, supportive and career-focused, with clear links between learning, assessment, workplace practice and students’ future ambitions.

You will join a large, collaborative and growing academic community committed to excellent teaching, inclusive curriculum design and evidence-informed student support. This is an exciting time to join the Faculty as we develop discipline-aligned Foundation Year routes, expand our Foundation Degree portfolio and embed employability, enterprise and responsible use of AI across the student experience.

About the Opportunity:

Join us at as Head of Department for Foundation Degrees, leading a growing department of around 40 permanent academic staff across multiple UK campuses. You will manage and develop Senior Lecturers and Programme Team Leaders, providing strategic academic leadership across our Foundation Degree portfolio and driving quality, performance, innovation and student success.

The Department for Foundation Degrees resides within the School of Foundation Degrees (in the Faculty of Foundation Studies) and includes various Foundation Degree programmes including:

• FdA Business and Innovation

• FdSc Health and Care Management

• FdSc Computing and Digital Futures

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the development of the department, lead a high-performing academic team and make a meaningful impact on student experience, achievement and progression.

You’ll drive excellence in teaching, learning and assessment, ensuring our programmes engage and challenge students while equipping them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to progress into further study or future careers. Working collaboratively with colleagues across the Faculty of Foundation Studies and the wider University, you’ll champion inclusive, student-centred approaches, use performance data to drive continuous improvement, and take ownership of departmental quality and student outcome targets.

About You:

You will be suitably qualified with excellent communication skills and a track record of leading degree-level programmes in higher education delivering high levels of student outcomes in key metrics (continuation, academic progression through levels, completion of awards, degree classification, graduate employment) and student satisfaction (internal and external surveys).

You will have a significant amount of experience of understanding of the current challenges to the HE and Foundation Degree sector, and how these can be addressed, experience of recruiting staff (academic and non-academic) and supporting staff through orientation and probationary period.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Masters (or equivalent)

• HE teaching qualification and/or Fellowship (e.g., PG Cert HE, SFHEA, PFHEA, QTLS/QTS).

• Proven leadership, people management, and team-building skills.

• A successful track record of leading academic programmes, achieving high levels of Student Experience, Outcomes, and Satisfaction (TEF metrics).

• Demonstrated ability to develop innovative environments for teaching, research, and industry-focused activities.

Desirable Skills & Qualifications:

• PhD or equivalent Level 7 qualification.

• Management training or qualifications showcasing leadership capabilities.

Why Arden:

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!

• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%

• BUPA Cash Plan

• Private Medical Insurance coverage (applies to certain job roles)

• Access to Perkbox benefits

• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends

• Plus, other excellent benefits

• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education

Our Values:

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date: 12th November

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Student Experience roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.