This post is full-time, 35 hours per week. The tenure of the Assistant Head of School role is for an initial period of three years, with scope to extend to up to five years in total. It is underpinned by a permanent academic position.
Westminster School of Arts, University of Westminster has a longstanding reputation as an environment of innovation and educational leadership across all of our disciplinary areas. We are now looking for an Assistant Head of School to lead our flourishing Arts & Emerging Technologies area. There is an emphasis on what it means to make art within a contemporary context and how analogue and emerging technologies offer scope for innovation and creativity.
The portfolio of courses includes
- BA Contemporary Media Practices,
- BA Fine Art Mixed Media and Photography/Fashion Photography
- NEW: MA suite: Expanded Photography, Arts & Emerging Technologies, Global Contemporary Arts
- MRes Creative Practices.
There is also a healthy community of 60 PhD students located within our research centre, CREAM.
All of our areas are well supported by a team of specialist technicians and teaching spaces. We have just opened a new digital photography teaching suite. We are doubling our existing Emerging Media Space to support learning, teaching and research and are bringing Virtual Production facilities on site shortly. Alongside offering resources for students, these are spaces for the development of pedagogy, experimentation and research.
The Assistant Head of School is a key post in the School Executive Team, and acts as a subject lead responsible for ensuring that the curriculum, learning and teaching, teaching spaces and learning technology are regularly reviewed and bench marked to ensure our offer remains current and meaningful to incoming students and their graduate routes. The Assistant Head is also responsible for line management and financial management of the teaching teams within this area.
We are looking for an experienced colleague who can create, anticipate, and analyse the potential of emerging technology trends alongside analogue and artistic practices, and who can influence contemporary agendas through developing new avenues of academic research and innovative teaching practices.
The Assistant Head will have dedicated time to pursue their research and/or teaching leadership within their workload allocation. The School is home to the world-leading Centre for Research and Education in the Arts and Media (CREAM) and research-led teaching is a cornerstone of the School’s strategic plan. CREAM has a particular strength in practice-led research; 100% of our impact case studies in REF2021 were assessed as 4*, and the THE GPA ranking placed CREAM in the top 5 in Art & Design.
Most of the courses within the School are studio-based and we prioritise experiential learning, independent goal setting and working collaboratively with peers and industry partners. We achieve this through a rich schedule of activities, events, taught classes, live briefs and visits.
To apply for this vacancy please click above. Further information can be found in the job description and person specification, which can be accessed through the link below.
At the University of Westminster, diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity are at the core of how we engage with students, colleagues, applicants, visitors and all our stakeholders.
We are fully committed to enabling a supportive and safe learning and working environment which is equitable, diverse and inclusive, is based on mutual respect and trust, and in which harassment and discrimination are neither tolerated nor acceptable.
The University has adopted Smart Working principles to support and further our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion aims of being an inclusive, collaborative and flexible employer. Further details of Smart Working can be discussed at interview stage.
Closing date: midnight on 09 May 2024
Interviews are likely to be held in the week beginning 27 May 2024