Quality Manager

The Quality Manager is a key leadership role within the Centre for Quality Assurance, providing strategic and operational leadership for the University's quality assurance, enhancement and regulatory framework. Reporting to the Head of Academic Quality, you will lead the development and continuous improvement of quality assurance policies, processes and systems, ensuring compliance with internal requirements and external regulatory expectations, including those of the Office for Students (OfS), Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

You will play a central role in maintaining academic standards, enhancing the quality of the student experience and ensuring the University remains responsive to the evolving higher education regulatory environment.

Principal Accountabilities:

Play a leading role in shaping, developing and implementing the University's quality assurance and enhancement framework.

Ensure that effective, integrated and compliant quality management policies, procedures and regulations are in place across the University and are consistently applied.

Lead and manage key quality assurance and enhancement activities, ensuring alignment with the University's academic quality framework and external regulatory requirements, such as the OfS regulatory framework.

Provide expert advice and guidance on quality assurance, academic regulations, policy and regulatory matters to senior leaders, academic and professional service staff and external stakeholders.

Provide effective leadership and management of staff within the Centre for Quality Assurance, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, customer-focused services and support across the institution.

Oversee the operation, review and continuous improvement of key quality assurance processes, including areas such as programme approval and review, academic governance, collaborative provision, assessment, external examining and accreditation activity.

Support the effective management and oversight of the University's academic portfolio and associated quality assurance activity.

Develop and maintain effective working relationships with Colleges, Professional Services, collaborative partners, External Examiners, PSRBs and other external stakeholders.

Lead the review and enhancement of quality assurance processes, systems and ways of working to improve efficiency, effectiveness, consistency and customer experience, making appropriate use of technology and automation.

Monitor developments within the higher education regulatory environment and advise on institutional responses to emerging requirements and sector developments.

Contribute to institutional policy and regulatory development through the preparation of proposals, participation in working groups and responses to external consultations.

Support the University's preparation for external reviews, audits and regulatory engagement activities.

Contribute to the effective planning and coordination of quality assurance activities across the academic year, managing peak workloads and competing priorities.

Lead and manage a team of staff taking responsibility for recruitment, training and development and performance management including conducting individual performance reviews.

Regularly review, audit and assess team performance and quality of service to ensure that high standards are achieved and maintained and understanding of good practice is shared within and between teams to enhance performance.

Represent the Centre for Quality Assurance in internal and external networks and deputise for the Head of Academic Quality as required.

Lead and/or directly contribute to institutional projects as they relate to quality assurance, enhancement and regulatory compliance.

Any other duties as required to support the Head of Academic Quality, the wider Provost Learning and Teaching leadership team and key University activities.

Person Specification:

Essential Criteria:

Degree level qualification or equivalent professional qualification.

Significant experience of quality assurance, regulatory compliance and policy development in higher education.

Strong leadership skills and proven experience of managing and motivating a team to deliver successful outcomes against agreed targets/objectives.

Substantial experience of interpreting external regulatory requirements and/or relevant institutional policies to apply to individual cases and situations.

Proven experience of establishing, developing and implementing improvements to protocols, policies, procedures and systems in a large and complex organisation.

Experience of managing projects and delivering successful outcomes to agreed timescales and quality standards.

Detailed knowledge and understanding of quality assurance and enhancement in higher education, the associated regulatory environment and current issues facing the sector, including a thorough understanding of the OfS regulatory framework, the QAA Quality Code and other external regulatory requirements, such as those relating to apprenticeships and PSRBs.

Ability to devise and develop innovative approaches to quality assurance that are risk-based and proportionate, minimise regulatory burden and make best use of available resources.

Ability to think strategically and contribute to the strategic direction of the team and wider University and to balance this with the requirements of operational delivery.

Strong leadership and change management skills, with the ability to drive continuous improvement and secure stakeholder engagement.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to write high quality reports and deliver presentations to a wide range of audiences.

Excellent interpersonal skills with an articulate, confident and diplomatic approach to communications, tact and discretion when dealing with sensitive issues and the ability to lead, negotiate, persuade and influence.

Excellent attention to detail with the ability to maintain a high level of accuracy whilst working at pace.

Excellent organisational skills with the ability to produce effective operational work plans and manage team performance against those plans.

Ability to work collaboratively and build effective relationships within the team and across organisational boundaries.

Ability to deal with confidential and sensitive information and to maintain confidentiality at all times.

Ability to work under pressure, meet tight deadlines and manage competing priorities on own initiative.

A high degree of self-motivation and a self-managing work style, with the ability to set goals and work independently.

Travel may be required on occasion within the UK and possibly overseas in support of the service.

Desirable Criteria:

Postgraduate qualification or equivalent relevant work experience.

A management qualification.

Benefits:

Generous annual leave entitlement of 42 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata).

Local Government Pension Scheme.

Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme.

Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers.

Discounted onsite gym.

Access to employer-funded Private Health Insurance.

Holiday purchase.

Cycle to Work scheme.

A flexible working environment.

A commitment to personal and professional development.