Head of Portfolio Development - UoB Online - External Relations - 101529 - Grade 8

Working closely with the Dean of UoB Online and reporting to the Associate Director, the Head of Portfolio Development, UoB Online will be responsible for the identification, feasibility assessment and realisation of an online portfolio of programmes that draw upon the latest pedagogies and technologies. The role holder will work closely with academic and professional services colleagues and third-party suppliers to define and implement a pipeline of activity, maximising impact by managing and delivering in line with agreed timelines and to the highest academic standards. The role holder will be integral to the growth of UoB Online and the achievement of its strategic objectives to grow and diversify the online portfolio, maintain the distinctiveness of a University of Birmingham offer and deliver an exemplary online student experience.,

• Work in collaboration with academic programme leads, learning design teams, and third party suppliers to develop degree programmes and short courses in line with the pedagogical principles and practice of online learning and assessment.


• Develop commercially successful education products that attract and retain learners in a highly complex and regulated environment.


• Manage the portfolio pipeline and liaise with a range of stakeholders, including third party suppliers, and senior internal stakeholders, to bring programmes to market on time and on budget. This includes collaborating with colleagues to progress programmes through various stages of governance including programme approval.


• Ensure outstanding quality and student experience within the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and in line with institutional policy, expectations and guidelines.


• Operationally manage the programme quality review and enhancement process within the unit in line with University and regulatory requirements.


• Develop design and enhancement frameworks as appropriate.


• Devise, implement and facilitate appropriate standards frameworks, portfolio governance, and reporting mechanisms.


• Support and advise colleagues in matters related to the enhancement of the portfolio and related innovation.


• Maintain a strong presence, network and knowledge of the online learning sector, using this to advise internal stakeholders including the UoB Online Senior Leadership Team.


• Work closely with the Associate Director, Head of Operations and Education Support Manager to review student feedback and ensure the portfolio is focused on supporting the highest quality student experience.


• Lead a team of learning designers, UX and learning technologists and portfolio officers to develop and deliver a portfolio of programmes and initiatives including project planning, monitoring risks, identifying issues and reporting on progress.


• Create a motivating environment where staff are challenged, developed, encouraged and supported to achieve outstanding results.


• Guide staff through periods of change, communicating a clear and positive vision and providing inspirational leadership.


• Actively manage equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenge unacceptable behaviour.


• Lead cross-institutional projects, reporting on progress, dealing with challenges as they arise and escalating appropriately where necessary.


• Manage stakeholder relationships and expectations appropriately through regular reporting and communication, building strong working relationships with both academic and professional services colleagues.


• Organise and lead relevant project meetings, workshops and any other ad hoc meetings, ensuring all actions are documented and followed up as appropriate.


• Represent UoB Online at cross-institution or external meetings as appropriate.


• Support the University's sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.


• Work in an agile and flexible manner, supporting with resourcing needs across the unit as required.


• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.
  
  We are looking for an experienced leader with a proven track record in delivering transformational activities, ideally within a teaching and learning context and a strong interest in online learning. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic team responsible for further developing and delivering an ambitious portfolio of online programmes as part of the University's education strategy., The role holder will provide senior administrative leadership in relation to the online portfolio and its development. You will line manage an expanding multi-disciplinary team of learning designers, UX and learning technologists, and portfolio officers to ensure programmes are created, delivered and reviewed, taking responsibility for engaging all relevant stakeholders in the process. You will have a strong understanding of developments and trends in the field of online education, experience of quality assurance processes in higher education and using data to drive evidence based change. You will also have demonstrable experience and expertise in the pedagogy and practice of developing online curricula. You will effectively manage your time to prioritise workloads to meet deadlines and will be required to use your judgement in identifying and solving problems. You must have excellent communication skills, a high degree of credibility when presenting to both

academic and professional services colleagues and be able to confidently deal with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.

You will build strong networks to proactively identify and evaluate emerging best practice in the sector and beyond, taking every opportunity to share insight across the university and help maintain our reputation as a market leader.,
• Educated to degree level (or equivalent qualifications) plus significant relevant practical experience - where no equivalent qualification is held substantial practical relevant experience and expertise in a series of progressively more demanding roles will be required. A Postgraduate degree is desirable.


• Demonstrable experience of working with academics or subject matter experts to enhance the development and delivery of their curriculum or learning outcomes to students.


• Experience of leading the design, development and maintenance of high-quality digital learning resources.


• Senior level experience of designing and developing online/blended learning programmes or products within higher and/or professional education.


• Demonstrable experience of defining standards and applying regulatory requirements within an education setting.


• Significant experience in developing commercially successful education products that attract and retain regular learners in a highly complex and regulated environment.


• Authoritative knowledge of the principles and practice of online pedagogy and learning design, and broader sector/commercial awareness.


• Relevant project delivery experience in a complex organisation, ideally with experience in a Higher Education setting.


• Understanding of the regulatory environment including QAA and how this applies within the unit's activity.


• Excellent influencing skills with an ability to persuade and influence a wide spectrum of stakeholders.


• Commercial acumen with experience of negotiating and managing relationships with third party suppliers.


• A commercially and results focused individual with experience of leading, delivering and managing complex, organisation-wide projects to time and budget, including post-implementation optimisation.


• Demonstrable experience of managing and leading high performing direct and cross-functional teams to deliver results with the ability to react and change at pace.


• Ability to prioritise and to schedule workloads in the face of conflicting demands and anticipate problems, remaining calm and focused under pressure.


• Ability to interpret and analyse complex information, develop proposals, and present recommendations to a wide range of audiences including senior leadership.


• Confidence in the use of a range of digital tools including a good working knowledge of Microsoft 365.


• Commitment to continuing professional development and training.


• Values driven, aligning behaviour with the core University of Birmingham values; ambitious, innovative, open, collaborative, and responsible.


• Knowledge of the issues facing the Higher Education sector with a willingness to learn and understand the direction/vision of the University and how this may impact events. Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area.


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  The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.


We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The University of Birmingham is one of the UK's largest providers of distance learning and, as part of our Birmingham 2030 strategy, we are making a significant investment in the development of our online programme portfolio.

UoB Online is an ambitious team within the University, comprised of both academic and professional services staff. The team supports the development and delivery of a portfolio of online programmes that make our world-leading teaching and research accessible to lifelong learners across the globe. We are looking to recruit an ambitious, collaborative and innovative individual who can significantly contribute to realising the University's strategic goals., We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy . You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .