"Associate Director Careers & Employability"

The Role

Following an internal reorganisation, we are recruiting for the exciting role of Associate Director, Careers & Employability. This role will oversee our award-winning Careers & Employability function comprising Employer Engagement, Graduate Success and Student Enterprise & Innovation.

This is a great opportunity to lead a new chapter for student employability at Kingston University, playing a key part in delivering our ambitious and innovative Future Skills programme and ensuring that our holistic and inclusive approach to skills development drives enhanced outcomes for our students. The role will have responsibility for overseeing the delivery of high-quality learning experiences at scale throughout the curriculum and beyond.

The Person

You will be an emotionally intelligent leader, with strong self-awareness and the ability to lead a diverse team to deliver an innovative and high-quality service to students, academic staff and employer partners. You will bring an in-depth knowledge of the factors affecting graduate employability and an empathy with the University’s mission to develop sought after students through its Future Skills programme.

A strategic thinker and natural collaborator, you will enjoy the challenge of working closely with and influencing a diverse range of stakeholders and the opportunity to build on the strong foundations established by an award-winning service.

Directorate/Function

The Careers and Employability Service is part of the Department of Student Development and Graduate Success (SDGS) within the Directorate of Students. The wider Directorate’s key aim is to deliver a seamless, high-quality experience for all students to ensure they are “sought after”, supporting their participation, attainment, and success before, during and after their time at Kingston. This in turn will create a culture of high performance that is inclusive, innovative, ambitious and enterprising.

Further information

This is a full time, permanent position with a competitive salary range, starting from £77,011 per annum.

Interviews are expected to take place in person on Tuesday 16 December 2025.

Please contact Ali Orr, Student Development and Graduate Success Director for an informal conversation about the role.

Please note that previous applicants for this role should not reapply.

Bring your true self, expertise, and passion to Kingston where we are continuing to strive to build a university where authentic inclusion and belonging is at its heart. Every one of our staff and students’ identities, backgrounds and diverse experiences makes us who we are - so harness and embrace yours by applying today. We welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ communities and those with disabilities.

We are a place-based organisation, proud of our location in Kingston and the civic role we play in our community. Our campuses inspire collaborative, innovative and creative communities. Being present on campus is important to us because it helps us to create a sense of belonging for both our staff and students. Therefore, staff are expected to be on campus for the majority of their working week.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. Where required, this may include entry clearance or continued leave to remain under the Points Based Immigration Scheme.

To apply click on ‘Apply’. If, for accessibility reasons, you need to apply in an alternative format, please email jobs@kingston.ac.uk or call the HR Shared Services team on 020 8417 3118.