Associate Professor in Social Work

The Role

Are you an experienced social work academic committed to building transformative partnerships that enhance education, research, and practice? We are seeking an Associate Professor in Social Work to lead and expand our external engagement across social care, health, and community sectors. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to Kingston University’s Town House Strategy, by strengthening and expanding collaboration with local authorities, the NHS, voluntary and community organisations, and service user groups. You will play a key role in developing sustainable partnerships that support practice learning, co-produced teaching, and impactful research aligned to sector needs. The post holder will contribute to high-quality teaching and curriculum innovation, embedding Kingston’s Future Skills approach to prepare “sought-after” graduates. You will also lead knowledge exchange activity that delivers real-world impact, supporting workforce development and addressing local and regional priorities within social work and social care.

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service clearance with barred list check is required for the role.

The Person

You will be an established academic or experienced practitioner with a strong commitment to partnership working, innovation, and impact in social work. You will bring a strong track record (or clear trajectory) in research, knowledge exchange, or professional engagement. You will demonstrate significant experience of building and sustaining partnerships across statutory, voluntary, and community sectors and the ability to translate collaboration into tangible outcomes, including student opportunities, workforce development, and applied research. You will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a commitment to inclusive and collaborative working. We are seeking a proactive and outward-facing individual who can connect academic activity with practice, contribute to civic engagement, and support Kingston’s ambition to create meaningful societal impact through partnership and co-production.

The faculty supports new members of staff to gain appropriate qualifications and are keen to support ongoing academic and professional development.

Further Information

This is a full-time, permanent position with a starting salary of £60,996 per annum.

Interviews are expected to be held on Thursday, 16 July 2026.

For informal enquiries, please contact Mrs Susan Watson, Head of Department of Social Work & Social Care.