Head of Academic Centre Administration

University of Cambridge - Institute of Professional and Continuing Education

About us

Our mission is to enable professional and continuing education throughout life, and to widen access to higher education. We design, deliver and curate a portfolio of world leading short courses and award bearing qualifications in a broad range of disciplines.

This vacancy is in the team which plans and delivers the University's official Summer Programme and Weekend Courses at Madingley Hall. Our Summer Programme courses reach a global audience of all ages and backgrounds, with around 900 students making over 3,000 course registrations each summer. The Summer Programme is highly regarded internationally, and the team takes great pride in reaching recruitment targets and delivering a high-quality experience for all.

In Summer, the office base is in central Cambridge: the majority of Summer Programme participants live in the Cambridge Colleges and are taught on one of the University main teaching sites.

Our Weekend Courses take place at Madingley Hall (a residential Grade I listed building), which provides facilities for conferences and events, and a full hotel service. Our portfolio of 50+ courses attracts over 900 bookings each year.

The Role

You will play a key, ensuring the 200+ courses each year are managed and delivered to the highest standard, and to budget. You will work alongside another Head of Academic Centre Administration and work closely with other team members, PACE colleagues, tutors and contacts within the collegiate University and beyond.

The work is varied, and cyclical, as each year's programme is planned to an exacting schedule. You will be willing to meet the role's requirement for summer working, including some evening and weekend hours, to ensure successful delivery of the programme.

You will be the main port of call for resolving escalated issues raised by students and other stakeholders, providing clear guidance on processes and procedures. You will work closely with Academic Directors and teaching staff to monitor progress on course preparation, quality check course documentation, support the development of new courses and ad hoc programmes.

You will work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, including university faculties and departments and central support teams. This is a fantastic opportunity to take a leading role in a unique and diverse area of the University, see Weekend courses ' Professional and Continuing Education and International Summer Programme ' Professional and Continuing Education for further details on the courses offered.

We are looking for the following qualities in the successful candidate:

• Highly motivated and organised
• Good communication skills and good numeracy
• Problem solver with proven initiative
• Able to negotiate with a variety of stakeholders, ideally in a HE setting
• Attention to detail
• Educated to degree level
• A passion for lifelong learning

We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for flexible working arrangements.

Elements of this role are suitable for hybrid working. For most of the year, staff work a minimum of two days (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) on site at Madingley Hall, and the remainder is worked remotely, if preferred. During the Summer Programme (currently, one week training and four weeks delivery), all team members work in the office or on the teaching site.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.