Job title: Programme Leader in Psychology
School/Function: School of Health and Sports Science (SOHSS)
Responsible to: Head of Programme (Psychology)
Responsible for: Academic management and delivery of Psychology programmes.
Salary: up to 55k per annum subject to skills and experience
Overall purpose
The Programme Leader for Psychology is a key role within the academic management structure, responsible for the leadership, delivery, and development of Psychology programmes within the School of Health and Sports Science. The role involves managing programme operations, ensuring compliance with quality standards, and delivering an exceptional academic experience for students. This hybrid role requires working both on campus and online.
Specific duties and responsibilities
The key responsibilities of a programme leader are to:
- Oversee the day to day delivery of Psychology programmes, ensuring compliance with institutional and regulatory requirements.
- Monitor and enhance teaching, learning, and assessment across the programme.
- Ensure that assessments and marking are delivered to the required standards and within specified timelines.
- Work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to maintain and enhance programme quality.
- Collaborate with academic and industry partners to secure guest lecturers, placements, and research opportunities for students
- Organise training sessions and workshops for staff to enhance their understanding of BPS accreditation and teaching best practices.
- Ensure effective deployment of staff to cover teaching, assessment, and Personal tutor responsibilities.
- Organise training sessions and workshops for staff to enhance their understanding of BPS accreditation and teaching best practices.
- Ensure effective deployment of staff to cover teaching, assessment, and personal tutor responsibilities.
Academic Management
The post holder will
- Provide line management for named Lecturers and Associate Lecturers as allocated by the Head of Programme
- Ensure that each new Lecturer/Associate Lecturer under your line management receives a full academic and staff induction in line with college policies and procedures.
- Provide communication, guidance, and support to all staff for which you are allocated line management responsibility.
- Liaise with other Programme Leaders and Senior Lecturers as appropriate to ensure that staff under your management receive appropriate operational guidance and communication when teaching on programmes that are not your immediate responsibility.
- Ensure that each member of staff line managed by you maintains a personal development plan and receives an annual performance appraisal in accordance with college policies.
- Identify staffing needs and work with relevant colleagues to allocate staff to timetables to ensure all modules are appropriately resourced across the programme.
- Engage in recruitment/marketing activities in relation to the programme.
- Lead on curriculum design and development, ensuring alignment with academic and professional standards (e.g., BPS accreditation requirements).
- Promote innovation, inclusivity, and employability within programme content.
- Regularly review and update programme and module specifications in line with academic regulations.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
The post holder will
- Ensure that all aspects of the programme comply with the Academic Regulations for the Taught Programmes.
- Ensure that relevant Programme Handbook, programme and module specifications are current and maintained and staff briefed appropriately.
- Ensure that the programme learning outcomes are fit for purpose and that module learning
- outcomes are aligned to them.
- Ensure that programme and module changes are appropriately considered at School level and is conducted in line with the Colleges or university partners' Programme Design, Approval and Amendment Procedure.
- Ensure the programme VLE is maintained and current.
- Liaise with administrative staff to ensure the programmes are appropriately administered.
- Liaise with administrative staff over the scheduling of meetings of the board of study/programme.
- Ensure that all relevant information is available for the consideration of module and programme boards of examiners.
- Attend module and programme boards of examiners where the modules/programme are considered.
- Ensure the related policies and procedures of the College and/or partner University are implemented in the delivery of the programme.
- Lead board of study/programme team meetings and report on key programme issues to relevant colleagues.
- Liaise with the administrative assistant in the production of appropriate papers (agendas, minutes, etc.) for meetings of the programme team/board of study, staff student voice committee.
- Provide research supervision and teaching across UG/PG levels
Student support
The post holder will
- Ensure robust systems are in place for student engagement, including induction, tutorials, and personal tutoring .
- Monitor student participation, retention, and achievement, implementing interventions where necessary.
- Address student queries and ensure their orientation through the programme.
Leadership and Management
The post holder will
- Provide line management to allocated Lecturers and Associate Lecturers, including induction, training, and development.
- Ensure staff receive regular communication, operational guidance, and performance appraisals.
- Identify staffing needs and coordinate timetables to ensure modules are adequately resourced.
Marketing and Recruitment
The post holder will
- Work with the Marketing and Recruitment teams to promote Psychology programmes effectively.
- Support student recruitment activities, including open days, taster sessions, and applicant guidance.
- Ensure the appropriateness of recruitment assessments to maximise student success.
Quality Assurance
The post holder will
- Support with the preparation of Annual Programme Monitoring and Enhancement reports.
- Ensure the programme complies with quality assurance policies and external benchmarks.
- Liaise with External Examiners, ensuring their feedback informs continuous improvement.
- Support periodic programme reviews and BPS accreditations.
Additional Duties
The post holder will
- Represent the Psychology discipline in internal and external forums.
- Engage in research and scholarly activities aligned with the Psychology discipline.
- Occasionally work evenings, weekends, or travel as required.
Person Specification
EXPERIENCE & PERSONAL QUALITIES
Essential:
- Proven experience in leading or managing higher education programmes, preferably in psychology.
- Thorough understanding of BPS accreditation requirements, including standards for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC).
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and manage academic teams.
- Experience in curriculum design, quality assurance, and teaching in higher education.
- Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
- Able to communicate complex and conceptual ideas to a range of groups
- Demonstrated ability to innovate in curriculum development and delivery.
- Commitment to promoting equal opportunities and inclusivity in academic settings.
- Evidence of a positive impact at discipline programme level beyond own teaching.
- Understand equal opportunity issues as they may impact on academic content and issues relating to student need.
- Able to demonstrate independent and self managing working styles.
- Able to undertake duties at different premises including any campus within London as required.
- Expected to work outside of normal office hours as required.
- Expected to engage in activities associated with promotion, marketing and public outreach of the subject area.
Desirable:
- Experience with BPS accreditation processes, including preparing for accreditation visits.
- Evidence of research activity in a relevant area of psychology.
- Experience in interdisciplinary developments in higher education.
- Evidence of research outputs, publications, or enterprise activities
- Relevant industrial experience.
- Demonstrable ability to lead research projects, win bids and generate income.
- Able to participate in and develop external networks.
TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
Essential:
- Sufficient breadth and depth of specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop teaching programmes and the provision of learning support.
- In depth understanding of own specialism to enable the development of new knowledge and understanding within the field.
- Competent in technologies and software programmes/packages that are relevant to the subject area including various VLE Platforms (i.e. Canvas)
Desirable:
- Knowledge of higher education and ability to use a range of delivery techniques to enthuse and engage students.
- Familiarity with accreditation requirements, such as those from the British Psychological Society (BPS).
- Ability to implement and leverage innovative teaching techniques.
DUCATION & PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Essential:
- PhD (or submitted and awaiting examination) or equivalence accepted in a relevant subject discipline.
- Graduate Membership with the British Psychological Society (BPS).
- Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) or willingness to achieve this within 12 months.
- Teaching qualification or preparedness to work towards.
- Sufficient breadth and depth of specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop teaching programmes and the provision of learning support.
- Commitment to ongoing professional development and academic leadership.
- Appropriate digital skills in learning, teaching and assessment.
This position requires candidates to undergo a DBS check as part of the application process.