Principal Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor

Salary: £57,427 - £71,784 (Up to £82,552 is available for exceptional candidates)

The University of Derby is looking for an outstanding candidate to join them as Principal Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor.

About University of Derby

The University of Derby is located in the heart of England and offers industry-relevant, expert teaching from foundation and undergraduate degrees to postgraduate study and research.

We achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research, and with more than 34,000 people choosing to study with us every year, we depend on the dedication of a team of 2,200 academics and professional services staff.

The University boasts world-leading research that demonstrates real-world impact and has recently received the prestigious TEF Gold for learning and teaching and student experience, which places the University of Derby in the top 20% of universities in England.

About the role

The role of the Principal Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor is to build and maintain a high level of working knowledge and assessment of external policy, as well as a thorough understanding of the Vice-Chancellor’s full portfolio of responsibilities.

Working closely with a wide variety of people both internally and externally, the Principal Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor will be responsible for gathering information and intelligence to help inform effective decision-making and will make a significant contribution towards the drafting and revision of strategic materials.

The Principal Adviser will ensure that the Vice-Chancellor is provided with appropriate briefings, presentations, and research to enable them to undertake their day-to-day activities effectively and will also facilitate efficient communication so that robust decisions can be taken as quickly as possible.

The Principal Adviser will line manage the Vice-Chancellor’s Office team, who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the office. This will comprise 3 Executive Support Lead Coordinators who will report to the role holder plus a wider team of circa 8 people.

The role requires flexibility to meet the Vice-Chancellor’s commitments including supporting/representing them at events.

Who we are looking for

First and foremost, we are looking for someone keen to apply their advisory, communication, organisational, and project management skills to support the Vice-Chancellor and ultimately to benefit and further the aims of the wider University.

The successful candidate for this role will be someone with the skills and experience to provide high-quality strategic support, advice, and guidance to the Vice-Chancellor and other colleagues.

In addition to developing a strong working relationship with the Vice-Chancellor, it will be important for this person to build, nurture, and maintain internal and external networks.

As this role will be responsible for the wider team in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, we are particularly interested in hearing from candidates with a strong track record of line management experience.

Interviews: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to virtual calls with the Vice-Chancellor to take place on Monday 13th May 2024, followed by in-person panel interviews (in Derby) on Friday 24th May 2024.  If you will not be available on these dates, please contact our advising consultant (contact details below) in advance of applying.

Please click 'Apply’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the job description and register your interest to apply.

Applications for this role close at 9 a.m. Monday 29^th April 2024

Advert information