Director

Be surprising and inspiring. Be so much more.

The Open University was founded in 1969 with the mission to: “promote educational opportunity and social justice by providing high quality education to all who wish to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential – open to people, places, method and ideas”. We are the only institution worldwide with such a single vision and purpose. We are distinctive and unique. Our mission is still as relevant today as it was then, perhaps even more so.

The Open University is Scotland’s national widening access university, ensuring that people in every community in Scotland – regardless of age, work, family commitments, disability, income, location or previous qualifications – can achieve their educational potential. We are one of the largest universities in Scotland in terms of student numbers.

Following the retirement of Susan Stewart, we are now looking for our new Director who will be responsible for the strategic leadership and management of The Open University in Scotland. The Director represents The Open University in relationships with the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council, Universities Scotland and other key stakeholders across Scotland. They take accountability on behalf of the University for the effective delivery of services in Scotland.

The Director is a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Executive Team (VCE), contributing to The Open University’s strategic direction and leading its implementation in Scotland. They are also a member of VCE-Academic, the executive management group that ensures alignment between academic strategy and implementation. They therefore play a pivotal role in the strategy, management and governance of the entire University

The new Director must demonstrate a commitment to the mission and values of The Open University as well as executive leadership and management experience in higher education or a cognate field, with the understanding and credibility to work effectively at a very senior level in the devolved political context in Scotland.

If you have vision, passion, commitment and determination to make a difference, we want to hear from you. This is a key appointment for us, and it will be for you – so we will invest time with candidates to get to know you and to give you the chance to get to know us. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates who have the vision and experience to lead a high-performing team in an outstanding institution.

If you need further clarifications, please contact our advisors Ellie Hurst, Hilda Gjika and Julia Roberts at GatenbySanderson: ouscotlanddirector@gatenbysanderson.com

Closing Date: Tuesday 29th October