Head of Economics

Location: Office based in Delhi with some travel to the UK and within India 

Start Date: ASAP

Who we are: Oxford International

Oxford International Education Group is a renowned institution dedicated to providing exceptional educational experiences to international students. With a global presence and a commitment to academic excellence, we strive to empower students to achieve their full potential and thrive in a dynamic, interconnected world. We are proud of our culture and have recently been officially certified as a Great Place to Work ©!

Overview

The University of Southampton, in partnership with Oxford International Education Group (OIEG), is launching its first international campus in India, located in Gurgaon, Delhi. This initiative is a response to India's New Education Policy and represents a significant investment in transnational education. The new campus aims to provide Indian students with the opportunity to earn a globally recognised degree without leaving the country.

Job purpose

The Head of Economics is an important appointment for the University of Southampton Delhi. The role holder will be responsible for ensuring that the academic activity within Economics delivers the University’s ‘Triple Helix’ Strategy, ensuring excellence in education, research and knowledge exchange and enterprise.

The role holder will provide high-level academic leadership in the delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate education, ensuring that the quality of education delivered is equivalent to that offered in the UK. In collaboration with the School of ESPS, they will be responsible for recruiting and establishing the very best cohort of staff to deliver degree programmes at University of Southampton Delhi. They will lead the subject area’s academic plan and vision and ensure a high-quality student experience. They will also personally contribute to the delivery of education, modelling high standards of educational delivery.

They will, once the educational activity is embedded and successful, lead research activities in line with the campus’s research plans, ensuring strategically relevant and high-quality research activity. In doing so, they will ensure that we sustain our international reputation for research by publishing peer-reviewed research in high-quality conferences and journals. They will plan and develop research independently, in collaboration with colleagues in Delhi, UK, and Malaysia, and promote and support research led by colleagues at University of Southampton Delhi.

They will be a key member of the campus’s leadership team and undertake relevant leadership, management, and engagement activities, ensuring a culture of belonging, inclusion, diversity and equity in the subject area. They will embed collegiality and demonstrate this through ensuring the ‘Southampton Behaviors’ are modelled and will work with colleagues to embed them as a way of working within the campus.

Main duties and responsibilities

Key Accountabilities and Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the unit to ensure high-quality provision of the Economics programme(s) following the University of Southampton (UoS), professional body and regulatory requirements. This includes but is not limited to:

• Effective delivery of modules, ensuring coordination with module teams in the UK and other campuses;
• Assessment of students to a standard equivalent to students studying in the UK;
• Execution of examination processes in a consistent manner to those in the UK; and
• Any quality assurance audits or activities related to the programme(s).

• Take responsibility for overseeing, developing, and promoting innovative teaching and learning approaches and material, which create interest, understanding and enthusiasm amongst students. Deliver education through contribution to the programme, modelling high standards of educational delivery. Directly supervise students, providing expert advice on learning best practice and helping with learning problems. Identify the learning needs of students and define learning objectives. Promote the use of appropriate media to support student learning. Set and mark coursework and exams, providing constructive feedback to students.
• Contribute to the development of teaching and learning activities at the campus, ensure teaching is of the highest quality across a range of modules and levels, through lectures, tutorials, and seminars.
• In collaboration with colleagues in the UK and other campuses, support the design, development and delivery of an innovative range of programmes and study. Take responsibility for the quality of courses and programmes delivered at University of Southampton Delhi, continually monitoring, evaluating, and revising them to ensure excellence and coherence, identifying areas where current provision needs revision or improvement.
• Plan and coordinate research in areas of recognized excellence for the University. Act as principal investigator on projects, responsible for defining original research objectives, developing, and managing staff, and attracting funding through bids and reputation. Develop and oversee the application of innovative and creative research methodologies and techniques that add to the knowledge/understanding of the subject area.
• Develop and sustain a national and international reputation for research and the enhancement of learning and teaching practice by the regular dissemination and explanation of findings through leading peer-reviewed publications, major conferences, or other relevant events. Engage in external academic activities in accordance with the campuses research plan and which enhances the national/international research profile, e.g., membership of committees of academic bodies, external examining, journal editorships, etc.
• Manage administrative tasks associated with specified research funding, including risk assessment of programme activities, leading project meetings and preparation of annual reports. Management of procedures required to ensure accurate and timely formal reporting and financial control.
• Provide expert advice and subject leadership to other staff and students, including research supervision.
• Managing People: Manage and support your people’s work productivity, performance, wellbeing and development to maximise their contribution and enable personal growth:

• Workload: In conjunction with the Academic Provost, Director of Learning & Teaching and Chief Operating Officer, ensure accountability for an effective line management structure to ensure that all staff in the area are allocated duties/workload equitably, are clear about their responsibilities and are adequately managed, mentored and/or monitored.
• Recruitment: Working with the Academic Provost, Director of Learning & Teaching and Chief Operating Officer, take a leading role and responsibility for business cases for all academic posts (including school funded) ensuring appointments are aligned with campus and University strategy.
• Staff development: Ensure the provision of an environment conducive to the development of staff and students including the Concordat for Early Career Researchers.
• Ensure line managers are skilled to provide mentoring and development to include preparation for promotion to ensure potential is fulfilled.
• Performance Management: Oversee a performance framework that utilises metrics and objectives for education and research that aligns with the campus, University, and Faculty, requirements and goals. Monitor and manage staff performance through regular individual one-to-one meetings and annual appraisal.
• Staff engagement: Plan and implement a strategy for staff engagement to ensure that staff contribute to, and engage with, the campus, the wider School (across all campuses), and University strategy, including organisational change.
• Student Experience: Ensuring that you lead the way in delivering an exceptional Student experience.
• Managing Financial Decisions: Make well-informed and timely financial decisions regarding devolved budgets (if applicable), taking into consideration the impact of these decisions on the financial sustainability of the campus.
• Managing Compliance: Responsibility for ensuring you and your teams understand and apply the relevant policies and guidelines to maintain operational compliance.
• Managing Risk: Responsible for managing risks effectively and ensuring plans are put in place to mitigate risk or maximise potential, where appropriate.

• Take on appropriate coordinating roles to advance student academic development, e.g. act as Senior Tutor, Head of Programme, at undergraduate or postgraduate levels.
• Represent the campus externally in the relevant disciplinary community and build strong networks with government agencies and businesses to support the core activities of education, research and KEE in the discipline area (in conjunction with Academic Provost).
• Establish collaborative work with colleagues across the University of Southampton (UK and Malaysia) to shape synergetic activities in the areas of education, research scholarship, grant capture, and KEE.
• Any other duties as allocated by the line manager following consultation with the post holder.

Internal and external relationships

Faculty members and other UoS colleagues to support teaching and research activities including faculty members in the UK and Malaysia.

The role holder will act as a member of relevant internal committees and groups including School Programmes Committee.

Relevant authorities, industries, alumni, and other stakeholders.

Special Requirements

To maintain personal academic credibility through engagement in high quality education and/or research and/or enterprise. as appropriate in substantive post. The position involves local and international travel as and when required.

Person Specifications

Qualifications, knowledge, and experience

• PhD or equivalent professional qualifications and experience in the relevant subject area.
• Teaching qualification (Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice or equivalent).
• Well-established national and international reputation in relevant subject areas.
• Extensive track record of teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Extensive track record of developing and disseminating successful learning approaches.
• Extensive track record of published research.
• Membership of Higher Education Academy, or an equivalent international body. (Desirable)
• Experience of working within the relevant industry. (Desirable)
• Involvement in relevant national and international events. (Desirable)
• Close engagement with relevant professional bodies. (Desirable)

Planning and organizing

• Proven ability to plan and shape the direction of an area of teaching activity, ensuring plans complement broader education strategies.
• Proven ability to develop innovative research proposals and attract research funding.
• Proven ability to plan, manage, organize and assess own teaching contributions.
• Proven ability in the design of course units, curriculum development and new teaching approaches in the department, taking primary responsibility for their quality.
• Able to build research/teaching teams. (Desirable)    

Problem solving and initiative

• Able to develop significant new concepts and original ideas within own field in response to intractable issues of importance to the research area.  

Management and teamwork

• Able to mentor, manage, motivate, and coordinate teaching/research teams, delegating effectively. Able to resolve performance issues and formulate staff development plans, where appropriate, to ensure team aims are met.
• Proven ability to manage and deliver own course units and team-taught course units.
• Proven ability to coach, advise and support others (staff and students) on learning and teaching issues.
• Able to foster and develop good relationships between own department and the rest of the university. Able to work proactively with senior colleagues to develop cross-department and institution cooperation and effectiveness.
• Able to contribute to the running of the department by managing significant department processes.
• Able to monitor and manage resources and budgets.
• Work effectively in a team, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of others to help teamwork development. 

Communicating and influencing

• Communicate new and complex information effectively, both verbally and in writing, engaging the interest and enthusiasm of the target audience.
• Extensive track record of presenting research results at group meetings and conferences.
• Extensive track record of delivering lectures and seminars in courses relating to different aspects in subject area.
• Able to engage counselling skills and pastoral care, where appropriate.
• Able to persuade and influence at all levels to foster and maintain relationships, resolving tensions/difficulties as they arise.
• Able to provide expert guidance to colleagues in own team, other work areas and institutions to develop understanding and resolve complex problems.
• Able to negotiate for the department on key issues. Able to develop and lead key communications strategies.     

Other skills and behaviours

• Compliance with relevant Health & Safety issues
• Positive attitude to colleagues and students  

Special requirements

• The position involves local and international travels as and when required.

Application Process

Apply via the ‘Apply’ button above

This job description is provided as a guide to the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive description of duties and responsibilities and may be subject to periodic revision. 

Oxford International is an equal-opportunity employer. Every applicant and employee has the same opportunities regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status.