Head of School (School of English)

Job description:

The Head of the School of English including the English Language Teaching Centre offers an exciting opportunity to provide transformative academic leadership and shape the future of the School, ensuring it achieves the highest standards of excellence in all its endeavours. This influential and strategic role will be pivotal in advancing the provision of English and the English Language Teaching Centre within a globally recognised, world-leading university, enabling you to influence the direction of English education across the organisation.

Creative, critical, civic-minded and collaborative, the School of English brings together the study of literature, language, linguistics, theatre, film and creative writing to form a community that is unique in its breadth and depth of study of the English language. The University of Sheffield is in the process of moving to a new Schools structure and as part of this from September 2025 the English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC) will form part of the Faculty of Arts and will join with the School of English in September 2026. The ELTC is one of the largest centres of its type in the UK, delivering a range of activities including Pre-sessional English programmes, Teacher training, University English for International partners and commercial language tests.

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of the challenges facing both English studies and English Language teaching across the sector and the ability to think creatively to identify and seize emerging opportunities. Sheffield is renowned for its interdisciplinary approach to addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. Therefore, we seek a candidate with a passion for collaboration and partnership, coupled with a strong commitment to advocating for the importance of English in today’s society. Additionally, the successful candidate will be expected to lead by example, demonstrating robust academic leadership, promoting academic citizenship, and balancing commitments to research and teaching while fostering a culture of mentorship and professional growth.

Exceptional academic leadership at all levels is critical to the University of Sheffield’s vision of delivering transformative research, innovation, and education that not only enhances the lives of our graduates but also shapes the world around us. We believe the best way to achieve this is by fostering an ambitious, inclusive, and collaborative community. As Head of the School, you will play a central role in creating this environment and ensuring the continued delivery of outstanding research, innovation, and education within your department.

We are committed to building teams that reflect diverse heritages, perspectives, and backgrounds, whose talents and contributions complement one another for maximum impact. We believe that diversity in all its forms enhances the quality of our research, teaching, and student experience.

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