Dean of the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment

Robert Gordon University (RGU) is an innovative, inclusive and professional university, focused on delivering courses that provide our graduates with the best outcomes for their future.

Not only is it the Scottish University of the Year in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Awards for 2021 and ranked Top modern university in the Complete University Guide, but it also has an impressive array of other awards, including a Gold Rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework, placing RGU in the top 20% of the best universities in the UK for the quality of undergraduate teaching and learning.  

The university also celebrates a high quality student experience and is currently ranked in the top three universities in Scotland for student satisfaction.  The staff of RGU are their greatest asset and they continue to express that they are happy and committed to the University and their role.

RGU is now seeking to appoint a strong leader as Dean of the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment. The new Dean will lead a multi-disciplinary school with approx. 40 staff, and circa 600 undergraduate, postgraduate, and research students, and will manage a budget of £3.5m.

The successful candidate will be central in setting the context and strategic direction that will transform the School’s way of working, ambitions and profile. Priorities will include: increasing student recruitment and satisfaction; developing the postgraduate / full-cost portfolio; championing and growing areas of research strength; strengthening the research / teaching interface; and extending the reputational reach of the School.

They will maintain and enhance the cohesive and collaborative culture that exists across Architecture and the Built Environment that defines the School’s spirit of community. The appointee will be a key member of the University Management Group, and will have the opportunity to contribute to cross-institutional projects.

 The successful candidate will bring a passion for high quality, progressive, student-centred learning and personal research credibility, as well as experience of leadership and management in an academic environment and the ability to motivate and inspire staff. They will be deeply committed to teaching and providing an outstanding student experience.

They will have a track-record of developing a strategic vision and uniting people behind it. Candidates will demonstrate excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills, and will know how to sustain and further develop a strong team culture. This is an opportunity to lead and grow an established, high-potential school and shape its future strategic direction.

If you have vision, passion, creativity 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 them and to give them the chance to get to know us.

For a confidential conversation about the role, please contact:

Ross Highfield: ross.highfield@gatenbysanderson.com/ 0121 644 5712

Hilda Gjika: hilda.gjika@gatenbysanderson.com 

Closing date: 12 noon, Monday 23rd May