Vice Dean

Job Title:

Department:

Reporting to:

The Purpose

To act as the Dean’s deputy and senior academic within the School, providing strategic academic oversight and quality assurance, and line-managing the Programme Directors who sit outside the Centres.

The Vice Dean assures academic standards across the School, owns the formal academic governance for the School’s programmes, applies academic judgement to complex issues, and leads validation, review, and improvement activity. The role deputises for the Dean and works closely with the Dean on School strategy, performance, and risk.

Each Vice Dean may also hold a defined functional focus within the School, for example operational oversight, quality, or student experience, which may include a degree of oversight of the Centres in that respect. The specific focus is to be confirmed and will be shaped once the Deans are in post. The role is not aligned to a single discipline, and there is no discipline-specific Vice Dean within this model.

The Role

The Vice Dean is the Dean’s deputy for academic matters within the School. They line-manage the Programme Directors who sit outside the Centres, supporting their development and holding them to account for programme performance, while those Programme Directors retain ownership of day-to-day delivery.

The Vice Dean owns the formal academic governance for the School's programmes. This includes the appointment of External Examiners, the conduct and chairing of Examination Boards, the Annual Programmes Report, moderation, and the escalation point for Recognition of Prior Learning. Where Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements are relevant, the Vice Dean provides governance oversight, guidance, and challenge, while decisions requiring subject-specific PSRB expertise sit with the relevant Head of Centre or Programme Director.

Heads of Centre report to the Dean and lead their Centre portfolios. A Centre is a grouping of related programmes within the School, led by a Head of Centre and built around a distinct academic area, usually with a significant overseas and partnership dimension. The Vice Dean does not line-manage Heads of Centre. The Vice Dean may hold a defined functional oversight of the Centres, for example in quality or student experience, as confirmed once the Deans are in post.

The Person

You are a credible senior academic leader, able to deputise for a Dean and to line-manage and develop Programme Directors. You are comfortable working at a strategic level, using evidence to assess quality, identify risk, and guide improvement.

You communicate clearly, challenge constructively, and support Programme Directors and Heads of Centre to deliver strong outcomes. You care about academic standards, student success, and academic integrity, and you balance ambition with realism in how improvement is led.

Key Responsibilities

Deputy leadership and Programme Director management

• Act as the Dean's deputy, deputising as required.

• Line-manage the Programme Directors who sit outside the Centres, supporting their development and holding them accountable for programme performance.

• Advise the Dean on academic priorities, risks, and opportunities as part of School strategy and planning.

• Maintain a clear view of academic, employer, and student trends across the School.

Academic governance, quality assurance and standards

• Own and assure academic quality and standards across the School's programmes, applying academic judgement to complex or sensitive issues, including integrity cases.

• Oversee the appointment of External Examiners, making sure they are programme-appropriate and appointed in good time.

• Chair Examination Boards for the School, in line with regulations.

• Own the Annual Programmes Report process, drawing on programme and Centre input, and report at Boards of Study and Academic Board.

• Oversee assessment moderation across the School's programmes.

• Act as the escalation point for Recognition of Prior Learning decisions.

• Lead validation, revalidation, and School-level review activity.

• Challenge Programme Directors and Heads of Centre where standards or delivery are at risk, agreeing and monitoring corrective actions.

• Make sure School-level governance, audit, and regulatory documentation is robust and timely.

Functional focus and Centre oversight

• Hold a defined functional focus within the School, for example operational oversight, quality, or student experience, as confirmed once the Deans are in post.

• Provide functional oversight of the Centres in that respect, working with Heads of Centre, who report to the Dean.

Evidence-based improvement

• Bring together programme and Centre review outcomes to identify School-wide themes and priorities.

• Lead School-level improvement planning, drawing on data, benchmarks, and good practice.

• Monitor the impact of improvement actions and adjust where needed.

Student experience and academic escalation

• Act as the senior academic escalation point for complex student cases that cannot be resolved at programme or Centre level.

• Review trends in student feedback, complaints, and satisfaction to inform School-level action.

• Support Programme Directors and Heads of Centre in strengthening student engagement, clarity of expectations, and academic guidance.

Collaboration, capability and support

• Work with Programme Directors and Heads of Centre to support effective programme and portfolio leadership.

• Promote consistent academic practice across teaching teams, sharing good practice in teaching, learning, and assessment.

• Contribute to the induction, mentoring, and development of academic staff across the School.

• Work with Faculty Managers and professional services to support quality delivery and resourcing.

External and institutional engagement

• Where relevant, provide governance oversight, guidance, and challenge on Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements across the School's programmes.

• Work closely with the Dean and the Registrar's Office on PSRB governance matters.

• Ensure day-to-day PSRB relationships and subject-specific decisions sit with the relevant Head of Centre or Programme Director.

• Represent the School in institutional planning, governance forums, and academic committees as required.

Culture

• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, inclusivity, and mutual respect across the team and the College;

• Champion a collaborative, high-performance ethos across departments to achieve shared goals;

• Act as a role model for professionalism, approachability, and collegiality, encouraging open communication and constructive feedback among staff;

• Build strong working relationships with colleagues across departments to support shared goals;

• Lead by example in upholding the organisation’s values in all internal and external interactions;
  Recognise and celebrate the contributions of team members and encourage continuous professional development to enhance individual and team performance.

Person Specification

Essential

• A Master’s degree (Level 9 or equivalent) in a relevant discipline.

• Substantial experience leading academic programmes, curriculum development, or quality activity within higher education.

• Strong working knowledge of assessment principles, academic standards, and quality assurance processes.

• Demonstrated ability to interpret academic data to identify trends, risks, and improvement priorities across programmes.

• Credibility and confidence in applying academic judgement to complex quality, standards, or integrity issues.

• Clear, effective communication skills, with the ability to support, challenge, and influence academic colleagues constructively.

Desirable

• A PhD (Level 10) or equivalent terminal qualification, where appropriate to the discipline.

• Familiarity with PSRB accreditation frameworks and how they interface with institutional academic governance.

• Direct experience contributing to validation, revalidation, accreditation, or regulatory engagement processes.

• Familiarity with QQI standards or comparable national or international quality frameworks.

• Experience contributing to discipline-level or cross-programme improvement initiatives.

• Engagement with professional bodies, industry networks, or applied academic practice relevant to the discipline.

• Experience mentoring academic leaders, Programme Directors, or senior teaching staff.

Attractive Benefits Package

Position Type:

Contract Type:

Pay Frequency:

Location:

Job Functional Area:

All appointments are subject to providing proof of eligibility to work in Ireland on full time basis (upon being invited to interview). Please refer to our privacy policy here: DBS Privacy Notice for Candidates.

This job description is a guide to the work the post holder will initially be required to undertake. It may be amended from time to time to meet changing circumstances by mutual agreement. It is expected that the job description will be reviewed regularly by the post-holder and their manager.

DBS is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. If you require any adjustments or additional support within the recruitment process, please contact us directly.