A key priority for this role will be supporting the successful launch, validation and ongoing oversight of the College's strategic partnership with Riyadh University of Art, helping to establish high-quality academic provision that reflects both UK regulatory expectations and the RCA's global reputation for excellence in art and design education.

As the College's senior lead for partnership quality assurance, you will provide expert leadership on academic standards, regulatory compliance and governance, ensuring that all partnership activity is robust, compliant and aligned with institutional strategy. Working closely with senior academic leaders, professional services teams and international partners, you will play a critical role in shaping and embedding sustainable quality frameworks that support innovation while safeguarding standards.

About the Role

This is a unique opportunity to help establish and oversee academic quality arrangements for a high-profile international partnership from programme validation through to ongoing delivery, monitoring and enhancement.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading quality assurance and academic governance across the College's international partnerships, with an initial focus on Riyadh University of Art.
• Designing and implementing quality frameworks, policies, procedures and guidance to support partnership provision.
• Advising Executive leadership on academic standards, regulatory compliance and institutional risk.
• Establishing quality and performance indicators and overseeing Annual Programme Review processes.
• Monitoring programme performance, student outcomes and enhancement activity.
• Overseeing external examining arrangements and assessment governance.
• Preparing reports for senior committees and contributing to institutional quality and regulatory assurance.
• Acting as the principal quality assurance contact for international partners.
• Line managing the Quality Assurance Manager.

About You

We are looking for a strategic and collaborative leader with substantial experience of quality assurance and academic governance within UK higher education.

You will bring:

• A postgraduate qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Extensive experience of programme validation, annual monitoring and external examining.
• Strong knowledge of the UK Quality Code and UK higher education regulatory requirements.
• Experience of supporting academic committees.
• The ability to interpret and apply complex regulatory requirements in practice.
• Excellent analytical, organisational and report-writing skills.
• Experience advising senior leaders on academic standards, governance and risk.
• Outstanding stakeholder management and influencing skills.

Experience of transnational education, international partnerships or operating in complex cross-border educational environments will be highly advantageous. Experience within an art, design or creative higher education setting is also desirable.

Join us at an exciting stage in the development of our international partnerships and play a leading role in ensuring the success of the RCA's ambitious collaboration with Riyadh University of Art, while helping to shape the future of global creative education.

Please see Information Pack for further details.

Closing for applications at 11.59pm on 8 September 2026.  Interviews are expected to take place 17/18 September 2026.

Closing Date: 08 Sep 2026

Programme/Department: Administrative & Professional

Salary: £64,753 to £72,255 per annum
3 year fixed term contract, aligned to partnership delivery cycle

This is a key senior professional services role, providing high-quality planning, analysis, reporting and coordination to support institutional decision-making across the College. Working closely with the Academic Registrar and senior academic and professional services colleagues, you will help ensure that planning and performance activity is well coordinated, evidence-informed and aligned with the RCA’s strategic ambitions.

The RCA is a world-leading specialist postgraduate institution of art, design, architecture, communication and creative practice. Operating within a complex and fast-changing higher education environment, robust planning, high-quality evidence and insightful performance reporting are essential to supporting academic, operational and strategic delivery.

You will coordinate key institutional and academic planning cycles, including student number planning, recruitment and admissions monitoring, academic portfolio planning, quality cycles, student outcomes reporting and performance monitoring.

You will analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative data from a range of sources, translating complex information into clear insights, briefings, dashboards, reports and recommendations for senior leaders and committees.

A key element of the role will be developing and maintaining planning models and analytical tools, including scenario modelling and options analysis to support student number planning, admissions and enrolment monitoring, programme viability, portfolio planning and resource considerations.

You will provide trusted planning and performance advice to the Academic Registrar, PVC Education and Student Success, Deans, Heads of Programme and senior professional service colleagues, providing constructive challenge and helping colleagues understand trends, risks and implications.

You will work collaboratively across Academic Registry, Schools and professional services including Finance, Recruitment, Technical Services, Data and Insight and Strategy, supporting joined-up planning and performance activity across the College.

You will have significant experience in planning, performance reporting, data analysis, academic administration, governance, business planning or strategy support, ideally within higher education or another complex organisation.

You will have strong analytical and numerical skills, advanced Excel capability and experience producing high-quality reports, briefings, dashboards or committee papers for senior audiences.

You will be confident engaging with senior stakeholders, able to influence and advise colleagues, provide constructive challenge and translate complex information into clear, practical and actionable insight.

An understanding of the UK higher education environment, including governance, assurance, quality, student outcomes, regulatory expectations and institutional performance, is essential.

This is an exciting opportunity to take on a role with significant institutional influence, helping to connect data, planning and performance with strategic priorities at one of the world’s leading specialist postgraduate universities.

Please see Information pack for further details of this exciting new role.

Closing for applications: 11.59pm, 14 September 2026 with interviews expected to take place 24 September 2026

Closing Date: 14 Sep 2026

Programme/Department: Administrative & Professional

Salary: £49,533 to £53,609 per annum
Full time and permanent role

Internal Opportunity

The Royal College of Art is seeking an exceptional academic leader to become our next Dean of Creative Education. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of postgraduate creative education at the world's leading university of art and design.

As a senior cross-College leader, you will provide strategic direction for the RCA's distinctive model of creative education, ensuring that creative practice remains at the heart of teaching, learning, research and the student experience. Working collaboratively across Schools and Professional Services, you will lead College-wide initiatives that enhance academic quality, educational innovation, student success and inclusive practice.

Reporting to the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Success), you will play a pivotal role in developing and delivering the College's educational strategy, supporting curriculum innovation, academic practice, staff development and technology-enhanced learning. You will also provide strategic oversight of student success, academic enhancement, libraries and learning resources, while championing equity, diversity and inclusion across all aspects of the educational experience.

This role requires an inspiring and collaborative leader who can influence across a complex organisation, bringing together colleagues from different disciplines and professional services to deliver meaningful institutional change. You will represent the RCA externally, contributing to national and international conversations about the future of creative higher education and strengthening the College's reputation as a global leader in postgraduate art and design education.

We are looking for a candidate with significant senior academic leadership experience, a strong understanding of creative and practice-based education, and a proven track record of developing educational strategy within higher education. You will bring outstanding communication and relationship-building skills, experience of leading institutional change, and a passion for fostering an inclusive, innovative and supportive academic community.

If you are an ambitious educational leader who is excited by the opportunity to shape the future of creative education at the Royal College of Art, we would welcome your application.

How to apply

Please apply using the short application form with upload for:

• A current CV.
• A supporting statement (maximum 2,000 words) responding to the following four questions: 

1. Educational Strategy and Leadership
    Describe your experience of leading educational strategy and institutional change. How would you shape and deliver a distinctive, future-focused creative education strategy that enhances academic quality, curriculum innovation and student success across the College? 
2. Leading Across an Organisation
    This role requires leadership through influence rather than direct authority. Provide an example of where you have successfully led change across multiple teams, disciplines or professional services. What approach did you take and what was the outcome?
3.  Building an Inclusive Academic Community
    How have you fostered an inclusive culture that supports academic excellence, collaboration and staff development? Please include examples of how you have promoted equality, diversity and inclusion, educational enhancement, or professional practice. 
4. Vision for the Role
    What do you see as the most significant opportunities and challenges for creative higher education over the next three to five years, and how would you position the Royal College of Art to respond? Please outline your priorities for the first 12 months in the role.

Please see Information Pack for further details.

This role closes for internal applications at 11.59pm on 2nd September 2026

Interview are expected to take place on 10th September 2026

Closing Date: 02 Sep 2026

Programme/Department: Senior Manager - Academic