Deputy Director of King’s Foundations - Senior Lecturer/Reader in International Education
About us
King’s Foundations, part of the Centre for International Education and Languages (CIEL), delivers high-quality international pathway programmes, academic skills development, and English language preparation courses. Our mission is to enable and empower students to thrive at a world-leading university. We are committed to diversity, inclusivity, and cultural competence, and we pride ourselves on delivering an outstanding student experience that combines academic excellence with holistic support.
About the role
Working in partnership with the Director of King's Foundations and the Head of Operations, the Deputy Director of King’s Foundations - Senior Lecturer/Reader in International Education provides strategic and operational educational leadership across King's Foundations. King’s Foundations is an academic department within the Centre for International Education and Languages (CIEL); the department’s core areas of provision include the King's International Foundation programme (KIF), the Pre-sessional programme, Short Courses and the university’s Academic Skills Programme. Much of the university’s Afe Babalola Centre’s academic provision is also embedded within King’s Foundations.
The Deputy Director of King’s Foundations - Senior Lecturer/Reader in International Education leads the department's educational agenda and is responsible for the academic quality, standards and enhancement of all educational provision, ensuring an outstanding student and staff experience and successful student outcomes. They provide leadership across the department, ensuring that all aspects of education, from educational strategy, curriculum and pedagogy to academic planning and staffing support the department's strategic objectives and align with the wider priorities of CIEL and King's.
As the senior educational leader for King's Foundations, the Deputy Director chairs the Department Education Committee, is a member of the CIEL Education Committee, and represents King's Foundations in institutional educational leadership and governance. The postholder deputises for the Director of King's Foundations on educational matters, exercising delegated authority where appropriate.
This role is a full-time (35hrs a week), three-year, fixed-term post and will be appointed to on the Academic Education Pathway (AEP), which recognises and supports excellence in teaching and educational leadership.
About you
To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:
Essential criteria
- Master’s degree in relevant discipline; Teaching Qualification; Senior HEA Fellowship or working towards.
- Proven track record of education-focused scholarship, with evidence of dissemination and/or impact.
- Significant experience of teaching and working in international higher education, to include as minimum at least one of Academic Skills, Pre-Sessional or International Foundation provision.
- A proven track record of Programme Leadership as Director/Head of Programme or equivalent with significant experience of motivating, managing and developing an academic team with a relevant portfolio.
- Demonstratable evidence of quality assurance and curriculum enhancement at department level and beyond, with track record of actions and impact.
- Experience of governance, planning and resource management in a complex organisation.
- Demonstrated experience of addressing challenges and successfully managing change.
- Experience of developing new programmes, with initiatives that enhance student support and the student experience
Desirable criteria
- Doctoral qualification or equivalent, or working towards one.
- Evidence of engagement in driving curriculum development to meet departmental or institutional strategic priorities.
- Experience of shaping approaches to inclusive practice within or across educational portfolios
- Development of a body of scholarly activity that has influence beyond institutional level.
- Experience of developing and sustaining strategic partnerships and/or external collaborations.
Downloading a copy of our Job Description
Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.
Further information
At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.
The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.
We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.
When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.
We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant’s own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found here.
We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.
We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.
To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.
This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service clearances.
Grade and Salary
£65,091- £74,613 per annum including London Weighting Allowance
Post Date
19-Oct-2026
Close Date
08-Nov-2026
Contact Person
Sarah Shirley
