Provost & Vice-Principal

Job description / Role

Heriot-Watt University has a rich heritage and an established reputation as a leading research-led university and provider of education with five global campuses in the UK, Dubai and Malaysia alongside considerable on-line learning provision around the world.

Heriot-Watt University is truly distinctive in its operationally integrated global structure, offering students access to education and research across the Group and unparalleled opportunities for mobility during their study and research.

Established for sixteen years, Heriot-Watt University has an enviable heritage of scale and success in the UAE, enhanced by its 2021 move to a brand new digital campus located amongst the international business community in Dubai. It is one of just three universities to be awarded a top five-star rating by the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority, in recognition of the quality of its teaching, research, learning environments, creativity and social responsibility. In 2019, Heriot-Watt University in Dubai was crowned the ‘Best University’ at the first ever Forbes Middle East Higher Education Awards.

We are now seeking a Provost & Vice-Principal to lead Heriot-Watt University. Reporting to the Principal & Vice-Chancellor, this leader will assure the development of the Dubai campus in line with the University’s 2025 Strategy. This will mean a values-led and ethical approach to leadership, which foregrounds the needs of staff, students, and alumni and thus enables them to flourish and make a positive impact on the world. Relationship building with businesses and state represents a significant part of the role, strengthening engagement and developing partnership opportunities that lead to sustainable income and direct benefit to staff, students, and the community. Driving recruitment across the Dubai campus’ educational offering and supporting the integration of research with local and regional institutions are also important priorities for the new Provost & Vice-Principal. Furthermore, this individual will make an impactful contribution at Group level, supporting institutional strategic development and working closely with the Principal and Vice-Chancellor to achieve the goals of the University’s Bicentennial Campaign that is expected to launch in 2022.

Closing Date for Applications is midnight (GMT) on Monday 6th December 2021.

Interviews for the role will take place on the 9th and 10th of January 2022 in Dubai in the Campus.

All applicants are requested to submit a completed version of an Equal Opportunities Monitoring form with their application. The information provided will be handled in the strictest confidence and will only be used for statistical monitoring purposes.

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Requirements

The ideal candidate will be an academic leader of Professorial standing who has led sizeable and complex academic units. Accustomed to working in a matrixed environment, they will demonstrate a detailed understanding of global Higher Education as well as the operating environment in Dubai and the wider Middle East. Cultural awareness is a must; Arabic language skills are advantageous but not essential. A values-led approach to leadership with a multinational, team-oriented mindset will set the strongest candidates apart.

About the Company

Heriot-Watt University Dubai offers an extensive range of research-informed degree programmes in a global study environment, with strong links to business and industry.