Salary: £50,000 - £65,000 per annum
Employment type: Fixed Term Contract for 12 months
Hours per week: 37
Reporting into: Director of Employer Engagement
Department: Employer Engagement
Remote working arrangement: this role operates primarily on a remote working arrangement and requires occasional travel into Coventry head office and campus locations, up to twice a month, depending on business need.
About Arden University:
We are an aspirational and multi‑award‑winning university delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first‑choice university for career‑focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring everyone everywhere can access higher education.
There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.
About our Department:
You will work within a small, agile Employer Engagement team based in the Academic Office, driving forward Arden’s strategic priorities in employer engagement, employability, and curriculum innovation. The team focuses on cultivating and strengthening partnerships that generate positive outcomes for students while raising Arden’s profile as a university recognised for delivering meaningful, real‑world impact.
About the Opportunity:
Arden University is developing a new employer‑engagement ecosystem to strengthen curriculum relevance, expand employer‑led learning, scale placements, and improve student outcomes. With six Employer Advisory Boards and growing regional and cross‑institution partnerships, we are creating a central role to bring strong governance, consistent delivery, and measurable impact to this strategic area.
The Programme Governance & Delivery Manager (Employer Engagement) will lead the coordination, governance, and delivery of all employer‑engagement projects. You will ensure advisory boards run effectively, manage project workstreams, and support activity that enhances the student journey, experience, and graduate outcomes. A key part of the role is establishing the foundational processes, frameworks, and delivery disciplines needed to scale employer engagement across the university.
This role suits someone who thrives in complex environments, enjoys building new structures, and brings strong programme management, governance, and stakeholder‑coordination skills. You will play a pivotal role in shaping how Arden embeds employer engagement into its curriculum and wider student‑experience strategy.
About You:
You will bring a strong background in programme management, governance, and cross‑institution coordination, with the confidence to build new structures and drive delivery in a complex environment. You understand how to create clarity, consistency, and accountability across multiple workstreams, and you’re motivated by roles where you can shape processes from the ground up. You will be comfortable working with senior stakeholders, managing advisory boards, and ensuring that strategic activity translates into measurable impact for students and partners.
You Will Have:
* Significant experience in programme management, PMO, governance, strategic projects, or business operations, ideally involving coordination across multiple teams or functions.
* Experience designing or maintaining governance frameworks, including terms of reference, reporting cycles, action tracking, and risk/decision management.
* Experience coordinating or running boards, committees, or advisory groups, ensuring effective preparation, delivery, and follow‑up.
* Experience leading task‑and‑finish groups, cross‑functional workstreams, or matrix teams to deliver defined outputs and outcomes.
* Experience developing or implementing evaluation frameworks and KPIs to measure programme or project impact.
* Experience working in complex, multi‑stakeholder environments where alignment, communication, and structured coordination are essential.
Why Arden:
At Arden, you will become part of a passionate and dedicated team committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students’ journeys are the best they can possibly be, and we reward our people with fantastic benefits.
Employees benefit from:
* 30 days holiday + bank holidays on‑top, and even a Christmas closure!
* A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%
* SimplyHealth plan option
* Private Medical Insurance
* Access to Perkbox benefits
* Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends
* Plus, other excellent benefits
* Our “Golden Ticket” which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education
Our Values:
Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness – these reflect who we are as an institution, a team, and individuals. If you share these values and are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:
Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role. If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate this via the application form. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, actively welcoming applications from all groups.
Sponsorship Statement:
Some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the points‑based immigration system. However, we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.
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