Overview
The University seeks to appoint a Head of School for the School of Law, Politics and Sociology. The School covers the disciplines of Law, Politics, Sociology and Criminology. The School plays an important role within the Faculty, contributing to the University Strategy and wider academic mission.
Role details
The Head of School will report to the Executive Dean and be part of the Faculty Executive Team. The role requires close engagement with academic and professional services colleagues across the School and the wider University and plays a key part in ensuring alignment with both Faculty and University goals.
This is a significant leadership role, offering an opportunity to shape the School’s direction during an important period of development. The Head of School will provide academic leadership and effective management, fostering an environment in which teaching, research, scholarship, and student experience can flourish. Working in close partnership with the Executive Dean, Associate Deans and Faculty colleagues, and in alignment with University strategy, the Head of School will ensure the continued strength and relevance of the School’s portfolio of course, research activity, pedagogical scholarship and engagement with students and external partners.
About You
We are looking for a senior academic, normally of Professorial standing, with a strong personal record of research, education and/or scholarship, and a clear commitment to academic excellence and collegial leadership. The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to engage and inspire others, to lead through collaboration and inclusion, and to manage resources and teams effectively within a complex organisational structure. An understanding of the strategic environment facing higher education, and the ability to respond creatively and constructively, will also be important.
About Our School
Sussex Law School is a well-established and successful research-led department. We have a collegial, interdisciplinary and vibrant research environment and we take pride in pushing the boundaries of the discipline. Our colleagues teach and research in a broad range of areas, but we have particular strengths and international recognition in environmental law, trade law, human rights, social justice, crime and criminology, and law and technology. The Sussex Law School is home to 65 members of staff who teach 1500 Undergraduate and over 250 Graduate students. We have a lively PGR community with a strong mix of home and international students. In REF 2021, over 78% of our publications were ranked 3* or 4* whilst in the most recent NSS (2024), SLS was ranked in the top quartile for student support. We are committed to having a positive and encouraging environment for students and staff alike.
Politics is a well-established and successful research-led department with a record of excellence in research assessment exercises and in teaching. The department is home to 20 faculty and around 600 students. We have a thriving Masters in Corruption and Governance course which recruits between 15-20 students per year, together an online distance learning version of the degree. The department is home to the internationally renowned Sussex European Institute and the Centre for the Study of Corruption, and also has research strengths in British politics, party politics, citizenship and migration, and various phenomena that challenge the existing political order such as populism, anti-politics and protest politics. In the most recent REF, 96% of the department’s outputs were regarded as either world-leading or internationally excellent and the department’s GPA rose from 2.90 in 2014 to 3.38 in 2021. We performed in the most recent NSS improving our scores in almost every category with 85% of respondents evaluating our teaching positively.
The Dept of Sociology and Criminology a well-established and successful research-led department with a record of excellence in research assessment exercises and in teaching. We are home to 35 faculty and around 450 students at any one time. We have two thriving Masters programmes in Gender Studies and Criminology which both recruit between 15 and 20 students each in any given year. We have a diverse research culture and diverse research interests with clusters of expertise in the fields of ethnicity and migration, health, social class and social theory. We have aim to push the boundaries of research and of research-led teaching. We performed well in the last NSS, improving our scores in almost every category from the previous year. Our research (as submitted to UoA21, Sociology) was assessed overall to be 45% ‘world leading’ (4*) and 40% ‘internationally excellent’ (3*). In particular, 100% of our impact case studies were assessed as outstanding (4*).
Please find further information regarding the School of Law, Politics and Sociology on our website.
Why work here
Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five-minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.
Sussex is a renowned, multi-accredited, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.
Find Out More About Our Reward And Benefits Package.
Find out about our equality, diversity and inclusion
Further Key Information
Please contact Rosie Cox (rosie.cox@sussex.ac.uk) for informal enquiries.
The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK.
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