Head of Business Operations – Apprenticeships

Head of Business Operations – Apprenticeships

Head of Business Operations - Apprenticeships Candidate Pack

The University of Law (ULaw) is one of the world’s largest law schools. With an impressive history dating back to 1876, the University employs over 900 staff and has over 14,000 students studying on their undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, along with an alumni network in excess of 100,000. They were the first-ever independent institution to be granted degree awarding powers and in 2012 gained university title. With a rich heritage and a reputation for innovation and contemporary teaching practices, the University continuously focuses on developing the best legal and business minds. In 2016, they opened their leading Business School, further enhancing their reputation as a full service legal, business and educational training specialist, operating from campuses throughout the UK, Berlin and Hong Kong and an Online campus. What really sets them apart from other universities is the guiding principle that future lawyers and business leaders should learn in a realistic, professional and contemporary context, with plenty of practical interactive engagement. That’s why they keep their contact hours high and their teaching groups small. Over the past 5 years the University has doubled student enrolments and continues to grow. They are extremely ambitious and plan to expand and diversify both in the UK and worldwide. As they have grown, the continuing enhancement of their brand and reputation for teaching quality and student satisfaction has been at the core of everything that they do. Whilst their legacy and identity as a specialist legal education provider remains central to who they are, they have successfully diversified their offering into business and accounting dis- ciplines, with a rapidly expanding suite of programmes delivered in their UK and overseas campuses. They plan to expand their portfolio into new applied and professionally accredited disciplines. As a pri- vate university, they are agile and innovative, anticipating the future needs of their students, their client firms and society as a whole. In 2020 their student recruitment exceeded 10,000 for the first time in their history and, whilst they remain a predominantly postgraduate university, their undergraduate numbers are also growing strongly. In 2020 they were ranked 1st for overall student satisfaction in England in the National Student Survey. Their success is driven by their reputation as a specialist university of the highest quality, offering students a unique and practice-led learning experience.

BACKGROUND

Vision and Strategic Plan

Vision and mission

In 2025 we will be the leading global university of law, business and the professions with a network of online and worldwide locations. Digital technology will enable us to offer unparalleled flexibility, based around cutting edge facilities and environments, further removing geographical barriers to education. We will offer the same quality of teaching and learning experience, with the convenience to study where, when and how our students want. At the heart of this are our people and values. Many of our staff, stakeholders and students helped to shape our new vision and strategic plan.

Vision and Mission

Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan

Caring for our students is at the heart of everything we do. We stand shoulder to shoulder with them, supporting their ambitions and ensuring they are respected and valued.

We are deeply committed to delivering a high-quality service and education. We support and accept appropriate and managed risks, in the pursuit of growth and progress whilst maintaining quality.

We are dynamic and future-focused, anticipating and embracing change with creativity and motivation.

We are agile and adaptable, leading change and meeting the changing demands of our students and employers, all the while updating our knowledge and practice to improve our performance and the student experience.

We embrace our challenges as learning and growth opportunities and prepare our students, with confidence and resilience, to do the same.

We work together in a collegiate way, challenging one another whilst treating each other with dignity and respect - embracing diversity of experience and background that allows people to do their best and thrive.

We have a global outlook and connect across different cultures. We are a diverse, inclusive community where everyone is welcomed and valued, and our differences are a source of strength.

Our diversity and inclusion initiatives are at the heart of our strategic plan to empower our staff and student community.

Vision and Strategic Plan

Core components of our Strategic Plan

Our Learning Journey

Building on our heritage of outstanding teaching and support for our students, we will deliver excellent standards in innovative learning, teaching and applied research that transforms lives and is globally recognised However, our learning journey does not end in the classroom, and we will continue to grow our support services and technologies, deepening our care for our students and offering ever closer support networks. We were ranked top university in England for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2020 and also achieved top ten placements amongst other universities for eleven further categories across the UK including: ‘The Teaching on my Course’ (4th), ‘Student Voice’ (4th), and ‘Assessment and feedback’ (7th). And in the latest Teaching and Excellence and Student Outcome Framework we were awarded silver for our teaching, learning and outcomes. Our performance in the critical categories of teaching excellence and academic support for students is sector leading.

Core components of our Strategic Plan

Our Learning Journey

Our Learning Environment

Our International Community

Our People

Our Impact

Our Learning Environment

We will transform our study and work settings through the use of the most advanced technology and resources.

By combining our physical and online campus environments and infrastructure, we will create adaptable and flexible spaces for learning and support.

Our International Community

We will establish new, and strengthen existing, pathways for international students to join us - including through our oversees campuses and our strategic partnerships.

We will embed inclusivity and multicultural values into the curriculum and develop new modules to define and address ethical issues and the rights of minority and protected groups.

Through collaboration with our international partners we will create global learning and employability opportunities.

Our People

We will develop, retain and recruit the highest calibre people, increasing the ethnic representation to reflect the diversity in our students.

By uniting academic and business professionals, we will innovate and personalise our students’ future teaching and learning, bringing knowledge from the front line of practice.

Our Impact

Graduates will leave ULaw with the experiences and skills to drive change, helping to transform the future of society and the professions.

They will have not only a world class qualification, but also a sense of purpose and empowerment that they can have a positive impact on their environments.

Through our pioneering Employability Service we will shape our graduates into the next generation of professionals. They will be digitally confident, have broad project management skills, and strong leadership potential.

CAMPUSES

1.

Birmingham Campus

2. Bristol Campus

3. The University of Law at Chester

4. Guildford Campus

5. Leeds Campus

6.

London Bloomsbury Campus

7.

London Moorgate Campus

8.

Manchester Campus

9.

Nottingham Campus

10. University of Law at UEA in Norwich

11. University of Law at Exeter

12. University of Law at Liverpool

13. University of Law at Reading

14. Hong Kong Centre

All of our campuses are in thriving commercial areas and offer the same fully-resourced facilities, including well equipped IT suites with PCs for DVD and i-Tutorials, comprehensive law libraries with all the latest legal texts, quiet study areas and places to relax.

15. Online

16. University of Law at Newcastle

17. GISMA Berlin

18. University of Law at Sheffield

Birmingham

Nottingham

Hong Kong

Guildford

Moorgate

Bristol

Apprenticeship Scheme

With a rich heritage in post-graduate legal education, The University of Law (ULaw) launched their first apprenticeship programme, based on the trailblazer solicitor apprenticeship programme, in 2017. This initial programme was designed to support a L3 apprentice to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours to a L7 standard over a period of 6 years. The launch of this programme has led to very successful partnerships between the University, employers and apprentices. In 2021 two additional graduate apprenticeship programmes were created based around the solicitor apprenticeship standard. The two new programmes are open to postgraduate students who will study with us for between 27 – 31 months prior to their End Point Assessment. Over the three programmes, The University currently supports 420 solicitor apprentices, from over 200 client firms/organisations within various legal sectors. All three programmes combine work-based and online supervised study, together with practical and academic activities at ULaw campuses which prepare apprentices to undertake the new Solicitors Qualifying Exam Parts 1 and 2. Apprentices who successfully complete these assessments are entitled to apply to the SRA to be admitted as solicitors at the end of the programme. In addition, apprentices will also complete ULaw assessments, providing them with the opportunity to be awarded an LLB and/ or LLM in Legal Practice and Skills (Hons) from ULaw. As well as supporting the apprentices academically, ULaw has built on their experience of working closely with employers to ensure competencies in the workplace are developed and nurtured throughout. The apprenticeship programmes use a blended learning method to ensure the programme reaches all geographical locations across England, widening opportunities for participation and is designed so that it can be tailored to the role undertaken by the apprentice and develop the practical skills employers require.

Main Function of Job

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Head of Business Operations is a key member of the Central Operations team with overall responsibility for the delivery of all aspects of Apprenticeships operations, ensuring effective co-ordination and integration of administrative and operational systems and processes. The postholder will lead the enhancement and continuous improvement of service delivery, improving standards and performance, including managing the relationship with central services on behalf of the department to meet the strategic requirements of the department and the University.

Main Function of Job

Specific Responsibilities

Reporting to Deputy Director – Business Operations (dotted line to National Programme Director - Apprenticeships) Location Any UK campus/home- working

Direct Reports TBA

Specific Responsibilities

• To work with the National Programme Director to develop and implement strategic plans in accordance with the University strategic planning cycle and in support of the University’s Strategy.

• To lead on collating management information to help inform strategic planning and to monitor progress against development plans.

• To work with the Deputy Director – Business Operations to develop and implement services, processes and systems to support the delivery of the department’s objectives and enhance the student/client experience.

• To manage all support staff in the department and take responsibility for their professional development.

• To develop robust plans and processes for delivery of programmes/courses, collaborating closely with colleagues in the programme design team and the central quality unit teams. • Ensure that interdependencies across all functions and integration with University wide systems and processes are identified and incorporated into plans so that the service to students/clients is as seamless as possible. • To work closely with central, specialist and global shared services departments to ensure that service provision to students/clients is planned, coordinated, delivered consistently and effectively, to the standards required by the University. • To liaise and collaborate with the staff in the relevant central quality units for the continuous improvement of systems, processes and service levels – enabling training to take place and participating in audits aimed at identifying problem areas and improvements.

• To ensure appropriate administrative support for academic staff in the department.

• To oversee the development, planning, organisation and evaluation of student/ client inductions and events/activities across all programmes/courses within the department, working closely with Programme Directors and Heads of Departments.

• To represent the department on University committees and working groups and liaise on behalf of the department with central departments.

JOB DESCRIPTION

• To represent the department at regular University Operational meetings, focussing on a problem-solving approach to institutional issues and the implementation of strategy and operations.

Specific Responsibilities

•

To lead and manage university change projects as directed by the Director - Operational Delivery or the Chief Operating Officer. To contribute to the development of policies and procedures at University and department level. Ensure that all policies and procedures are effectively implemented and consistent with the department and the University’s requirements.

•

• To manage risk and compliance processes (including corporate accountabilities, audit, risk management and other compliance related activities such as >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18

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