Further Particulars
This document includes information about the role for which you are applying and the
information you will need to provide with the application.
1. Role details
Vacancy reference:
7785
Job title:
Faculty Manager
Reports to:
The Senior Faculty Manager/Staff Tutor
Salary:
£30,122.00 - £35,938 pa pro rata
Terms and conditions:
Academic-related
Grade:
7
Duration of post:
Available immediately to 31 July 2014
Working hours:
22.2 hours per week
Location:
66 High Street, Harborne, Birmingham B17 9NB
Type of application form accepted:
Long (see section 7 for more details)
Number of referees required:
3
Closing date:
12 noon on Thursday 9 February 2012
Unit recruitment contact:
Donna Elstob ([email protected])
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2. Summary of duties
Overall job purpose
The Faculty Manager will be appointed to the Arts Faculty but be a member of The Open
University in the Birmingham office. He or she will be responsible to the Arts Senior
Faculty Manager and to one of the Arts Staff Tutors in Birmingham. Although the post is
office-based, some travel and evening/weekend work may be necessary.
This is an academic-related post; applicants should have a relevant degree and strong
relevant academic interests. Experience of The Open University and particularly
experience of teaching for the University would be a considerable advantage. The
successful candidate will be expected to develop and maintain close working relationships
with the Senior Faculty Manager, the Staff Tutors, the Teaching Services Assistant and
other regional staff.
Duties will be derived from the following list, which describes the activities – broadly
grouped by function - of a full-time Faculty Manager. Specific responsibilities and
priorities for the postholder will be decided in discussion with the Arts team in the Region,
and take into account the part-time nature of the post.
Student Oriented

dealing with a wide range of academic and other queries from students;
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investigating and resolving student complaints and administering appeals through
direct contact by letter or telephone or through the Voice database, referring very
complex ones to the Staff Tutors and the Assistant Director;
Associate Lecturer Oriented
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answering a wide range of queries from Associate Lecturers;
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involvement with the appointment and management of new Faculty Associate
Lecturers by using Faculty, forecast and CIRCE data to identify vacancies;
participating in shortlisting, acting as second member of a panel, appointing mentors,
participating in the Induction Day and carrying out follow-up work and staff
development during the probation period; conducting end of first year review;
recommending the signing off of probation to the Assistant Director, except where
there is a serious concern about a tutor, when the matter is referred to the Staff
Tutors or Senior Faculty Manager;

monitoring electronic tutor group conferences and providing appropriate support and
advice for Associate Lecturers;

monitoring tutorial attendance and advising Associate Lecturers on alternative
support strategies throughout the module;

identifying individual and general staff development needs and providing it where
appropriate;

providing feedback to the Staff Tutors, Senior Faculty Manager and Assistant
Director on performance, support and advice for/day-to-day management of Faculty
Associate Lecturers; alerting the Staff Tutors and Senior Faculty Manager to signals
from University systems suggesting particular problems with performance;

visiting tutorial centres on occasion to assess the effectiveness of the delivery of Arts
modules and report to the Senior Faculty Manager and the Staff Tutors on Associate
Lecturer performance;

investigating and resolving Associate Lecturer complaints, referring very complex
cases to the Staff Tutors and the Assistant Director;
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Regional Administration

responsibility for the organisation of day schools and other events and Arts
presences at module choice events in the Region;

recommending to the Staff Tutors on budget allocations for DC days and module
events and use of the Regional Fund; responsibility for allocating special sessions;

responsibility for the administration, content and presentation of Faculty mailings
sent from the Regional Centre to students and tutors;

interpreting management information on student registrations and liaising with
regional colleagues to assist the Staff Tutors with decisions on post-foundation
appointments and allocations;

managing the allocation of tutors for the Level 1 module in consultation with the
Senior Faculty Manager and the Staff Tutors;

drafting tutorial timetables in consultation with the Staff Tutors, Senior Faculty
Manager and regional administrators;

supporting the setting up of and involvement in the running of efficient systems for
monitoring quality in relation to assignment marking, tutorial provision and student
support;

organising Staff Development in consultation with the Senior Faculty Manager and
the Staff Tutors and participating in such activities.
Representing the Faculty in the Regional centre

building close links both with the Faculty at Walton Hall and other offices at Walton
Hall which support Arts Faculty activities.

answering academic and other enquiries about Arts modules referred by regional
colleagues; attending Regional Staff Meetings and speaking on behalf of the Faculty
when required;
Linking the Region to the Faculty at Walton Hall and in other regions

negotiating with staff in other regions to arrange inter-regional contracts;

attending Arts Faculty Committee and Arts Regional Group meetings and speaking
on behalf of the region when required.
3. Person specification
The Person Specification for a Faculty Manager able to carry out the above duties is as
follows. Since the person appointed may at some point be required to carry out any of
these duties, it will be essential for the successful candidate to offer evidence of abilities
relevant to the complete list, i.e. he or she must be:

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a graduate with a good degree in an Arts/Humanities subject;
familiar with the teaching methodology of The Open University;
an experienced administrator;
an experienced teacher in higher or adult education;
able to work with minimum supervision;
able to prioritize tasks;
able to solve complex problems;
able to handle sensitive issues constructively;
able to work as an effective member of multiple-tasked teams, with the
communication and inter-personal skills needed to encourage co-operation and coordination of work;
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
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able to work with the academic assistant assigned to the Arts team in the region;
able to express ideas clearly both orally and in writing and to analyse and interpret
numerical data;
able to exploit the potential uses of IT beyond basic office systems such as
spreadsheets and databases;
able to liaise effectively with Arts Associate Lecturers in the region;
in possession of a current clean UK driving license (or equivalent ability to travel
regularly within the region);
committed to the ideals of The Open University, including equality and diversity
issues.
Additionally it will be desirable for the successful candidate to be able to demonstrate
evidence of the following:
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experience of working as an associate lecturer of The Open University;
experience of The Open University teaching methods;
an experienced manager;
awareness of the diversity of student support needs in the regional context;
knowledge of the local and regional context of the post.
4. Role specific requirements e.g. Shift working
The pattern of working will be open to some negotiation with the Senior Faculty Manager
and the Staff Tutors but attendance at the Regional Centre for three days per week will be
the normal expectation. Some evening and weekend work and occasional travel will be
required.
The Regional Centre is the workbase for this Faculty Manager post and you will be
expected to reside within reasonable travelling distance, normally 25 miles of the Regional
Centre in Birmingham.
5. About the unit/department
The Faculty Of Arts
The Faculty of Arts consists of about 100 academic staff plus support staff, who are
responsible for the production, presentation and maintenance of some 80
undergraduate and postgraduate modules covering a wide range of arts subjects.
About twenty-five of these academic staff are staff tutors based in the Regional
Centres.
The Arts Faculty supports internationally-recognised research in all of the academic
areas represented by its staff and has made substantial submissions to seven units
of assessment in the UK’s 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. Individuals are
generously supported, but research is increasingly focussed in groups that work
within departments, across faculties, or in collaboration with other institutions: a
number of these groups have recently received major project funding from the
AHRC and other bodies. A rich variety of seminars and conferences are organised
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by Open University staff and the Faculty's research culture is further enriched by
over 100 full- and part-time research students.
The Faculty offers opportunities for study at all levels taught at The Open
University. At level 1 we have a suite of short modules, two 30 point modules and
also the 60 point course The Arts Past and Present which provides an introduction
to all the subjects taught and to the interdisciplinary methods which have been a
speciality of the Faculty from the beginning. Students may continue to pursue
interdisciplinary methods at level 2 or they may take modules offering more
specialist study which they may then continue at level 3. The Faculty offers taught
postgraduate study opportunities in all of its subjects.
At the moment students studying Arts modules may be studying for a variety of
awards. At bachelor’s level, Open University students may be studying towards a
general modular BA ordinary degree or a general modular BA honours degree, or a
named honours degree. In Arts we have a BA Hons. Literature, a BA Hons. English
Language and Literature, a BA Hons. History, BA/Hons and BSc in Philosophy and
Psychological Studies and a BA Hons. Humanities framework which allows honours
or joint honours specialisation for all the subjects taught in the Faculty.
The Head of the Faculty is the Dean; currently this is Professor David Rowland.
The Faculty is organised into seven departments: Art History; Classical Studies;
English; History; Music; Philosophy; and Religious Studies. (History includes a
developing Film and Television History specialisation. English includes a Creative
Writing team. European humanities and Heritage studies are areas of special
interest in the Faculty.)
For more information, please see our website at:
www.open.ac.uk/arts/index.html
The Open University Birmingham Office
The Open University Birmingham office is responsible for delivery of core services
to students and enquirers in the seven West Midlands metropolitan boroughs of
Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Sandwell plus
the counties and unitary authorities of Stoke-on-Trent, Telford & Wrekin,
Herefordshire, Shropshire, most of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and
Worcestershire. It serves approximately 12,000 students and 600 Associate
Lecturers, and offers tutorials at 20 locations. The region currently has an operating
budget of around £1.2 million.
Our small, friendly, office is the base for nearly 65 members of staff, as follows:
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the Assistant Director with overall directorate responsibility and
management oversight of all the work of the region;
around 25 academic staff (Staff Tutors and Regional Managers), managers
and coordinators of Faculties and Schools – these report to the Dean of their
Faculty/School;
11 Student Services Managers working closely with faculty staff to ensure
the successful delivery of services to students, enquirers and Associate
Lecturers across all activities;
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
around 35 support staff, including Faculty Assistants, Student and Associate
Lecturer Services Assistants, and IT and Office Services staff.
Staff are involved in planning and organising large-scale operations, using new
technology to produce materials and information, and effective management of
resources to produce and deliver services to schedule. All staff are concerned with
the maintenance and improvement of our high standards of support to individual
students and tutors and have a strong customer service ethos. Important issues
currently facing the University include student recruitment and retention in the
increasingly competitive higher education environment. During the next few years,
there are likely to be changes to the patterns and mechanisms for supporting
students. It is therefore important that staff are flexible in their approach to work
and the duties that they undertake.
Staff also have access to some facilities based at Milton Keynes.
6. How to obtain more information about the role or application process
The information you require to complete the application form is provided in the further
particulars and the information for applicants. If you wish to find out more about The Open
University, there is a comprehensive website at www.open.ac.uk.
In the event that you feel that you do need further information or clarification on specific
points, please contact Sara Clayson on email [email protected] However, please
be aware that current circumstances mean that we may not be able to respond to your
request immediately.
If you have any questions regarding the application process please contact Donna Elstob on
+44 (0) 1908 653047 or email [email protected].
7. Where to send completed applications
Candidates are required to complete a long application form in which you should set
out precisely the evidence of how you meet the person specification (addressing
each element in turn) and what you can bring to this post (continuing on not more
than 2 sides of A4 paper. Applications without this information will not be
considered
Your completed application plus 5 copies should be returned by: 12 noon on
Thursday 9 February 2012 to:
Name/Job title: Donna Elstob, Recruitment Assistant
Department/Unit: Faculty of Arts
Address:
Deanery
1st Floor, Perry C Building
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
Post Code:
MK7 6AA
Or e-mail your application to: [email protected]
Applications received after the closing data will not be accepted.
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8. Selection process and date of interview
The interview panel will be chaired by Professor Gwilym Beckerlegge. The other
members of the interview panel will be Dr Trevor Fear, Miss Rhiannon Martyn, Dr Olena
Heywood and Ms Heather Kelly. The interviews will take place on Thursday 8 March
2012.
The selection process for this post may include a 45 minute exercise; details will be
confirmed before the interview.
We will let you know as soon as possible after the closing date whether you have been
shortlisted for interview. Further details on the selection process will also be sent to
shortlisted candidates.
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