Job Title: Academic Quality Officer

Grade:  G6

Department: Registry and Academic Support (RAS)

Location: Dubai Campus

FTE and Working Pattern: 1 FTE, Fulltime

About our School/Directorate and Team

The Global Registry and Academic Support Directorate supports our students and staff across the full student life-cycle from enrolment to graduation.

The Directorate has responsibility as the definitive record-keeper of all student information, programme and course details, as well as leading services that help students settle and stay at the University. This includes providing professional help and advice through a range of support and wellbeing services.

The Directorate supports academic and professional services staff across the University in a number of areas, including: academic, institutional and student-related Regulations and Policies, and global, national and institutional quality matters.

It delivers these services through five Divisions, each managed by a Global Head, and two Heads of Campus Registry and Student Services:

• Student Life
• Online Students
• Academic Operations
• Academic Quality
• Academic Secretariat, Regulation and Policy
• Head of Registry & Student Services – Dubai Campus
• Head of Registry & Student Services - Malaysia Campus 

The Academic Quality Division is made up of three Teams:  

• Quality Assurance:  Has management and oversight of all processes related to approval, annual monitoring and periodic review.  Delivers an integrated approach to the assurance of quality and academic standards 

• Academic Enhancement:  Overseeing enhancement of learning and teaching and of the student learning experience (incl. PGR students), and delivers strategic change in learning and teaching and in the student learning experience 

• Accreditation and Academic Partnerships:  Has management and oversight of all academic partnerships and external accreditations (government and professional bodies) and delivers a consistent approach to external accreditation and the assurance of partnerships 

In Dubai and Malaysia the Academic Quality divisions run as single teams, which liaise with the three central teams for professional support, and are managed locally by the Academic Quality Manager.  

Purpose of Role  

The Academic  Quality  Officer will  be  responsible  for  undertaking key quality assurance activities as part of the Academic Quality team based at the Dubai campus, with a particular focus on:  

• Accreditation,  review  and   audit  events for the approval and re-approval of the University’s licence and programmes; and  

• Regulatory data returns to the CAA, MoHESR and KHDA.   

The postholder will  be responsible for supporting an integrated, coherent approach across all modes and locations and to maintaining and assuring the quality and academic standards of the University’s provision. 

Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities:  

• Work with other Academic Quality Officers to gather university data for regulatory data returns to CAA, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the KHDA. 

• Collate and draft accreditation documentation for submission to regulatory bodies on behalf of academic colleagues for review by the Academic Quality Manager ready for submission. 

• Co-ordinate accreditation, licensure and audit events (and produce reports where required from such events) for the approval and re-approval of the University’s licence and programmes. This includes both those required by the University’s internal  processes  and  those required  by  UK  and  non-UK government Authorities / external  agencies, including KHDA, CAA and MoHESR in the UAE. 

• Represent the Dubai campus, and maintain strong working relationships, with local regulatory authorities under the direction of the Academic Quality Manager. 

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with internal stakeholders, including other Professional Service teams and academic colleagues. 

• Provide advice and guidance on standard enquiries regarding Academic Quality policies and procedures and local regulatory and accreditation requirements.  

• Provide support as needed for approval, review and renewal of the University’s external  partnership agreements, including Partner  Annual  Monitoring and Review, and collaborate with International  Development  colleagues  in  associated policy and procedure developments. 

• Co-ordinate  the reporting  of  Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) accreditations in Dubai to both the University  and    to  external                 government   organisations, and  provide   support  to   Schools           as  required  in   PSRB accreditation events. 

• Progress  any  other  tasks  associated with the work of the Academic Quality  team, and this is likely to include campus-specific tasks, eg co-ordinating Academic  Reviews  at   the  Dubai  campus, including organisation of Enhancement Workshops,     and contributing to the organisation of Academic-Related Reviews and  Internal Audits at the Edinburgh Campus. 

• Progress  any  other tasks  associated with the work  of  the wider Registry and Academic Support  Directorate,  eg  assisting  at  student  enrolment  and  at graduation ceremonies. 

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post and its general responsibilities. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.

Education, Qualifications & Experience:  

 Essential 

• Educated to at least Bachelor’s degree level,  or equivalent practical experience in the workplace 

• Experience of working within a similar environment, preferably in international higher education 

• Proven experience collating and drafting large-scale reports 

• Proven relevant experience in clerking committees, which will have been acquired over a number of years 

• Analytical problem-solving skills 

• Well-developed interpersonal skills  

• Demonstrable excellent customer service  

• Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment 

• Demonstrable professional and proactive approach  

• Competent in the use of relevant IT packages  

Desirable 

• Experience working in Higher Education quality assurance  

• Experience working with KHDA, CAA and/or MoHESR requirements and processes 

Heriot-Watt University Values

With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and professionally relevant, leading-edge research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry.

We are a vibrant, forward-looking university, well known for the quality of our degrees with employers actively seeking out our graduates.  Heriot-Watt is also Scotland’s international university with an unsurpassed international in-country presence. We deliver degree programmes to circa 30,000 students in 143 countries around the world, have a further overseas campus in Dubai and boast the largest international student cohort in Scotland.

At Heriot-Watt we’ve created an environment that nurtures innovation and leadership - where our researchers, staff and students can realise their potential and develop their ambitions.

We are proud of our collegiate atmosphere and integrated teaching and research approach which has helped to build a community of committed academics and highly motivated students.  Our focus on careers delivers results and we’ve an excellent reputation for graduate employability.

In addition to the Edinburgh campus, we currently have campuses in  the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia.  For all of our campuses we aim to provide stimulating, supportive environments conducive to effective learning and research, where staff and students can excel. At Heriot-Watt, we have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership, and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.

Our values describe our deeply held beliefs and our community spirit. They characterise not only how we are as a higher education institution but also frame how we want to be.

Our values are:

• Belong
• Collaborate
• Inspire
• Celebrate

As learning, living and working institution, we use our values as the building blocks of how we go about doing our work and how we each conduct ourselves as members of Heriot-Watt University. They represent what binds us together as a University community and help us to become the best at what we do.

For full details on our University, please view our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/about.htm

‘How to Apply’

Please submit your CV and a cover letter setting out how you meet the criteria for this role.  

Shortlisted candidates may be invited to complete an on-demand-video interview as the first stage of the selection process. Successful candidates will then proceed to in-person formal interviews at our Dubai campus, where you will be asked to deliver a brief presentation on a relevant topic.  Following the formal interview, the preferred candidate will attend a second interview with senior staff at the Dubai campus before a final offer decision is made.

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team. 

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.  Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

The appointment is conditional upon successful completion of all Labor and Immigration formalities, and the start date will need to be delayed if the employment visa is not in place.