Professor (Research & Education) (Job Number: 25001034)
School of Education
Grade 10: - £72,693 per annum
Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 15-Aug-2025, 5:59:00 PM
Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement: Please note that the successful applicant will require DBS disclosure. Further info: https://bit.ly/3DP5K8y

THE VACANCY

Durham University’s School of Education is a world leader in education and research with an extensive and distinguished history. It offers a vibrant, innovative and friendly academic environment for talented individuals to flourish. We are looking to appoint an outstanding individual to the role of Professor who will, in the first instance, take on the role of Director of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) for three years. The person appointed will have had successful experience in strategic management and leadership within a University ITT setting, with expertise in the education and professional development of teachers. They will have an excellent working knowledge of the Department for Education’s policies relating to ITT, as well as excellent organisational skills, in order to lead the operations of the ITT division within the School of Education. Candidates must have UK Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and experience of teaching within UK schools. The post holder will be expected to contribute to teaching on our ITT programmes, and will have a subject specialism in an aspect of Primary Education or inclusion.
We are seeking applications from candidates who can be appointed to either the Education and Research track or the Education track. Candidates should make clear in their application which track they wish to be considered for and will be required to fulfil the essential criteria for that particular track.

THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

The School of Education’s 60+ academic staff are producing ground-breaking research with significant impact and are highly active in public engagement both nationally and internationally. In the REF [Research Excellence Framework] 2021 cycle, Durham University’s School of Education was ranked 1st in the country for outputs, =1st for Impact case studies, with an overall grade point average ranking of 2nd. We have been ranked first in the UK in the 2025 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, and we are a top 100 THE World Ranked School of Education.
Enjoying a supportive and engaging research environment, the School of Education is strongly committed to equality and diversity. It is dedicated to promoting the values advanced by Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter, and strives to ensure an inclusive and enriching environment for all staff and students. Our academic staff are able to access funding to support development of their own research/scholarship, along with research or scholarship leave opportunities, and mentoring support for all academic staff.
This post offers a unique opportunity to make a major contribution to the development of internationally excellent research and teaching while allowing you unrivalled opportunities to progress and embed your career in an exciting and progressive institution. For more information, please visit our School’s pages at www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/education/

PROFESSORS/PROFESSORS (EDUCATION) AT DURHAM

Professors are encouraged to focus on quality and innovation throughout your teaching and research activity. But we’ll also look to you to provide genuine leadership and citizenship - not just in your field, but across the University environment, and in the way your department functions administratively. Academic colleagues will have the freedom to deliver teaching and pursue research that is world leading and world changing, in terms of originality, significance and rigour. And we’ll support your ambitions to publish internationally significant research in your area of interest, provide resources to enable you to attend conferences and to fund research activity. Applicants must demonstrate research excellence in the field of Education, with the ability to take a leading role in the development of the School’s research and teaching, and to fully engage in the citizenship, service and values of the University.
Professors (Education) will engage in teaching, innovation and citizenship whilst fully focussing on the key skills to further enhance their careers. Teaching quality and innovation is critical to ensure a first-class learning environment and curricula for all our students. You will be supported to develop your high-quality teaching expertise and to lead in teaching innovation and excellence to embed our student experience. You will be expected to engage in scholarship related to pedagogy, noting that any other independent research (beyond pedagogy) is not part of this post. The appointment will be on the University’s ‘Education Track’ career path, which provides clearly defined opportunities for progression against defined criteria. Applicants must demonstrate teaching excellence in the field of Education, with the ability to teach our students to an exceptional standard and to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.
We strive to provide a working and teaching environment that is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

PERSON SPECIFICATION – PROFESSOR (EDUCATION AND RESEARCH TRACK)

Candidates must demonstrate research excellence in the field of Education, with the ability to teach our students to an exceptional standard and to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.
Candidates must have had successful experience in strategic management and leadership within a University ITT setting, with expertise in the education and professional development of teachers. They must also have UK Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and experience of teaching within UK schools.

EDUCATION

Candidates will be able to evidence excellence in the development and delivery of teaching. They will demonstrate leadership, distinction and innovation in the design and delivery of high-quality learning environments and curricula, including curriculum development, that enables student to achieve their potential.

ESSENTIAL EDUCATION CRITERIA

• Qualification - candidates must evidence substantial and sustained educational leadership demonstrated by:
• Evidence of at least one example of co-ordination, support, supervision, management and/or mentoring of others in relationship to learning and teaching, or;
• Successful completion of the DELTA3 course (“Leadership in Learning and Teaching”) or the DELTA4 course (“Strategic Leadership in Learning and Teaching”), or;
• Achievement of Senior or Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (https://www.heacademy.auk/individuals/fellowship/fellow), which is the national body that champions teaching excellence.
• Quality - evidence of excellence in the development and delivery of high-quality and distinctive teaching, at least at a nationally competitive level. Evidence of training, educating and mentoring other teachers in the department and/or the University in relationship to learning and teaching. Candidates may choose to provide MEQ scores and / or peer reviews of teaching.
• Innovation – leadership and influence in in curriculum/new programme development and the development of innovative teaching and the design of learning environments/curricula that provide high quality teaching and student experience at an internationally competitive level including lectures, small group learning and/or using technology or other techniques to enhance learning and/or assessment.
• Strategic - demonstrating leadership and influence in the design and delivery of excellent teaching activities and the creation of learning environments that enable students to achieve their potential.

EDUCATION

Candidates will be able to evidence excellence in the development and delivery of effective and engaging teaching. They will demonstrate leadership, distinction and innovation in the design and delivery of high-quality learning environments and curricula that enable student to achieve their potential across a full range of teaching from lectures to small groups
Candidates must have had successful experience in strategic management and leadership within a University ITT setting, with expertise in the education and professional development of teachers. They must also have UK Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and experience of teaching within UK schools.

ESSENTIAL EDUCATION CRITERIA

• Qualification - candidates must evidence substantial and sustained educational leadership demonstrated by:
• Evidence of at least one example of co-ordination, support, supervision, management and/or mentoring of others in relationship to learning and teaching, or;
• Successful completion of the DELTA3 course (“Leadership in Learning and Teaching”) or the DELTA4 course (“Strategic Leadership in Learning and Teaching”), or;
• Achievement of Senior or Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (https://www.heacademy.auk/individuals/fellowship/fellow), which is the national body that champions teaching excellence.
• Quality - evidence of excellence in the development and delivery of high-quality and distinctive teaching, at least at a nationally competitive level. Evidence of training, educating and mentoring other teachers in the department and/or the University in relationship to learning and teaching. Candidates may choose to provide MEQ scores and / or peer reviews of teaching.
• Innovation – leadership and influence in in curriculum/new programme development and the development of innovative teaching and the design of learning environments/curricula that provide high quality teaching and student experience at an internationally competitive level including lectures, small group learning and/or using technology or other techniques to enhance learning and/or assessment.
• Strategic - demonstrating leadership and influence in the design and delivery of excellent teaching activities and the creation of learning environments that enable students to achieve their potential.

SCHOLARSHIP AND EDUCATIONAL IMPACT

Candidates will be required to engage in scholarship and educational impact which positively impacts on pedagogical practice and education at a national level in academic professional communities of practice or professional practice area (and potentially beyond).

Essential Scholarship Criteria

• Scholarship and Educational Impact – Candidates will be expected to demonstrate significant positive pedagogical and/or scholarly impact activity at a national level that supports a high-quality academic professional community of practice or a professional practice area, and in ways that positively impact on pedagogical practice and education within the nation (and potentially beyond).

Candidates should evidence excellence in the contribution to national (and potentially international) academic professional communities of practice or their relevant professional practice area.
Candidates should demonstrate sustained contributions to the enhancement of student or practitioner learning via pedagogic innovation and change (eg novel approaches to on-line learning or research-led teaching), employer engagement, curriculum and course development, student guidance as well as demonstrable distinction and/or innovation in understandings of pedagogical practice and education (eg via publication or the development and implementation of new methods of learning including through the creation of new educational resources).
Candidates should evidence significant institutional leadership (across a Department or more widely across the University) in relation to the management of people and/or projects that promote excellence in educational impact.
The format will depend on the discipline and the candidate’s career to date but evidence of scholarship and educational impact may include some of the following (or similar) activities:
a. Leadership of a regional professional body; editor of a regional scholarly or professional journal;
b. Leadership of teaching enhancement projects with other Universities or national networks;
c. Training, educating and mentoring other teachers in the University in relationship to learning and teaching and/or teaching review panels;
d. Evidence of an involvement in ‘knowledge exchange’ which has a significant and demonstrable social and/or economic impact and benefit;
e. Securing national support for educational and pedagogic innovation and impact;
f. National conference plenary and/or invited speaker;
g. Research which focuses on pedagogy;
h. Significant national grant capture to support educational innovation and scholarly impact;
i. Regular external examination duties on taught programmes for comparator institutions;
j. Writing a high quality textbook or practitioners book with demonstrable impact;

k. Extensive and impactful promotion of your subject or professional discipline via the national media;

• Contribution to national education projects, such as curriculum and assessments;

Leadership and influence in relation to the management of people and/or projects that promote excellence in educational impact institutionally;

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

As Director of ITT the post holder will be required:

• To provide strategic leadership in all matters relating to the operation of the Initial Teacher Training division.
• To have a key role in School of Education’s Senior Management Team, supporting the planning, development and implementation of the School’s Strategy. They will be responsible for the delivery of all aspects of the strategy relating to the ITT division.
• To be responsible for Compliance and Quality Assurance (QA) of all professional programmes in the School, working with external agencies and within regulatory frameworks.
• To lead the ITT team in relation to Ofsted.
• To lead the completion of the SED, working with the ITT team leads.
• To act as lead in collaborations and partnerships within the ITT division.
• To lead on initiatives in relation to professional programmes as required.
• To strategically oversee Professional Education Development opportunities regionally, nationally and internationally.
• To act as an investigating officer when required, in appropriate areas, as requested by the Head of School
• To be a member of internal search committees and to contribute to School recruitment activities
• To attend relevant School, Faculty and University meetings, representing the School or their division, as required.
• To fully engage in, champion and enhance the values of the School;
• Contribute significantly to the administrative functioning and collegial environment of the School and wider University, demonstrating sustained excellence in leadership activities which support the functioning of the School and wider University.
• Carry out such other duties as specified by the Head of School.

FURTHER KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - PROFESSOR:

• Pursue research that is world-leading, and world-changing in terms of originality, significance and rigour, showing leadership in a research field within and/or beyond the academy which is commensurate with the School’s continuing emphasis on international excellence;
• To lead the development of successful research project/fellowship proposals in pursuit of suitable national and international funding opportunities to support research and end-user engagement.
• Deliver excellent teaching, offering lectures, seminars and tutorials at undergraduate and taught postgraduate levels. Demonstrate leadership and innovation in the design and delivery of high quality learning environments and curricula.
• Enhance the quality of the research environment in the School, providing leadership of national and international research groups and networks which is recognised at an international level. Engage in the mentoring of early career researchers;
• To attract and provide excellent supervision to research students, and contribute significantly to the development of PhD programmes. Enhance the School’s commitment to its vibrant and international postgraduate culture.

FURTHER KEY RESPONSIBILITIES – PROFESSOR (EDUCATION):

• Offer lectures, seminars and tutorials at undergraduate and taught postgraduate levels, with the opportunity to teach more widely within the School, as well as engaging in related activity such as assessment;
• Engagement in pedagogic activity at a national level that supports a high quality, academic professional community of practice within the University and beyond. Producing scholarly publications, and engaging in consultancy with demonstrable high quality outputs;
• Demonstrate significant international grant capture to support educational innovation and scholarly impact;
• Maintain an active membership and engagement/leadership with a professional body or network (e.g. HEA or discipline-specific bodies);
• External engagement; involvement in Knowledge Exchange, acting as external examiner for comparator institutions, taking part in teaching review panels, acting as editor of scholarly or professional journals, building international recognition for teaching excellence;
• Provide significant institutional leadership, across a Department or the wider University managing people and projects that promote excellence in scholarship and educational impact;
• Develop and deliver curriculum development, demonstrating sustained excellence in innovation in educational practice, to enhance the quality of the educational environment in the School and wider University in support of continuing emphasis on international excellence;
• Provide training, mentoring and education to colleagues within the School and University.