Student Policy & Regulations Manager

Director of Student and Academic Services

£50,832 to £63,540 per annum (for exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £73,071 per annum)

Hybrid
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location with the opportunity to work remotely available in line with our Adaptive Working Framework.

We have one simple promise - to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 - making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

The Registry support all aspects of the student journey, right from initial enquiry and application, all the way through to final award and student completion. We strive to provide an outstanding service to all our users and to be thought leaders in our fields of expertise, developing research informed practise. Registry teams work collaboratively with stakeholders to deliver a high-performance culture that promotes wellbeing, diversity and opportunity for all, supporting excellent student experience.

Are you ready to lead a strategic function at the heart of academic governance and student experience? We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Student Policy & Regulations Manager to join our Registry team. This pivotal role will oversee the development, implementation, and review of the University's Academic Regulations and Student Policies, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and external regulatory requirements.

You will lead the Student Policy and Regulations team, providing expert guidance on complex student cases including complaints, academic appeals and conduct matters. You'll also play a key role in shaping policy, supporting early resolution, and ensuring high-quality processes that enhance student outcomes and institutional compliance. Collaborating with colleagues across the University will be key to delivering high-quality services and ensuring regulatory compliance.

The Student Policy and Regulations team is a forward-thinking, supportive group committed to continuous improvement and sector-wide best practice. You'll work closely with internal stakeholders and external bodies such as the Office for Students, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator to ensure our policies are robust, fair and student-focused.

This is a leadership role with significant influence across the University, contributing to strategic planning, risk management and continuous improvement in student policy and regulatory practice.

This position is offered on a fixed-term basis to cover a period of maternity leave, with the contract due to end in late January 2027. There may be the potential for the contract to be extended beyond this date, however this cannot be guaranteed.

You will be a forward-thinking professional with a postgraduate qualification or equivalent professional experience, and have a proven track record of leadership within Higher Education. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and use tools such as Excel, Power BI or Tableau to inform decision-making.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential, along with the confidence to provide expert advice to senior leaders and manage complex student cases within regulatory frameworks. You will bring a strategic mindset, capable of translating policy into effective practice, and a strong commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and upholding the University's values.

• To act as principal advisor to, and be a member of, the University's Regulatory Framework Committee in its oversight of the University's Academic Regulations, Rights and Responsibilities for students on taught programmes, drawing on good practice, regulatory and legislative requirements across the sector.
• To lead on appropriate arrangements are made for the development, approval, publication, implementation and review of the regulations and associated student policies. This will include liaison with internal regulation/procedure/policy owners, relevant committees and the wider University community.
• To act as an internal adjudicator/critical friend, advising those involved internally in complaints, academic appeals, student disciplinary, professional conduct and professional suitability, academic offences and other similar processes.
• To advise members of the Executive/PVC-Deans on strategic management of complex cases.
• Leadership of the Student Policy and Regulations team, ensuring that all services supported by the team are delivered on time, accurate, effective and professional, through staff development and effective utilisation of resource. Leading changing priorities and situations.
• To lead in the development of process, procedure and practice relevant to the area and ensure that administrative processes and systems are developed and maintained to support the operation of the area, including monitoring service improvements and regulatory amendments, to inform an evidence based approach to handling student cases.
• Work closely with stakeholder groups to ensure expectations are effectively managed, that communication is timely and effective and to build and maintain excellent relationships within the Registry, wider University and with third parties/other Higher Education (HE) providers to facilitate excellent service delivery.
• To be responsible for the preparation and coordination of student cases subject to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for HE (OIA), and to act as the main Point of Contact for communication with the OIA over specific cases and in general.
• To ensure that the University's informal and formal procedures are in line with sector-wide good practice and legislative changes in the area of student complaints, conduct, academic appeals, disciplinary cases and academic offences. This will be through participation in national groups and engagement with OIA, The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and other relevant bodies, through leading the University's response to relevant national consultations, and will involve the dissemination of information to interested parties including other Registry teams and Colleges.
• To assist the University in learning from complaints/academic appeals/student disciplinary/professional conduct and professional suitability/academic offences situations to inform practice going forward and bring forward that learning should similar issues arise. This will be achieved through the provision of management information to key committees and management groups as well as flagging individual issues as they arise.
• To monitor and measure the impact that Registry's services have for those using them and to consider these against the intended outcomes. To use this information in the setting of service standards and providing continuous development of the team and service.
• To adopt University management information systems to the advantage of the service and to seek electronic business solutions where appropriate, employing a range of IT skills to manage, progress workload efficiently and provide meaningful information on team activities including annual reporting.
• Act as a senior leader within the Registry, contributing to strategic planning, resource allocation and institutional decision-making.
• To act as a Registry Data Steward.
• To promote equality and diversity for students and staff and to sustain an inclusive and supportive study and work environment in accordance with University policy.
• To work with the Registry College-facing teams to develop a community of practice in effective regulation and management of appeals, complaints and conduct cases across the University, including identifying organisational learning; sharing good practice; and developing and providing training for all relevant staff.
• Lead on the provision of management information to key committees, management groups and staff, including reports and progress against performance indicators for student appeals, complaints, conduct and disciplinary cases and academic offences.
• Lead the governance and oversight of the regulatory Assessment and Award related policies and processes, including advice and guidance on regulatory issues and queries, Assessment Board and Examinations governance.
• Postgraduate Qualification or comparable knowledge gained through professional experience
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Experience

• Experience within a Higher Education provider
• Experience of leading and performance managing a team
• Experience of successfully delivering process change and improvement within a Higher Education environment
• Demonstrable experience of development of academic regulations and/or student policy
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