Job details
Responsible to
Subject Lead for Secondary and Post-14 FES ITT/E
Location
Kedleston Road, Derby Campus
Closing date
Monday 16 March 2026
Salary
£47,389 to £56,535 per annum
Job grade
HE Senior Lecturer
Reference
0277-25
Contract type
Permanent
Post type
Full-time
Adaptive working type
Onsite
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location.
About the University
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.
About the College/Department
At the University of Derby, our Institute of Education and Skills (IoES) is at the heart of shaping the educators, trainers, and leaders of tomorrow. We are dedicated to inspiring, developing, and empowering professionals across education, training, and lifelong learning to transform lives and communities.
The IoES has a longstanding and impressive history of delivering high-quality ITT/E and is one of only a handful of accredited providers to be graded as outstanding for ITT/E in all age phases offered. Indeed, it is currently the only provider in England to be graded outstanding for its L5 Learning and Skills Teacher Apprenticeship.
We deliver high-quality programmes that span teacher training, Post-14 education, early years, educational leadership, and workforce development. By combining academic expertise with real-world application, we prepare our students to make an impact in diverse educational settings.
Our staff are committed to innovation, inclusion, and excellence; engaging learners with cutting-edge research, sector-leading practice, and a supportive environment where everyone can thrive. We are proud to work with schools, colleges, training providers, and employers across the region and beyond, ensuring that our teaching is grounded in the needs of society and industry.
Whether through developing the next generation of teachers, enhancing workforce skills, or advancing educational research, the Institute of Education and Skills plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of education.
ITTE Secondary and Post-14
Initial Teacher Training Education (ITTE) Secondary and Post-14 at the University of Derby equips future educators with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to thrive in diverse teaching environments. Our programmes are designed for those preparing to teach across secondary schools and Post-14 education and training settings, combining academic study with extensive placement opportunities.
Our trainees specialise in subject areas relevant to secondary education while also developing broader teaching skills that enable them to engage, inspire, and support learners in a wide variety of educational contexts beyond compulsory schooling.
Skills and Apprenticeships
Our Skills and Apprenticeships teams at the University of Derby play a vital role in supporting learners, employers, and industries to thrive. Apprenticeships embody the University’s commitment to widening access, social mobility, and industry engagement, offering pathways for learners to gain the knowledge, skills, and behaviours needed to succeed in their chosen careers.
Working in partnership with employers across a wide range of sectors, our programmes are designed to meet workforce needs while supporting individual learners to achieve their potential. From healthcare and engineering to business, digital, and creative industries, apprenticeships at Derby combine academic excellence with practical, hands-on experience.
By equipping people with industry-relevant skills, we not only enhance employability and career progression but also contribute to the growth and resilience of the local and regional economy. Our Skills and Apprenticeships provision reflects the University’s mission to make a genuine difference for students, employers, and communities.
About the role
The primary purpose of this role is to lead, manage and maintain our excellent Secondary PGCE with QTS programme. The programme is provider-led and school-based through a number of validated Delivery Partners across a wide geographical area, so strong partnership working is key to its success.
The core duties are to ensure we are compliant in the delivery of our accredited ITT/E Secondary curriculum. Key deliverables are to ensure healthy recruitment and to produce high-quality beginning teachers for the sector.
Working closely with our delivery partners, the successful candidate will be responsible for the continual monitoring and evaluation of the provision at a local, regional and national level. The role also enables close working with the wider ITT/E portfolio teams and across the IoES, to ensure consistency of quality and student experience.
As a Senior Lecturer in the IoES, you will have allocated teaching and assessments to undertake. Strong subject knowledge of the education sector in the UK and globally, teacher education and professional studies are key to this role.
This role does not have any direct reports, however, central to the duties incumbent in the role is the ability to lead initiatives and teams to successful outcomes.
About You
The successful candidate will have Qualified Teacher Status (UK Teachers’ Standards) and a first degree in a relevant secondary National Curriculum subject (Hons). You will require at least a master’s degree in an education-related field and a qualification in leadership and management.
In terms of experience, the successful candidate must have relevant experience teaching in the secondary sector in England. You must also have relevant experience leading in the secondary sector and substantial engagement with ITT/E and/or ITT/ECF in England.
The required skills and attributes of the successful candidate include the ability to demonstrate highly effective teaching competency and excellent working knowledge and understanding of the secondary education sector.
You will also have excellent knowledge and understanding of the ITT/E curriculum. You will have a proven track record of successful, recent engagement with leading ITT/E activities, training mentors and developing the wider teacher education workforce.
The successful candidate will have the ability to undertake research in the given field and to contribute to wider research activity across the IoES.
You will hold excellent interpersonal skills and can demonstrate effective leadership for improved performance and impact. Demonstrable evidence of curriculum design and development; assessment methodologies and critical evaluation processes are central to the role.
The ability to collaborate effectively and mutually respectful partnership working is crucial to the success of our provision. The successful candidate must have the ability to foster and create and maintain strong working relationships with a wide variety of partners across the country.
The ability to be critically evaluative is key to the role, including data interrogation and reporting capabilities. Highly effective time management skills are also fundamental to this role, as is the ability to prioritise tasks.
The role requires the successful candidate to be able to plan, implement, and monitor the progress of all students from interview through to graduation.
You will possess a positive, can-do approach that is inclusive of others and nurtures an effective team ethos. You will feel equipped to engage in challenging conversations with a range of stakeholders to ensure that high quality is maintained and that the business needs of the Subject Area are met effectively.
Principal accountabilities
Learning / Teaching
To ensure consistent recruitment and retention to the programme.
To work closely with MATs, TSHs, Headteachers and Senior Leaders to foster and nurture strong working relationships across the ITT/E partnership.
To deliver high quality teaching, learning and assessment for students.
To lead and manage the Secondary ITT/E
To lead and manage the work of our Secondary ITT/E Delivery Partners.
To contribute to teacher enquiry and research within the Subject Area and beyond.
To teach across the Subject Area.
To contribute to and develop the ITT/E portfolio in line with the Strategic Aims of the Institute of Education and Skills.
To support the Strategic Aims of the Institute of Education and Skills and to support the enactment of the University of Derby’s Strategic Framework.
Research / Scholarship
Take the lead on, plan, develop and conduct research objectives, projects and proposals within the broader programme. Deliver research outcomes that will contribute to the REF.
Acquire, analyse, interpret and evaluate research findings / data using approaches, techniques, models and methods selected or developed for the purpose.
Manage the application of a range of methodologies, approaches and techniques appropriate to the type of research being pursued. Where appropriate investigate and devise research methods and approaches.
Generate income by developing and winning support for innovative research proposals and funding bids, working where appropriate within Research Centres and Colleges.
Disseminate and explain research findings through leading peer-reviewed national publications (and international where appropriate), conferences and other appropriate media.
Ensure adherence to ethical standards in the projects for which the role holder is responsible.
Monitor research resources such as budget, materials and equipment.
Provide mentoring and guidance to colleagues and co-ordinate the work of research and support staff.
Take a leading role in the development and delivery of business engagement activities, developing entrepreneurial links with external organisations.
Identify own professional needs and undertake appropriate training and staff development.
Other
Act as a personal tutor, supporting and mentoring students as appropriate.
Provide pastoral care to students, referring when necessary to services that provide further support.
Liaise with international partners as required on existing and future collaborations.
Contribute to new initiatives at appropriate levels.
Build on existing research networks, furthering contacts with external organisations such as funding bodies.
Actively seek out and develop opportunities for interdisciplinary research both across the University and externally.
Observe and implement University policies and procedures.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
Qualifications
• Qualified Teacher Status (UK Teachers’ Standards)
• Good Honours Degree in relevant subject discipline or equivalent
• Master’s degree in an education related field
• Senior Fellowship of the Advanced HE (HEA) or willingness to work towards
• PhD or equivalence accepted in a relevant subject area, for example by publication or through appropriate professional achievement
• Subject specific qualifications / knowledge
• Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education or equivalent qualification
Experience
Learning / Teaching
• Demonstrable experience of delivering effective learning, teaching and assessment in Higher Education to undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Relevant experience teaching in the secondary sector in England
• Relevant experience leading in the secondary sector
• Substantial engagement with ITT/E and/or ITT/ECF in England
• Demonstrable experience of successful curriculum development
• Demonstrable experience of effectively designing and implementing a range of formative and summative assessments for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes
• Proven experience of module and programme leadership
• Significant experience of excellent teaching identified by peer review
• Experience of leadership and management
Research / Scholarship
• Evidence of publishing in high quality (“REF able”) journals or other outputs in research or practice
Skills, knowledge & abilities
• An appropriate level of digital capability and aptitude with practical experience of applications which enhance student learning
• Ability to communicate with clarity on complex and conceptual ideas to those with limited knowledge and understanding as well as to peers, using high-level skills and a range of media
• Excellent ability to build relationships and collaborate with others, internally and externally
• A high-level ability to think critically and promote innovation and creativity
• Demonstrates competences, core behaviours and supplementary behaviours that support and promote the University’s core values
• Demonstrates professionalism in learning / teaching and the values of the UK Professional Standards Framework for HE
• Committed to continual enhancement and a high-quality student experience
• Promotes a high-performance culture, fostering continuous improvement and driving quality
• A sound knowledge of the current higher education environment and its implications for the student learning experience
• A sound knowledge of the employability agenda and its relevance to learners and the curriculum
• A sound knowledge of internationalisation and its relevance for learners and the curriculum
Business requirements
• Able to take a flexible approach to work
• Travel between sites and occasionally overseas for research or teaching
• Some evening and occasional weekend teaching
• Attendance at Open Days, Graduation events etc.
• A commitment to own professional development
• Willingness to provide support at the University events as required e.g., Graduation, Clearing and Open Days, (some of these events occur outside of normal working hours, such as evenings and weekends).
• Contribution across the Subject Area as business needs demand
• Travel to partner schools, colleges, Teaching School Hubs (TSHs) and School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) partners
Benefits
• Generous annual leave entitlement of 47 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)
• Teacher’s Pension Scheme
• Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers
• Discounted onsite gym
• Cycle to Work scheme
• A flexible working environment
• A commitment to personal and professional development
Key contact
For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Dr Alison Hardman, Subject Lead for Secondary and Post-14 FES ITT/E via a.j.hardman@derby.ac.uk or Duncan Anderson, Subject Lead for Primary ITTE via D.Anderson@derby.ac.uk
For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk.
Important information
Visa Sponsorship Eligibility
This role is eligible for sponsorship by the University, however, your individual circumstances must meet the criteria set out by UKVI; this includes meeting the English Language requirement and earning a salary that meets the highest of either the going rate for the SOC code or the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route (£41,700 per annum, as of 22nd July 2025).
If the role is eligible, but the offered salary is less that the going rate for the role, you may still be able to apply for a Skilled Worker visa if:
• Your job is on the Immigration Salary List
• You’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training
• You have a PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job
• You have a postdoctoral position in science or higher education
Please note that the University cannot confirm your eligibility for sponsorship until an offer is made and your individual circumstances have been considered.
For more information, please visit Applying from Overseas.
DBS check
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 and is therefore subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Any information you provide will be treated in confidence and only used when considering your suitability for the post.
To enable us to process your DBS check please ensure you are able to supply the documentation listed on the DBS website at interview stage.
Equity, diversity and inclusion
The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, regardless of age, disability, trans status, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (or none), sex and sexual orientation.
We are Disability Confident Employers, demonstrating our commitment to disability inclusion, and invite applicants to highlight adjustments they may require to ensure equitable participation in our recruitment processes.
Further, we are committed to ensuring an environment which is trans and non-binary-inclusive for all our staff, students, partners, and visitors, and continuously review our policies, guidance and training.
When applying to join the University, you can choose your preferred title, including the gender-neutral title 'Mx'. We also ask our candidates if they would like to share their preferred pronouns. This is voluntary but demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity for trans and non-binary candidates. Once employed, you can add pronouns and preferred names onto our system.
The University of Derby undertakes anonymised shortlisting during the staff recruitment process. This means that, when shortlisting, panel members will not be able to see an applicant’s name and will see an applicant number instead. This demonstrates the practical steps we are taking to remove barriers to recruitment by minimising the possible impact of our unconscious bias.
However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.
Read more about equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of Derby.
Environmental Sustainability
At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2050.
Elevate your career in academia, shape the future today.
How to apply
You can apply by submitting an online application. Once you have signed in or registered with us you will be able to begin your application. If you are creating an account for the first time, please ensure you provide an email address that you access regularly as this will be our main means of contacting you regarding your application.
The University reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
If you require any assistance, including the provision of any documentation in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@derby.ac.uk.
Please note all applications must be submitted online by Midnight GMT on the closing date of the vacancy.
