JOB DESCRIPTION
Employment status and working hours
Permanent, full time.
Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00.
Organisation structure
Education and Students, School of the Built Environment.
Your line manager will be Professor Samer Bagaeen, Head of School of Town Planning.
Place of work flexibility
You will normally spend your total working time at home*, which must be within the UK. You may, on occasions, be expected to attend the Horizons, Reading office to attend meetings or training events. This will total a minimum of six visits per year and dates will be notified to you in advance. *Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable.
High level summary of job role
This role is a key academic position within the School of Town Planning at the University of the Built Environment. You will support the development, delivery and monitoring of postgraduate and/or undergraduate modules within an assigned subject discipline of Built Environment education, all within an almost wholly online education institution.
You will need to be an active part of the academic community, taking on leadership roles, sitting on deliberative committees, and mentoring staff. You will provide high quality learning, teaching, and assessment for students, contributing to an excellent student experience and ensuring successful outcomes. You will also support the research ambition of the University through contributing to scholarship and research activities, whilst engaging with industry and associated Professional Bodies.
Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities
Lead and co-ordinate modules as directed as part of the MSc Urban Planning programme.
Demonstrate excellence in urban planning theory, policy, and design and bring established credentials and experience gained either in academia or practice.
Be a subject area expert and advocate for these programmes within the Education team and the wider University.
Support and promote integration of the new programme into the existing University programme portfolio both academically and operationally.
Work with the Apprenticeships team to ensure the increasingly diverse range of apprenticeships, where appropriate, are supported appropriately according to their contexts.
Develop and promote research, including bids and publications.
Contribute to the University’s aspirations around Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission, including impact cases and journal paper publications.
Develop and promote professional training within the same subject disciplines.
Other duties
Co-ordinate and support market research and engagement with external stakeholders to develop robust customer data, in support of sectoral and programme business cases.
Support the Programme Leader and the Head of School of Town Planning in engagement with employers, industry forums and Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) to ensure the University‘s programme pipeline is in tune with industry requirements and skills needs.
Work across the Academic team and with the Academic Operations team to develop a short, medium and long-range resourcing and work loading plan.
Commission, task and, where appropriate, manage academic resources working on programme and module development for new programmes.
Support the Head of School of Town Planning and the Programme Leader in engagement with the Royal Town Planning Institute to develop a realistic and pragmatic timeline for the accreditation of the MSc Urban Planning to ensure timely and effective completion, in addition to leadership around relevant programme accreditation, such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Work with operational teams at the University in developing support and intervention approaches that are differentiated according to the needs of students and apprentices on new programmes.
Engage with operational teams to ensure the specifications, pedagogy and assessment approaches of new programmes are anticipated and fully understood in a timely manner.
Other important features of the job role
Line management responsibilities: None.
Budget responsibility: None.
In this role you will liaise with the following: Academic colleagues across the academic specialisms; Academic Operations Team; Digital Education Team; Professional Services; Apprenticeships Team; Admissions Team; Business Development Team; Marketing Team; External Professional Practitioners; Professional Bodies
PERSON SPECIFICATION
E = Essential person requirement; D = Desirable person requirement
How the person requirement will be assessed:
A = Application; I = Interview; T = Test or other assessment
Please be aware that as part of onboarding processes, we will seek original documentary evidence of the relevant academic and/or professional qualifications which you include within your job application. This is all part of our comprehensive pre-employment screening which also includes checking your identity, right to work, criminal record history (basic disclosure), and three years employment history.
Qualifications and training
Undergraduate degree in urban planning, architecture or geography or a cognate discipline (E, A).
Chartered Membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI), or intention to obtain this (E, A).
Professional teaching qualification such as Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) or willingness to study for this qualification (E, A).
A PhD in planning (or cognate discipline) or equivalent professional experience (E, A).
Previous experience
Relevant industry experience in the role of a built environment practitioner, or established research/CPD or tutoring record, to be able to deliver education in town planning, within the context of the current and emerging digital and data environments (E, A, I).
Teaching experience and a proven ability to effectively communicate and deliver teaching in a variety of modes through the ongoing development of rigorous and innovative teaching methods (E, A, I).
Management of modules including familiarity with the experience of administering relevant quality assurance procedures and practice (D, A, I).
Research experience or CPD and ability to attract external funding (D, A).
Technology Enhanced Learning/online teaching in Higher Education (D, A, I).
Skills, knowledge, and aptitudes
Understanding of current developments in Town Planning and Built Environment practice or Education (E, A, I).
Familiarity with the requirements of professional bodies, practice and potential employers (E, A, I).
Digital skills confidence: We use MS Office which includes Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and several other systems/technology (E, I, T).
Ability to produce innovative module material to enthuse students and to integrate your specialist subject area holistically within the teaching of the wider discipline (E, A, I).
Ability to work effectively as part of a team, both communicating and collaborating with colleagues (E, A, I).
Strong and effective all-round communication skills, including presentation skills, with an ability to communicate with people of all ages and levels (E, A, I, T).
A passion for and keen interest in using technology to enhance learning (E, A, I).
Other requirements or special requirements
Alignment to the University’s core values of Passion, Integrity, Excellence and Support; all employees are expected to demonstrate our values at work (E, I).
Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students; we want our students to be successful (E, I).
You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed including Data Protection, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, Prevent, and EDI (E, I).
PAY AND BENEFITS
Salary: Salary range £39,000 to £47,000 per annum.
Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days (typically between Christmas and New Year); all per holiday year Full Time Equivalent. Our holiday year runs from 1 August to 31 July. We also have a holiday buy and sell scheme in place. Sometimes the University does not need to close for five days per year and any balance (for example one day), can be used as a paid Wellbeing Day to take time out for your own physical or mental health.
Pension and life assurance: Pensions auto-enrolment to the Universities Superannuation Scheme which is a default salary sacrifice scheme. You may opt out of salary sacrifice but remain in the scheme, or you may choose to opt out altogether.
Family-friendly policies: Policies in place for all types of family-friendly statutory leave with enhanced pay available from day one of employment for some leave types. Access to Tax-Free Childcare (Government scheme).
Wellbeing: Full access to the Employee Assistance Programme as well as the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app. Several employees are trained Mental Health First Aiders and can support staff. We have a wellbeing policy and we focus on five pillars of wellbeing.
Sustainable travel: Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.
Parking: We have locked sheds for bicycles. For cars, for Horizons based roles, we may in the future be able to offer parking on site however you must not assume this will be possible. Every now and then we may have a spare parking space become available and you can ask to join the waiting list. The University is keen wherever possible, to encourage staff to commute as sustainably as possible.
Other health related benefits: Employer-funded Health Cash Plan (Simplyhealth) and voluntary dental insurance (Unum).
Other valuable benefits:
Charity giving options available including one voluntary paid day, per annum.
You will have access to Microsoft Office 365 applications for personal use.
You will have access to range of lifestyle discounts and everyday savings.
We offer learning platforms including LinkedIn learning.
On the Join the team page of our website, you will find the full list of employee benefits.
APPLICATIONS - THINGS TO CONSIDER
For an informal discussion about the role please contact Prof. Samer Bagaeen on email s.bagaeen@ube.ac.uk. For any other enquiries please contact HR on 0118 467 2454 / 2433 or email recruitment@ube.ac.uk
Did one of our employees recommend you? If you apply on the recommendation of an existing employee, please make sure to mention their name within your application.
We're passionate about sustainability and we have a five-year strategic plan: We expect job seekers to be curious about who we are and what we do. We point you towards a couple of resources about who we are and sustainability.
Closing date and next steps
We will receive applications until the advert closes on Wednesday 01 April 2026 at 17:00. We will not consider late applications. Our ATS does not screen applications, we humans do. Applications may be reviewed prior to the closing date and occasionally, you may be invited to interview ahead of the closing date.
Interview details
Initial interviews are scheduled for Tuesday 14 April 2026. We'll ask you to tell us about any dates you cannot make, up to 4 weeks from the closing date; this helps us to plan interviews should you be shortlisted, prior to contacting you.
Interviews are normally carried out over Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Depending on the job role and place of work, your interview may be at our Reading or London office. Please be prepared for a two-stage interview process, held on different dates. As part of the interview process, you will likely meet a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Note for internal candidates
If you are an existing employee, we request you inform your current line manager of your intention to apply for this role.
