The University
At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally. Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here. Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page.
The Role and the Department
Durham University is seeking interim Vice-Principals for four of its Colleges for the academic year 2026/27. With 17 colleges located across Durham City, our residential college communities make Durham a highly distinctive place to study and engage in the wider student experience. The wider student experience at Durham University forms one of the three pillars of the University Strategy alongside education and research. Our students benefit from an environment of enriching extra-curricular activities (with a participation rate of over 80%) and high-quality student support, which are key to the personal development that underpins the University's Graduate Attributes. The Colleges have a central place in the wider student experience, hosting between them almost 1,000 student clubs and societies as well as providing first-line student support for nearly a third of the student population each year.
St Cuthbert's Society, founded in 1888, is Durham's third oldest college and retains a distinctive independence from its origins as a student-led association; this is reflected today in a vibrant charitable JCR. Now a maintained college, Cuth's continues to embody an inclusive, pioneering ethos: the first in Durham to become mixed sex in 1969 and, in 2025, the creator of Evergreen, an outdoor and heritage-based enrichment programme. Operationally complex, with two geographically distinct accommodation sites, the Society is supported by a highly skilled staff team and seeks creative, empowering, collaborative leadership that welcomes new ideas and enables all to achieve their potential.
St. Mary's is a traditional, catered college integrating four key groups: the JCR and MCR for students, a vibrant SCR and active alumni and donor communities. Set in beautiful grounds, it has a proud history: recently celebrating its 125th anniversary, it remains a pioneering college. Its strategy focuses on increasing the proportion of students from lower income households and maximising engagement with the wide-ranging student experience created by our common rooms. Most recently, it won college of the year for volunteering and has a well-balanced diet of activities including music, arts, drama and sport. It even has a wizarding society!
Ustinov College is Durham University's sole postgraduate-only college. The College has a highly diverse community of taught and research postgraduate students drawn from over 90 countries. The College's vision is to create an environment that actively nurtures global citizenship, in which difference is respected, celebrated, and used as a foundation for enhanced intercultural communication and understanding. This ethos is realised through the College's well-established Global Citizenship Programme, encompassing academic, community-focused, and volunteering activity. During the 2026-2027 academic year, a key priority will be to maintain an excellent student experience during significant planned works at the Sheraton Park site.
Stephenson College is a modern, values-led College which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2026/2027. Our College values are curiosity, inclusivity, responsibility, courage and kindness, and our ethos is change starts with us. We are a vibrant community of around 1,300 students from across the UK and around the world, of which 460 reside in our self-catered accommodation across our Howlands Farm and Ernest Place sites. We are the proud recipients of the Volunteering College of the Year 2024 and Global College Award 2025. All 15 Maintained Colleges work closely with the Student Experience Directorate and the Wider Student Experience Operations Directorate.
The Vice-Principal will be a member of the College senior management team and will have a strong strategic and developmental emphasis. The post holder will be involved in a wide range of activities aimed at furthering the College and University strategy, especially in relation to the personal development of students, embedding the wider student experience, and the future development of the College. Working as a part of a close-knit team, the Vice-Principal will support the College Principal (a) in ensuring the College offers a supportive and stimulating environment for academic study, cultural and developmental activities, and social interaction which engages students, staff, Senior Common Room members, Fellows, visitors and alumni; and (b) in promoting and enabling intellectual curiosity, personal effectiveness, wellbeing and resilience, and a sense of community and responsibility among all students. Balance and focus of responsibilities will be agreed with the College Principal. Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.
Working at Durham
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:
- You'll receive 30 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 42 days per year.
- We offer a generous pension scheme, and as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
- No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can also take advantage of our cost-effective and environmentally friendly Tusker Car Benefit Scheme, allowing you to lease a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle with savings on tax and National Insurance.
- We have a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
- We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
- Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
- Our family-friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
- We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
- You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.
- Various salary sacrifice schemes are also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
- If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs, and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest-free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.
Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.
Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion
Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.
We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.
What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification
When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered. Your application should cover the following criteria:
Essential Criteria
- Qualifications/Experience
- 1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
- 2. Experience in promotion of student personal development.
- 3. A good understanding of higher education in the UK and an appreciation of the role of colleges in a collegiate University.
- 4. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including students and senior colleagues.
- 5. Experience of being able to network effectively and develop strong and productive working relationships, to influence positive perceptions of the University.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
- 6. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
- 7. Ability to handle sensitive and confidential issues.
- 8. A commitment to issues of diversity, equality and inclusion and the University's values.
- 9. Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including [digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, business systems].
- 10. Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.
- 11. Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.
- 12. Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.
- 13. Ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions.
Desirable criteria
- 1. Experience of alumni/ stakeholder engagement using an alumni database or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
- 2. Track record of staff management and development experience.
- 3. Financial literacy and ability to liaise with finance colleagues over budget matters and financial transactions.
- 4. Experience of working in a diverse and multi-cultural environment and an understanding of needs of students from minority groups.
- 5. Experience of providing pastoral support to students.
How to apply
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. Please don't forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above). While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.
Submitting your application
We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.
What you need to submit
- A CV: and
- A supporting statement which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification.
Contact details
For a chat about the role or any further information please contact any of the following:
- Prof Tammi Walker, Principal, St Cuthbert's Society (tammi.walker@durham.ac.uk)
- Prof Glenn McGregor, Principal, Ustinov College (glenn.mcgregor@durham.ac.uk)
- Katie Stobbs, Acting Principal, Stephenson College (katie.j.stobbs@durham.ac.uk)
- Prof Adrian Simpson, Principal, St Mary's College (adrian.simpson@durham.ac.uk)
Typical Role Requirements
Role requirements may vary according to the needs of the college, but typically may include:
Service Delivery
- Ensure all activities, processes and transactions are accounted for accurately and promptly to meet regulatory and professional service and policy standards.
- Implement processes to manage the integrity and security of all commercially and professionally sensitive and personal data.
- Responsible for allocating and monitoring the non-staff college financial budget and resources relating to WSE.
- Contribute to the definition, development and implementation of service standards.
- Deliver activities and participate with others to generate external income where appropriate.
- Provide expertise aimed at furthering the College and University Strategy, especially in relation to the personal development of students, and oversee the provision of student support in partnership with the Student Experience Directorate.
Planning and Organising
- Contribute to the scoping and resource planning across a range of activities at operational and strategic levels.
- Lead on the design, implementation and monitoring of policy and quality standards, procedures and systems to ensure effective working and continuous improvement.
- Analyse stakeholder feedback, implementing and reviewing service provision.
- Lead the development of appropriate structures, procedures and initiatives for maximising students' personal development and (in partnership with the Student Support and Wellbeing Directorate) optimising student support within the College.
- Develop and maintain a vibrant and distinctive community in which students are able to grow and develop in confidence academically, socially and culturally.
- Take responsibility for student disciplinary matters in consultation with the Head of College, liaising where required with relevant support departments.
- Hold responsibility for leading the College and representing it at meetings in the absence of the Head of College.
Teamwork and Team Development
- Manage and develop service, infrastructure and people performance across one or more teams.
- Provide feedback on team and individual performance and identify development needs, conducting regular staff ADR and performance reviews.
- Help to shape the skills and expertise of future team members and design work structures to meet operational and strategic goals.
- Handle most HR issues within a team, referring more complex HR issues to appropriate support services/senior management.
- Devolve responsibilities to team members to ensure continuity of service provision and encourage skills development.
- Ensure staff provide a confident, accessible, friendly and professional service by shaping processes for inducting and developing staff.
Communication/Liaison
- Deliver a specialist service using creativity and innovation for communication and promotion purposes, to engage and influence internal and external stakeholders.
- Liaise and engage with key stakeholders and internal and external contractors to influence opinion, delivery and reputation of services.
- Lead internal business meetings, working groups and sub-committees at operational service level to influence governance, organisational policy and standards for the service.
- Develop external relations, identifying and developing opportunities for communities of practice, employers, alumni and donors to contribute to the College via extra-curricular activities and increased levels of participation.
- Build and sustain an influential network of contacts both internally and externally to influence and promote the reputation of the College and the University.
- Represent the College and University at promotional events, marketing them effectively to potential student applicants, parents, schools and sponsors; contribute to the delivery of presentations at conferences.
Knowledge and Experience
- Provide expert professional subject and/or managerial and leadership expertise.
- Promote and develop a deep understanding of organisational policy and external developments.
- Provide professional guidance and advice to students and service users with complaints and referrals.
- Any other reasonable duties.
Specific Role Requirements
- Being an integral and visible member of the College community, working some evenings and weekends to support the delivery of College's activities and initiatives.
- Participating in out of hours rota duties for the provision of emergency cover.
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data. When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.
SECONDMENT
The post is full time, fixed term for a 12 month period and may be offered on an internal secondment basis subject to the agreement of the current line manager.
