• Based at either our Geelong Waurn Ponds or Melbourne Burwood campus + hybrid work arrangements
• Full-time and fixed-term for 3 years
• Level D $165,549 - $182,092 or Level E $212,427 + 17% Superannuation

Why Deakin?

Deakin is a cutting-edge public university in Victoria, offering education to 61,000 students across seven campuses: Melbourne Burwood, Geelong Waurn Ponds, Geelong Waterfront, Warrnambool, Deakin University Lancaster University Indonesia (DLI), GIFT City, India and our dynamic online Campus. We're proud to be a progressive and open-minded university, delivering the highest student satisfaction in Victoria and consistently ranked in the top 1% of the world's universities.

The Faculty of Arts and Education is dedicated to being at the forefront of teaching, learning, creating and social development and fostering innovative research and discovery. We have earned high international regard for innovation in creative arts, human sciences, including humanitarian leadership, criminology, contemporary history, teacher education and Indigenous knowledge. The Faculty‘s practices are founded on Deakin’s longstanding commitment to equity and the achievement of personal, professional and community benefit through the power of education.

The School of Humanities and Social Science places high emphasis on providing students with an engaging learning experience and research that makes a difference and is solution-led. We work closely with industry partners and the government to ensure our courses remain relevant and responsive and our research findings are put into practice.

About the role

As the Head of School, Humanities and Social Sciences, you will oversee the academic and operational leadership of the school. Reporting directly to the Executive Dean, you will collaborate closely with the Associate Heads of School, Associate Deans and representatives from Faculty Services and other Divisions. Your role will be pivotal in ensuring the school provides outstanding educational experiences for its students, fosters world class research, scholarship and creative output whilst maintaining a sustainable financial and administrative model. Your leadership will be integral to the success of the school ensuring alignment with university goals and objectives.

As the Head of School, you will:

• Lead, mentor and inspire a team of skilled individuals, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment. Provide guidance and support to both academic and professional employees in delivering strategic initiatives, ensuring their growth and development.
• Collaborate with aligned research and innovation institutes/centres and develop and implement strategic initiatives to enable research teams to succeed in funding opportunities for research, including applications for large-scale/strategic external competitive funding, funding for commercialisation and translation activities and other funding.
• Develop and implement strategic education initiatives that align with Deakin’s goals and future needs; and collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and develop new teaching practices and frameworks to improve student learning outcomes.
• Contribute to the university’s community engagement activities and agenda. Demonstrate delivery of material outcomes aligned with the Deakin community engagement agenda.

What you’ll bring to the role:

• PhD in a relevant discipline or qualifications and experience commensurate with appointment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage a multi-disciplinary academic unit, including people leadership, financial, operational and administrative functions.
• Demonstrated success and passion for leadership in teaching and research.
• Extensive experience conceptualising, developing and implementing contemporary solutions, strategies and services to achieve school/faculty and broader university objectives.

For a copy of the position description which includes the full selection criteria, please see below:

 PD - Head of School, Humanities and Social Sciences.pdf

Why work with us?

At Deakin, you will enjoy a range of benefits, including various leave options such as generous parental leave and the ability to purchase additional leave; flexible working arrangements to help manage your work-life balance; ongoing learning and development opportunities to advance your career; an inclusive, supportive culture and environment to work in, both online and on campus.

To apply: 

Please submit your updated resume, a short cover letter and responses to the selection criteria.

For a confidential discussion regarding this role, please contact Jessica Nairn - Consultant, Recruitment Services via jessica.nairn@deakin.edu.au

Applications for this position close on Sunday, 23 February 2025.

Are You Ready?

Deakin is a Victorian university with a global impact. We are an agile, dynamic, and innovative university committed to making a positive impact through our excellence in education, research and innovation and the contributions we make to the wider community.

We understand that our reputation has been built on the dedication and expertise of our staff and we offer a dynamic and diverse working environment with opportunities to grow and develop careers. We believe that a progressive, thriving culture will ensure that people choose to come, and stay at Deakin and contribute to our ongoing success.

We value diversity and aim to build an inclusive environment that champions, embraces and respects differences. We support and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people of all abilities, cultures, sexual orientation, and genders.