About Lancaster

The role will be based at Lancaster University's, Lancaster Campus. Bailrigg in Lancashire, UK.

The city of Lancaster has a long and diverse history, having gained its first charter in 1193. In the heart of the city centre lies a 12th-century castle – one of the best preserved in Great Britain – which dominates the hill above the River Lune.

Lancaster is small enough to explore on foot, but big enough to keep you entertained all day. It offers excellent shopping, cinemas, theatres, and restaurants, with many well-preserved older buildings. The area is also well served with state, private, faith and Steiner schools. Lancaster’s live music venues are home to regular guitar, electronic, folk, classical and jazz gigs. Fans of independent film and theatre have the choice of the city centre Dukes Theatre and Cinema, Grand Theatre, Vue multiplex cinema, in addition to the University’s own Nuffield Theatre and LU Cinema. Venues also regularly play host to major comedy and theatrical tours too. With a number of galleries and museums located in the city, there is plenty for lovers of the arts. Lancaster itself is situated in a delightful part of north-west England. The rural landscape is superb, with the Lakeland fells in full view across the expanse of Morecambe Bay. The River Lune runs along the edge of the Forest of Bowland, an area of outstanding natural beauty, past many villages, into Lancaster and to the sea.

There are two National Parks, the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, which are within a 30-minute drive. Lancaster is just over two hours by fast train to London and it is less than 90 minutes to Manchester Airport, which offers direct flights to most European capitals, the Middle East, North America and the Far East.

Lancaster, and the local surrounding area, offers a unique combination of city, coast and countryside. There is an excellent choice of housing within easy commuting distance from Lancaster with areas such as the Lake District, Preston and Morecambe offering a range of housing options, from rural to city living. Housing is varied (from old townhouses to barn conversions and new builds) and is competitively priced, especially against similar properties in south-east England. The University offers allowances for staff who have to move to join us.

Job purpose

The overall purpose of the role is to support the work of Pro Vice-Chancellor Global to deliver Lancaster’s international strategy. The strategy seeks to consolidate Lancaster University's status as a leading global research-intensive university. Global leadership is defined as being a "go to" university for research, teaching and engagement that is widely respected for its record of transforming lives, communities, practice and thinking in countries across the globe.

This effort falls into several areas:

• Overseas partnerships and campuses: providing strategic and operational oversight to our key strategic partnerships
• Recognition and reputation: creating a distinctive international profile
• Rankings: rising up the world rankings
• Research and enterprise: developing global partnerships - a platform for tackling SDGs
• Signature education: enabling collaborative teaching, developing global citizenship and facilitating mobility
• Recruitment: contributing to growth beyond our campus in Lancaster
• Brand: developing TNE as a contributor to a distinctive University brand

The role does not include direct responsibility for international student recruitment to the Lancaster campus, which resides with the student recruitment and marketing teams, but the post holder will be expected to play a contributing role in developing this activity.

Income from TNE partnerships is over £10 million per annum, and our ambition is to continue to grow that figure. Lancaster currently has five international campuses, operating with a range of partners. They are:

• Lancaster University Leipzig, Leipzig, This is a partnership with Navitas
• Lancaster University Ghana, Accra, This is a partnership with Transnational Academic Group
• Lancaster University College - Beijing Jioatong University, Shangdong Province, This is a partnership with Beijing Jiaotong University
• Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur, Many students at Sunway study for Lancaster degrees.
• Deakin Lancaster Indonesia, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. a collaborative partnership with Deakin University, Australia leading to a double degree.

These campuses are all at different stages of growth and maturity, and will require an individual approach and strategy for development. Discussions are currently underway to establish a fifth overseas campus in India and a major part of this role will be to establish and develop this project.

Key responsibilities

Working at the heart of the institution, the Directorate supports the development of Lancaster’s global identity and international profile, helping to strengthen institutional partnerships, enhance student and staff engagement across international locations and ensure that Lancaster’s overseas activity remains aligned, sustainable and strategically impactful.

International strategy, planning and governance

• Develop and ensure delivery of International Partnership business plans and engage formally for the purposes of reporting, auditing and assurance with governance committees.
• Explore opportunities to grow the scale and broaden the activity of Lancaster’s overseas campuses.
• Lead an organisation design activity for the Global Engagement team to determine the optimal structure to support our global ambitions. This will include consideration as to a joined up approach to Professional Services support.
• Ensure the overseas campuses contribute meaningfully to and align consistently with the University Strategy.
• Support the development of consistent and frictionless processes between our international partnerships and Lancaster Campus and manage associated risk.
• With the PVC Global, develop strategy for TNE development, in particular by making assessments of market potential/opportunities and potential international partners.
• Evaluate and monitor performance against business plans and objectives and report on progress of partnerships.
• Establish and oversee appropriate organisational design and governance arrangements to support international activity, including the development and effective organisation structure and operation of an international committee to support strategic oversight, accountability and decision-making.
• Work with the University’s Strategic Leadership Team to develop the story of ‘international Lancaster’ so that this becomes a stronger marketing asset and distinctive feature of the University.

Operational management, risk and compliance

• Work with Professional Services colleagues to ensure overseas financial and employment/ compliance.
• Provide strategic oversight of risk management across the University’s global engagement and partnership portfolio, including the management of compliance, contractual, financial, geopolitical, reputational, data protection and regulatory risks, ensuring robust governance and appropriate controls are in place.

International partnerships and external relations

• Manage existing international partnerships from start up through to business as usual and beyond.
• Develop new international partnership opportunities.
• Manage and develop the range of active partnerships Lancaster has with other international universities so that we have a growing number of overseas ‘friends’ and ensure that those partnerships are delivering tangible benefits.
• Be the main point of liaison between the University and international campuses and partners, ensuring that key stakeholders are kept informed and in touch with each other.
• Develop and strengthen the University’s international alumni network in collaboration with the Director of Alumni, leveraging global graduate communities to enhance engagement, reputation and partnership development.

Student, staff and global engagement

• Lead the development of staff and student engagement activities across our international partnerships aligning culture and values where feasible.
• Provide strategic leadership for the University’s student and staff mobility portfolio, including study abroad, exchange and short-term mobility programmes, ensuring opportunities are expanded, accessible and aligned with the University’s international strategy and partnership ambitions.
• Embed employability and careers support within the international partnership offer, ensuring that students across all overseas campuses and partner institutions benefit from coherent, high-quality career development opportunities.
• Work with the Recruitment and Admissions team to support the progression of students from international partnerships to study at the Lancaster campus.
• Manage the work of the Global Engagement team, including the provision and promotion of an expanding range of overseas study opportunities for students at all campuses, successful summer schools on the Bailrigg campus and the improvement of international league table rankings.

General duties

As duties and responsibilities change, this job description will be reviewed and amended in consultation with the post-holder. The post-holder will carry out any other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the line manager.

The candidate profile

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate they have strengths in the following areas:

International partnerships and strategic engagement

We are seeking an individual with substantial experience of working internationally and building successful partnerships, ideally within higher education and transnational education environments. The successful candidate will bring a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with international partnership development and will be comfortable operating across different cultural, regulatory and organisational contexts.

An awareness of UK higher education and trade policy, together with an understanding of how these interact with international markets, will be important. The role requires the credibility and confidence to represent Lancaster University at a senior level and to build trusted relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.

Strategic delivery and commercial awareness

The role requires a strong combination of strategic thinking and practical delivery. Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of developing and delivering projects, monitoring performance against objectives and contributing to long term organisational planning.

A sound understanding of business planning, financial management and partnership performance will be important, together with the ability to assess opportunities, evaluate risk and support sustainable growth. The successful candidate will be able to work collaboratively with others to develop clear, achievable strategies and translate them into effective action.

Stakeholder engagement and leadership

Success in this role will depend on the ability to build strong relationships and work effectively with colleagues, partners and stakeholders across a complex international environment. Candidates will have experience of engaging senior leaders, influencing decision making and working collaboratively to achieve shared goals.

The role also requires experience of leading and developing teams, creating an environment where colleagues feel supported, engaged and focused on delivering high quality outcomes. Strong negotiation skills, sound judgement and a diplomatic approach will be important in managing relationships and navigating complexity.

Communication and personal effectiveness

The successful candidate will be an effective communicator who can present ideas clearly, prepare concise and engaging reports and communicate confidently with a wide range of audiences.

They will be comfortable working independently, managing competing priorities and responding positively to changing circumstances. A proactive approach, strong organisational skills and the ability to use initiative will be important.

Above all, we are looking for someone with highly developed cultural awareness and sensitivity, who can work effectively across different countries, cultures and perspectives while fostering positive and productive relationships.

Terms of appointment

We are offering a competitive reward package and is part of a well-developed framework that allows reward progression.

• Salary – Lancaster is committed to offering competitive and equitable remuneration across senior roles, the salary will be negotiated with the successful candidate.
• Pension – for this role the University offers the opportunity to join the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• Relocation – for those relocating nationally or internationally a generous relocation package is available.
• Discounts and perks – as an employee you can take advantage of our sports centre membership deal on campus, arts and retail discounts in Lancaster city and 300+ brands online, home technology, childcare, medical and dental insurance, free streaming services, loans towards professional development and membership fees and free and confidential emergency, wellbeing, financial, legal and counselling support for you and your family.
• Annual leave – the standard University leave year currently runs from 1 October to 30 September. The entitlement for a full year is 39 days (pro rata for part time staff). This is made up of 25 days holiday plus eight bank holidays plus six University closure days. Your line manager must agree the timing of all holidays in advance. You can also request to buy an additional two weeks’ holiday each year. As a compassionate employer we also offer paid special leave to help you cope with family emergencies.
• Travel – we encourage more environmentally friendly transport to work. We also offer discounts and opportunities to purchase bicycles or electric/hybrid cars, and season ticket loans to spread the cost of commuting.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels welcome, can thrive and fulfil their potential. Equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded across the University, shaping our policies, practices and community, and supported by dedicated leadership from policy development through to celebratory events.

We actively promote equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do, alongside supporting family-friendly, flexible and agile working. We warmly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and communities. The University recognises and celebrates good employment practice that addresses inequality in higher education, while promoting the wellbeing of all colleagues.

We are committed to fair, lawful and inclusive employment practices in line with the Equality Act 2010 and relevant professional standards.

All staff are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respectfully, contributing to a working environment free from unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation.

Selection decisions are based on merit, professional competence, and the ability to meet the requirements of the role.

Recruitment timeline and process

Closing date for applications by email - 26 July 2026 before midnight (British Summer Time)
Interviews - mid August 2026

Applications should be submittedin the following format

• a short professional curriculum vitae
• a supporting statement (maximum two A4 pages, Arial 11pt, normal margins)

Your supporting statement should provide clear, evidence-based examples demonstrating how you meet the specific elements outlined in the person specification.

Recruitment statement

Our commitment to you: a transparent recruitment process

We believe in a recruitment process built on openness and mutual respect. This is a leadership role based on our Bailrigg campus in Lancaster, Lancashire, and we recognise that a move of this nature may involve more than just you. We are happy to support:

• Informed decision making: We provide comprehensive information early so you can reflect on how this role fits your career and personal circumstances.

• Relocation support: For the right candidate, we are happy to discuss the practicalities of relocating to the beautiful North-west, including housing and family considerations.

• Open dialogue: We encourage you to raise questions about hybrid working, out of office hours on-call expectations, or the role’s scope at any stage. We want this to be the right fit for Lancaster, and the right next step for you.

We want to provide full information to you at an early stage to enable you to make an informed decision as to whether you are committed to pursuing this position and to outline the University’s expectations of all candidates taking part in our recruitment process.

Once you have reviewed the information, and in fairness to everyone concerned, we would ask that you give serious consideration to proceeding further with this process if you think you may not accept the position should it be offered to you.

The role will be located in Lancaster and there is a requirement that the successful candidates will reside within commuting distance of the Lancaster University’s Lancaster Campus.

If this might involve a relocation for you, it is of course important that candidates consider how the move might affect anyone who may accompany you (for example, early consideration may need to be given to local schooling, housing and other employment opportunities where other family members are involved as early as possible).

We will support you as much as possible with this and are happy to discuss any concerns you may have. We would ask you to agree to undertaking a positive, open and transparent dialogue with us throughout the recruitment process, raising questions and any concerns as early as possible.

The University is committed to fair, lawful and inclusive employment practices in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and relevant professional standards. All staff are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respectfully at work and to contribute to an environment free from unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation. This expectation relates to behaviour and professional practice and does not require staff to hold or express particular beliefs or viewpoints. Selection decisions will be based on merit, professional competence and the ability to meet the requirements of the role.