January 12, 2018

Exciting Opportunity – Be the next IRU Vice-Chancellors’ Fellow

IRU Vice-Chancellors’ Fellow

Innovative Research Universities (IRU) will focus on ensuring future student and graduate success, across the student lifecycle, through an innovative collaborative project led by the IRU Vice-Chancellors’ Fellow. The Project will guide members to lead Australian practice in this area by identifying existing and potential good practice across our seven universities and leading implementation of those practices across the member universities. The Fellowship will deepen collaboration between members, supporting innovative and creative ways of sharing our experience of what works.

The position will report to the Executive Director of the Innovative Research Universities who will provide regular supervisory support with additional overview of the fellowship through the VC Fellow Reference Group comprised of one Vice-Chancellor (Professor John Dewar) and seven university members (Deputy Vice-Chancellors Academic or equivalent) that meets 3 times per year.

The Fellow will report to each IRU Vice-Chancellors meeting, which occur every six weeks to two months.

The Fellow will work closely with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor or equivalent responsible for academic matters and the heads of learning and teaching in each member university to advance the project.

Position Context

This position is required to influence and enhance student and graduate success outcomes across participating IRU members, identifying, promoting and assisting implementation of creative approaches to meeting the likely future needs of graduates.

Duties:

• Design, implement and evaluate scalable, outcomes-focused priority projects in alignment with the key focus areas identified by the VC Fellow Reference Group.
• Work closely with partner Universities to implement the project plan.
• Coordinate cross-institutional working groups to support collaboration across the network and the dissemination of fellowship outcomes.
• Provide support and advice to member institutions with respect to student and graduate success initiatives as related to the themes of the fellowship.
• Challenge thinking among IRU members about future options for learning and teaching and the implications of these for student and graduate success, including greater expectations for graduates to be entrepreneurial and innovative.
• Collaborate with member institutions to coordinate and/or participate in institutional symposia relevant to the themes of the fellowship.
• To oversee the National Innovation Case Study Collection and continue to source contributions to the collection.
• Link to international developments relevant to the project, including maintaining the IRU relationship with the University Innovative Alliance in the United States of America.
• Support and maintain compliance with relevant legislation and University policies and procedures, including equity and health & safety and exhibit good practice in relation to them.
• Support and maintain fair, ethical and professional work practices in accordance with the University Code of Conduct.

Key Selection Criteria

• A PhD and distinctive scholarly record.
• Demonstrated original and innovative contributions in the student and graduate success (or related) field.
• Demonstrated effectiveness and leadership in the conduct and management of practical, scalable and outcomes-focussed projects.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills, evidenced by the proven ability to foster and develop beneficial relationships through liaising and working with others in achieving successful outcomes.

Other relevant information:

• The position description is indicative of the current expectation of the role and subject to changes to IRU goals and priorities, activities or focus of the job.
• It is a requirement of the position that the Fellow will travel to each member university twice per year.
• The Fellow will have the flexibility to choose an IRU member as their primary campus. This may influence which IRU member is the employing university.

View the attached PDF for more information about this role

Essential Compliance Requirements

To hold this position the occupant must:

• hold, or be willing to undertake and pass, a Victorian Working With Children Check or relevant check for the state of employment; and
• take personal accountability to comply with all University policies, procedures and legislative or regulatory obligations; including but not limited to TEQSA and the Higher Education Threshold Standards.

Cultural Qualities

IRU supports the La Trobe cultural qualities and similar statements by other member universities:

• We are Connected:  We connect to the world outside — the students and communities we serve, both locally and globally.
• We are Innovative:  We tackle the big issues of our time to transform the lives of our students and society.
• We are Accountable:  We strive for excellence in everything we do. We hold each other and ourselves to account, and work to the highest standard.
• We Care:  We care about what we do and why we do it. We believe in the power of education and research to transform lives and global society. We care about being the difference in the lives of our students and communities.

Closing date:  11pm Sunday 4 February 2018