Head Of School Education

NCAD, changing the world through bold and curious thinking, making and doing.

NCAD is one of Ireland’s foremost creative and cultural institutions. NCAD is a community dedicated to creating a rich and lively learning environment for all students.

For over 270 years NCAD has represented excellence in art and design education. Our role has continually evolved to reflect the needs of community and industry, enabling NCAD to imagine future possibilities and shape the world around us.

NCAD is a creative community, and one of Europe’s leading higher education institutions for visual disciplines. Our studio-based approach to teaching and research creates the environment for critical enquiry, radical experimentation and creative learning, helping our students and staff to address many of the real challenges confronting society, culture and contemporary business.

Our graduates, whether in Design, Fine Art, Education or Visual Culture are equipped to approach situations, questions or challenges through a process of creative thinking that they learn while students here. They are well qualified to bring their creativity and skills to many different careers when they leave NCAD, and NCAD graduates have gone on to make their mark in many areas of the economy and society.

This post is an operational and leadership role, driving the development of the School and playing a lead role in wider processes of change and development within the College as it strives to meet the challenges of new practice and a new education landscape.

The School of Education currently comprises a Joint Honours BA in Education and Fine Art/Design and a Professional Master in Education (Art and Design) which collectively represents approximately 100 FT students. It also includes the Continuing Art Education Department which delivers a Higher Diploma in Fine Art and a number of part-time accredited and non-accredited courses. New postgraduate provision is in development including a further Professional Masters in Education in Design Engineering Technology and a Graduate Certificate in Further Education in Art are in development for commencement in September 2025.

Salary: Head of Faculty Salary Scale €105,459 - €125,928* per annum

*Candidates should note that as per Department of Finance guidelines, entry will be at the minimum point of the scale and the rate of remuneration will not be subject to negotiation and may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy. Different terms and conditions may apply if you are a currently serving civil or public servant.

Hours of Attendance: Weekly time commitment of 35 hours.

Annual Leave: 6 weeks annual leave

Location: This position is ordinarily based at the NCAD Campus, 100 Thomas Street, Dublin 8.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership

● Engage with relevant developments in the field of Art & Design and ensure that the School’s academic provision reflects best practice

● Engage with relevant educational/cultural bodies and further develop strategic partnerships to support the work of the School

● Further the development of the School/College through active engagement with the education sectors through research/publication, conferences and lectures, and participation in relevant external relations

● Engage in continuing professional development by research, industry engagement or professional practice

● Align and develop the School of Education team to deliver in accordance with the overarching core objectives and competency framework.

Management

● On a day-to-day basis, support and manage the staff of the Department in their work to deliver quality services/programmes within the College, addressing any issues as they arise.

● Manage the resources of the School within the assigned budget and embed a value-for-money culture within the School aligned to the financial framework of the college.

● College Strategy - implement and embed the College strategy within the School. Align and monitor delivery of core objectives by the School of Education and setting annual objectives for the team.

● Report to the Director on all academic and operational matters pertaining to the School

● Represent the School of Education on College committees including the Senior Management Team

● Chair all relevant meetings/programme boards; represent the School on Academic Council and other relevant internal committees

Programme Development

● Take overall responsibility for the formulation of academic development to drive strategic change

● Lead on programme development to ensure that the School provides inspirational, high-quality learning through both traditional and innovative delivery methods

● Lead and manage the validation process of undergraduate and postgraduate courses

● Ensure that the School delivers outstanding learning, teaching and assessment practice

Teaching and Other Duties

● Undertake teaching on current/future undergraduate, post graduate and professional courses

● Carry out any other appropriate duties as may be assigned by the Director (or other appropriate officer) from time to time within the scope of the role.

Compliance Responsibility for:

● Compliance with the NCAD Act 1971 and policy decisions taken by the College Management Team, Academic Council and/or An Bord;

● Compliance with all Codes of Practice and government Circulars as they apply to the post.

In collaboration with the full College Management Team, responsibility for the smooth running of the College.

● Compliance with all relevant employment law, NCAD policies, procedures and internal controls with the support and advice of the Human Resources Department;

● Compliance with Health and Safety legislation and the timely submission of the school/department annual health and safety report;

● Risk management in the school and

● Data protection, data security

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria outline the qualifications, skills, knowledge and/or experience that the successful candidate would need to demonstrate for successful discharge of the responsibilities of the post. Applications will be assessed on the basis of how well candidates satisfy these criteria.

Mandatory

● Recognised profile within Art & Design and Art and Design Education

● Experience or knowledge of course, programme and module leadership, development and administration within a higher education environment

● Strong administrative capacity and problem solving skills

● Experience of managing teams and nurturing a creative environment

● Experience of budget management and operational effectiveness

● Ability to engage with and enable organisational change based on a well-developed vision for the future of Education within the area of Art & Design

● Evidence of engagement in research and/or professional practice and the ability to design, deliver and assess a range of modules in and related to specialist areas of research/professional practice

● Enthusiasm for working in an interdisciplinary context across design, education and fine art disciplines

● Evidence of commitment to continuing professional development

● Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Desirable

● An understanding of the changing landscape within the education sector nationally and internationally

● PhD in Education or cognate discipline

● Demonstrable record of developing and maintaining intercollegiate links

● Experience in working with digital technology and maintaining an active interest in related developments within the sector

● Experience of developing and managing successful research funding applications