Heads of Department - General Duties & Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of academic Heads of Department are not currently set out in a separate document. Their letter of appointment from the Court tends to be very brief, covering only the period of appointment and, in the case of non-professorial appointees, the level of honorarium. Inferences therefore have to be drawn from other documents, of which the most significant are probably the standard terms of appointment of Lecturers and the Working Party reports on Departmental Government (1978) and University Government (1987), including the subsequent University discussion and decisions to which these Working Party reports gave rise.

Heads of Department are appointed by the University Court and are expected to function as the academic managers of their Departments. In most cases there is a parallel role as financial manager of the Department's resources, though with the development of some multi-departmental budget centres (especially in Medicine and Dentistry), financial responsibilities are not quite uniform. Closely linked to their function as academic manager is a responsibility for the management of staff, most obviously reflected in the requirements to submit recommendations to Annual Reviews and to ensure that the University's staff review policies are implemented.

Job description

This description is derived from the various documents referred to above and is offered for guidance. It has not been formally adopted by the University.

• Responsible to Court through the Dean of the Faculty and the Principal.
• Responsible for all staff in the Department.

Function of Post

The general management of the Department's affairs, for its good academic conduct, for its effectiveness and efficiency in use of resources and its good standing in appropriate academic circles.

Main Areas of Responsibility

1. Acting as the Official Correspondent of the Department.

2. Co-ordinating general strategy and academic policy for the Department and inputting into Faculty Plan.

3. Ensuring the effective and efficient management of Departmental resources and in particular the control of the Department's budget as delegated by the Dean.

4. Creating a supportive environment within the Department for the development and realisation of new initiatives.

5. Monitoring Departmental performance in research and teaching against recognised quality standards and facilitating programmes for improvement.

6. Overseeing the development of all staff in the Department. Arranging the appraisal and counselling of staff in the Department. Making recommendations to appropdate Review bodies that staff be appropriately developed and rewarded within the framework determined by the University.

7. Ensuring probationary staff receive a co-ordinated training programme, monitoring progress and counselling as required.

8. Ensuring effective arrangements for student recruitment, teaching and evaluation.

9. Allocating Departmental duties, monitoring performance and reporting as required.

10. Monitoring staff attendance, including sickness, holidays, leave of absence, consultancy, time-keeping etc and exercising proper control within policies and procedures determined by the University.

11. Promoting the Department's reputation, both within and outwith the University.

12. Ensuring that arrangements in the Department comply with legal requirements, particularly on matters relating to Health and Safety at Work, Data Protection and Copyright.