Head of Academic / Headquarters

The job consists of maintaining an overview of academic matters at group level, collaborating and providing appropriate support to schools, and providing the academic strategic guidelines established and shared with the Managing Director of Istituto Marangoni. The role also consists in ensuring that all the necessary information required to run the academic elements of the school is provided for promptly and responds to the academic regulatory frameworks that Istituto Marangoni is working with, reflecting QA requirements. The role also requires driving, managing and developing the academic portfolio of courses for Istituto Marangoni, with the specific development of new segment for professional target (continuous learning).

key purpose of the role

• Oversee the academic processes, developing guidelines across the group to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the established standards of Istituto Marangoni; in case of opening of new school, implement and manage the whole academic structure and processes, guiding and supervising also the ministerial accreditation and needs.

• Manage the implementation of all academic documentation across all Schools to ensure timely delivery and transparency to all students and academic staff, ensuring that all regulations are upheld and the smooth running of the schools is guaranteed.

• Be responsible for the writing and adjustment of academic policies and procedural documentation which  guarantee  the delivery of all courses following ministerial guidelines and in collaboration with Group QA Manager

• Implement specific academic offer dedicated new professional target, by evaluating their consistency with sector standards and competitors and at an appropriate level for the Group and sector standards (format of delivery, services, tools and platform)

• Structuring, developing and implementing new course formats (in synchronous and asynchronous mode) at international level, in particular in the professional and executive fields in cooperation with the Director of Education & Research and relevant roles in HQ

• Develop guidelines with the aim to support the Academic Service activities of all Schools such as welcome day, long programme delivery, summer programme organization, exam session organization, timetable preparation, etc, also through the use of digital platforms, contributing to the development of the same (SIS, LMS, etc)

• Oversee the definition of the yearly academic calendars of each School, ensuring the delivery of the same in an accurate manner and according to the needs of the students;

• Analyse and develop innovative tools for academic delivery (digital platform and functionalities; resources, etc) to improve both the student and academic staff experience; Oversee the academic necessities and priorities to be implemented through the Student Information System;

• Coordinate the timely and accurate implementation of data across all schools related to Academic KPI, such as Attendance, Progression and students performance, etc, through the update of SIS, with the aim to have correct analytics useful for sales and finance department;

• Develop Student Satisfaction Survey Guidelines and templates for all Schools, according to local accreditation system and Istituto Marangoni standard;

• Collect and analyse the data related to Student Voice, with the aim to better understand eventually issues and put in place corrective actions to avoid concerns and improve the student experience and tutor performance.

• Mapping of courses within IM to satisfy cross-school mobility, in line with course structures and validating entities;

• Manage and develop assigned staff; monitor levels of required competencies and identify new personnel needs.

• Manage the yearly academic budget with monthly forecasts and control supporting and collaborating with the Finance Director

• Assure the respect of Company Codes, Models, Rules, Procedures, Policies and support change management initiatives.    

Education and skills

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field

• Previous experience of at least 8/10 years in higher education with a significant portion in academic leadership or management roles, preferably an international environment

• Demonstrated expertise and contributions in the field of the academic department with a strong understanding of accreditation standards and processes

• Experience in budget management and resource allocation

• People management experience with proven ability to work collaboratively with different stakeholders

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Strong organizational and time management skills

• Knowledge of current trends and best practices in higher education; creative and luxury fields knowledge is a plus

• Knowledge of the most important SIS and more relevant platform for academic management

• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach