Lead a team solving the globe's biggest challenges

You will be accountable for all aspects of strategic and managerial leadership within your large Faculty. You'll drive standards and improvements to student experiences, our research and enterprise and the relationship between these activities. Reporting to the Provost and as one of seven Deans within our senior academic community, you'll work closely with this high performing group, exemplifying cross university collaboration and championing external and industrial engagement.

We invite candidates from the global higher education community who can demonstrate a distinguished academic background in a discipline relevant to those represented in the Faculty. Candidates will bring a track record of leadership at a senior level, where you have established a vision and distinctive position in pursuit of academic excellence. The Faculty of Science is a large infrastructure operation. The key to success is an understanding of people and what excellent leadership looks like, as well as the importance of modelling exemplar leadership behaviour.

UNSW has engaged Anderson Quigley in the UK to conduct a global search and manage the recruitment process. For contact details and full information on this outstanding academic leadership opportunity, please download the full position description.

Applications now closed.

UNSW aspires to be the exemplar Australian university and employer of choice for people from diverse backgrounds. UNSW aims to ensure equality in recruitment, development, retention and promotion of staff, and that no-one is disadvantaged on the basis of their gender, cultural background, disability, sexual orientation or identity.

• A distinguished record of strategic leadership in pursuit of academic excellence.
• The capacity and vision to provide strategic leadership to the Faculty in the development and implementation of its mission, goals and objectives.
• An appreciation of the values and roles of a major teaching and research university operating in an international context.
• An understanding of the complexities of the relationships between the university sector and the legal sector and the capacity to interact effectively in this environment.
• A commitment to the guiding principles and objectives outlined in UNSW’s 2025 Strategy and the ability to articulate these principles and objectives in a variety of settings.
• The capacity to manage and implement successful change which encourages superior teaching, scholarship and innovation.
• A demonstrable record of operating in a complex business model and applying sound business and commercial acumen characterised by fact-based decision making.
• A demonstrated capacity to represent the University effectively in a variety of external settings through networking, partnership building and influencing skills.
• Knowledge of and commitment to the principles and application of Equal Employment Opportunities, Anti-discrimination legislation and Occupational Health and Safety legislation in the workplace.
• An understanding of and commitment to UNSW’s aims, objectives and values in action, together with relevant policies and guidelines.
• Knowledge of health and safety responsibilities and commitment to attending relevant health and safety training.

As places of great inspiration and innovation, Australian universities are crucial intellectual environments where knowledge is created, communicated, and challenged. In partnership with government and business, academic research and technologies help to develop vital industries. In addition, Australian universities provide students with the skills to compete in increasingly global workplaces and are ourselves major employers.

Universities are key to Australia’s economic success. In 2018, Australian universities contributed $41 billion to the economy and supported a total of 259,100 full time jobs. In addition, 1,426,594 students studied at Australia’s 39 universities in 2018. Of these, 71 per cent (or 1,014,027) were domestic students and the remaining 29 per cent (or 412,567) were international students. In the same year, 325,171 students completed their degrees.^[1]

When it comes to world university rankings, Australia has a strong, proven track record. Across all global ranking systems, criteria and fields of study, Australia ranks highly for quality of education, student satisfaction, and global reputation. The latest ranking shows more than eight Australian universities are ranked in the top 200 universities and almost two-thirds of Australia’s 39 universities are in the top 500.^[2] In addition, Australia consistently ranks highly in the Universitas 21 Report – in 2020, it ranked ninth.^[3]

Australian university students pursue a wide range of academic disciplines, from health and education to engineering and information technology. While the majority of students study full-time, others balance a part-time load with family or work responsibilities, and, in the current environment, many combine on-campus and online study for maximum flexibility.

International education is Australia’s fourth largest export and the largest services export industry. In 2019, the industry generated $40.3 billion in export income. The higher education sector contributed around 70 per cent (or $27.8 billion) of international education export income in 2019.^[4]

The 2018 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) national report, which provides information of the quality of research undertaken by Australian universities, assessed that over 90 per cent of Australian university research was performing at, or above world standards in 2018.^[5]

UNSW is a founding member of the Group of Eight (Go8), a coalition of Australia’s leading research-intensive universities, and the prestigious Universitas 21 international network. In world rankings Go8 universities are consistently the highest ranked in Australia. Seven of the Go8’s members are in the world’s top 100 universities and all Go8 members are ranked in the world’s top 150 universities: in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Times Higher Education Rankings (THES) and the QS World University Rankings (QS).^[6]

^{[1] 2020, Universities Australia 2020 Higher Education Facts and Figures
[2] 2020, Universities Australia 2020 Higher Education Facts and Figures
[3] 2020, Universities Australia 2020 Higher Education Facts and Figures
[4] 2020, Universities Australia 2020 Higher Education Facts and Figures
[5] 2018 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2018 report, produced by the Australian Research Council (ARC
[6] Group of Eight, Australia, opens in a new window}

Sydney was recently ranked the 6th best city in the world to live and work in by Global Finance magazine. With world-famous beaches and a thriving arts, music, and food scene full of cultural communities to immerse yourself in, our coastal city is not just a destination, but a life experience.

Coastal living

It’s easy to see why the sunshine and coastline of Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs beaches attract so many visitors, and UNSW’s Kensington campus sits right next door. It’s less than 30 minutes from campus to Bondi by car or bus, or just 10 minutes to Coogee.

If the beach isn’t your thing, we’re 5 minutes from beautiful Centennial Park or a short stroll to Randwick’s buzzing shops, cafés and restaurants.

Expand your network

Sydney’s the financial capital of Australia, and our international city is home to many global firms and offers countless opportunities to gain experience, meet people and build your networks.

A city for students

Sydney was ranked as the 8th best student city in the world in the QS Best Student Cities Index 2022. Our large and inclusive student community benefits from Sydney’s unique blend of outdoor and metropolitan lifestyles. Sydney offers a diverse range of opportunities for employment after graduation.

Something for everyone

There’s always something to do in Sydney, whether you’re flying solo or you’re looking for something the whole family can enjoy. You can find the best swimming, snorkelling and surfing spots or watch a film at the local Randwick cinema – one of the cheapest in Sydney. Ride a bike around Centennial Park, stop for a picnic, or enjoy an Aussie BBQ with new friends.

Sydney is also home to a number of incredible annual events, including Vivid Sydney, a festival of light, music and ideas, the New Year’s Eve Fireworks (possibly the most famous fireworks display in the world), and Taste of Sydney - an annual festival celebrating food and culture.