About the Role

Staff Tutors are members of the academic staff of the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care (HWSC) based in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies (WELS).  They play a vital role in the provision of The Open University’s (OU) supported open learning model of education; contribute to the presentation of modules and qualifications and engage in research and scholarship congruent with School and Faculty strategic priorities. Staff Tutors represent The Open University on national and local strategic groups, provide academic leadership and line manage Module Tutors and Practice Tutors who provide academic and pastoral support to OU students. The post includes responsibility for working in partnership with employers to support recruitment and selection to professional programmes and for the operational management of practice learning relating to the school’s portfolio of qualifications.  Applicants should, therefore, have relevant qualifications and experience. The postholder will be part of a team based in the South West of England and will be required to travel in the South West region with occasionally to Milton Keynes and other parts of the UK.

Key Responsibilities

Contribute to the effective management of professional qualifications and work strategically with agencies, employers and regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with external and internal regulatory requirements.
•  Work with colleagues to support student inquiries in particular in supporting the placement aspects of learning.
•  Promote The OU’s professional programmes and other qualifications to sponsors, employers and other stakeholders. 
•  Work collaboratively with colleagues and partner organisations in the recruitment and selection of students for entry to the professional programmes and other qualifications.
•  Provide operational support for the professional programmes and associated health and social care modules by line management of Module Tutors and Practice Tutors and ensuring the quality assurance of all learning.
•  Contribute to the recruitment, management, support and staff development of Module Tutors and Practice Tutors in partnership with Associate Lecturer Services, having regard to the importance of high-quality provision.
•  Organise appropriate tutorial provision and processes and undertake quality assurance of correspondence tuition, face-to-face tuition, online tuition and practice assessment.
•  Contribute to the development and presentation of distance learning modules and qualifications and advise the School on the content and teaching strategies of modules and qualifications in the light of feedback from all Associate Lecturers and students.
•  In line with the Four Nations strategy of the University work with colleagues in the School and the wider Faculty to ensure awareness of the policy and legislative context.  
•  Assist module and qualification teams in monitoring, grading and ensuring the quality of feedback on student assignments and practice portfolios assessed by Module Tutors and Practice Tutors.
•  Develop and implement a personal research and scholarship plan congruent with the School and Faculty’s Research and Scholarship and knowledge exchange Strategy.
•  Represent the School, Faculty and The OU at strategic local and relevant external committees and groups, working with partners across the Independent and Statutory sector, other Universities and relevant Government. 
•  Undertake other duties as required.

Skills and Experience

Essential:

•    A good first degree (upper second or higher) or a post-graduate qualification in social work .
•    A professional qualification and current registration with Social Work England
•    Experience of supporting practice learning.
•    A sound knowledge and understanding of social work education, including the standards and regulatory requirements for Social Work programme(s).
•    A knowledge and understanding of current issues in social work and social care in the United Kingdom.
•    Experience of teaching and practice education.
•    Sound understanding and experience of promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.
•    Experience of working autonomously; to meet deadlines, to prioritise tasks, and solve complex problems in a sensitive and constructive way.
•    Understand how to manage people supportively, understanding how to promote equality and inclusion. 
•    Experience of using information technology (IT) for communication and teaching purposes and to access and use data to support module and qualification delivery.
•    Demonstrable ability to support the professional development and management of Module Tutors and Practice Tutors.
•    Good interpersonal and communication skills, including an ability to express ideas clearly both orally and in writing.
•    An ability to promote HWSC learning provision to individuals and corporate customers and to develop and support local partnerships.
•    Experience of teaching adult learners, particularly in the context of distance learning.
•    Experience of line managing people. 
•    Experience of effective leadership, with the ability to communicate vision, strategy and to develop others.
•    Experience of employer engagement in the health, social care or allied professional care sector.
•    A commitment to continuing personal development and updating in the relevant field.
•    A commitment to promoting quality services to students, through the academic management and appropriate staff development of Module Tutors  and Practice Tutors and evaluation of learning provision. 
•    An ability to work effectively across organisational boundaries and to collaborate with others across the sector.
•    An ability to work on your own initiative and as an effective member of a team.
•    An ability and willingness to undertake regular travel and to work flexibly including some evenings and weekends

Desirable:

•    A higher degree and potential to develop a research and scholarship profile. 
•    A record of research and scholarly activity related to the health, social care and/or allied professions.

Essential Requirements

To apply for this role please submit the following;

CV and Supporting Statement, up to 1,000 words. You should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the above essential and desirable criteria. 

Key Information

This advert will close at midnight on the 3rd March 2025, which shortlisting commencing 4th March 2025

Full time starting salary is £46,485 to £47,874 (pro-rata) per annum, with potential progression when in post to £55,295 (pro-rata) per annum. Internal candidates already within the salary banding will remain on their current spinal point as per policy.

Early closing date notification

We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications.