SOAS University of London is recruiting a Dean of the College of Social Sciences, a permanent, full-time post based in Bloomsbury, London. The search is being run by the executive search firm Perrett Laver, and the closing date is 9:00am GMT on Monday 9 November 2026. You apply through the Perrett Laver candidate portal using reference 8612. Formal interviews with the Selection Panel are expected in late December 2026.
The SOAS Dean of the College of Social Sciences job is a senior academic leadership role. The Dean reports to the Provost, sits on SOAS’s Executive Board and leads four units: Development Studies, Economics, Politics and International Studies, and the School of Finance and Management. SOAS has not published a salary in the advert. Below is what the listing asks for, how to apply step by step, how searches at dean level usually run, and how to build an application that stands up against other professors and heads of department.
SOAS Dean of the College of Social Sciences job at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Job title | Dean of the College of Social Sciences |
| Employer | SOAS University of London |
| Location | Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London |
| Reports to | The Provost |
| Committee seat | Member of the Executive Board |
| Contract | Permanent, full time |
| Salary | Not stated in the advert |
| Visa sponsorship | Not mentioned in the advert |
| Search firm | Perrett Laver |
| Reference | 8612 |
| Deadline | 9:00am GMT, Monday 9 November 2026 |
| Interviews | Formal panel interviews expected late December 2026 |
What the College of Social Sciences covers
The College brings together the Department of Development Studies, the Department of Economics, the Department of Politics and International Studies and the School of Finance and Management. According to the advert it teaches almost 3,000 undergraduates and more than 1,700 postgraduates. SOAS’s own College page says it has more than 200 researchers, with research centred on Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and links to centres such as the Development Leadership Dialogue and the Feminist Centre for Racial Justice.
SOAS’s College page currently names Carlos Oya as Dean of the College of Social Sciences. The page doesn’t say whether that appointment is interim, and the advert doesn’t say why the post is open, so I would not read anything into it.
The subject strength is real. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, SOAS placed Development Studies 2nd in the world and Politics 16th, according to SOAS’s own news release. Both subjects sit inside this College. That gives a new Dean a strong base to build on and a high bar to protect.
Responsibilities of the Dean
The advert calls the post “a key appointment for SOAS’s future”. In plain terms, the Dean will:
- Set a vision for the College and communicate it to staff and students.
- Lead the Heads of Department and the wider staff group.
- Raise research intensity and grow grant income.
- Make sure programmes are high quality and the student experience is strong.
- Answer for the College’s financial performance.
- Lead fundraising and strategic partnerships, including with universities in the Global South.
Because the Dean also sits on the Executive Board, the job is half College leadership and half institutional leadership. You would take part in decisions on SOAS-wide strategy and budgets, then carry them out in your own College. Expect a week that mixes Board papers, meetings with department heads, recruitment and promotion panels, budget reviews and external meetings with funders and partner universities.
Reporting line and who you work with
The Dean reports to the Provost. SOAS is also recruiting a Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) at the same time, with the same closing date. That means the person you would report to may also be new in 2027. Candidates should be ready for a leadership team that is still settling, which can be an advantage if you like shaping how things work from the start.
Requirements: what SOAS is looking for
The advert lists a candidate profile without splitting it into essential and desirable criteria. The full person specification sits on the Perrett Laver portal, so read it before you write. From the advert, the ideal candidate has:
| Area | What the advert asks for |
|---|---|
| Research standing | An international academic reputation built on research relevant to the College |
| Leadership | A proven record of academic leadership and management |
| Sector knowledge | A strategic understanding of the issues facing UK higher education |
| External work | Experience in partnership development or philanthropic fundraising |
| People | The ability to motivate colleagues to work across disciplines |
| Values | Commitment to SOAS’s mission and to equality, diversity and inclusion |
SOAS says it particularly welcomes applications from people from working-class and first-generation higher education backgrounds, from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups, and from other underrepresented groups. It also says all appointments are made on merit through a fair and competitive process.
Reading between the lines
Put those six points next to the College’s subjects and a profile appears. SOAS seems to want a professor in development, economics, politics or finance with a strong publication and grant record, who has already run a department or a large school, and who can talk to donors and Global South partners as easily as to research councils. “Strategic understanding of UK higher education” suggests candidates who already work in the UK sector have an edge, though an international candidate who knows the UK funding and regulatory system well can still compete. That reading is mine, not SOAS’s wording, so check it against the portal documents.
SOAS Dean salary and terms
The advert gives no salary figure, and SOAS has not published a pay band for this post. Deans at UK universities are usually paid on senior or professorial scales set locally, above the national single pay spine, so the spine is not a useful guide here. Any figure you see on a salary aggregator is an estimate. Ask Perrett Laver about the package at the informal conversation stage.
The listing doesn’t mention visa sponsorship. If you need a UK work visa, raise this with the search firm early. Don’t assume either way.
How to apply for the SOAS Dean of the College of Social Sciences job
- Read the candidate pack: go to the Perrett Laver candidate portal and search reference 8612 for the job description, person specification and application details.
- Make an informal enquiry if useful: Harvir Bains, Senior Research Associate at Perrett Laver, takes informal questions at Harvir.Bains@perrettlaver.com.
- Prepare your documents: follow the portal’s instructions exactly. For roles run by this firm, that is normally a full CV and a covering letter addressed to the criteria, but the portal is the final word.
- Submit through the portal: quote reference 8612. You can also start from the “Apply” link on the Times Higher Education listing.
- Beat the clock: the deadline is 9:00am GMT on Monday 9 November 2026. A morning deadline catches people out, so treat Sunday 8 November as your real last day.
Morning deadline
Applications close at 9:00am GMT on Monday 9 November 2026, not at midnight. That is 10:00am in Lagos and 1:00pm in Abu Dhabi.
What the selection process looks like
Searches for deans in the UK tend to follow a pattern. The search firm advertises and also approaches people directly, so you will be up against invited candidates as well as open applicants. After the deadline the firm and the university draw up a longlist and hold preliminary interviews, often by video. A shortlist then meets the formal Selection Panel. Panels at this level usually include the Provost, the Director or Vice-Chancellor, a senior academic from another area, a lay member of the governing body and sometimes a student representative. Many universities add a presentation, a staff forum or meetings with heads of department.
For this role SOAS has said only that formal panel interviews are expected in late December 2026. Plan for a possible video longlist conversation in late November or early December, and keep your diary flexible around the Christmas break.
How to write the application
The covering letter carries most of the weight. I would keep it to about two pages and use this structure:
- Opening: your current post, the size of what you lead, and why SOAS and this College now.
- The criteria in order: take each point from the person specification and answer it with a result you can prove, such as research income growth, a programme you rebuilt, a recovery in student satisfaction, or a partnership with a university in Africa or Asia.
- Your reading of the College: two short paragraphs on where Development Studies, Economics, Politics and Finance and Management stand, and the choices you think are coming on research income, student numbers and partnerships.
- Money: how you have handled a budget, and how you would approach fundraising.
- Leadership style and inclusion: one concrete example of leading across disciplines and one of widening participation or equality work.
A sample opening, for illustration only: “As Head of a 60-staff Department of Economics, I grew external research income by a third in four years while bringing two new MSc programmes to market; I am applying to lead SOAS’s College of Social Sciences because its focus on the Global South is where my research and partnerships already sit.” The numbers are placeholders. Yours must be real.
Your CV should put leadership first: each post with its scale (staff, students, budget) and two or three results, then education, then a selected publication and grants list. A dean’s CV that opens with fifty journal articles buries the evidence the panel needs.
Common mistakes
- Writing a research-led letter that barely mentions management or money. The advert names financial accountability and fundraising directly.
- Ignoring the Global South partnerships line. At SOAS it is central to the mission.
- Treating the equality, diversity and inclusion point as a closing sentence instead of giving evidence.
- Missing the 9:00am deadline because you planned to submit on the Monday.
- Not reading the full person specification on the portal and answering only the shorter advert.
- Sending the letter without naming the College’s four units, which tells the panel you haven’t looked closely.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
You should apply if you are a professor in development studies, economics, politics, international relations, finance or management with an international research profile, and you have led a department, a school or a large research centre. Current heads of department, associate deans and deans elsewhere are the obvious fit. Academics from the Global South with strong UK or international leadership experience are encouraged by SOAS’s own statement.
I wouldn’t apply if you have no management record beyond a research group, or if your research sits far from the College’s subjects. And if you need visa sponsorship and the search firm can’t confirm it, settle that question before you invest days in the application.
How this role compares with similar leadership jobs
| Role | Institution | Location | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) | SOAS University of London | London, UK | 9 November 2026 |
| Dean of Social Science | New York University Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi, UAE | 31 October 2026 |
| Vice-Dean and Head of School, Medical Sciences and Health Sciences | University of Manchester | Manchester, UK | 4 November 2026 |
| Dean of the School of Applied Technology and AI | Arden University | UK | 16 November 2026 |
For a sense of how a presidential search is run, see our guide to the Aalto University President vacancy. If you are earlier in your career and looking at UK study instead, our Chevening Scholarship guide covers the main government-funded route for a UK master’s.
About SOAS and living in London
SOAS was founded in 1916 and sits in Bloomsbury, at Russell Square in central London. Its students and staff come from more than 130 nationalities, according to the university. In the QS World University Rankings 2027 (released June 2026), SOAS was joint first in the UK for international faculty and 14th in the UK for employment outcomes, according to SOAS’s news release. The current President is Zeinab Badawi.
London is one of the most expensive cities in the UK. Housing near Bloomsbury is costly, so most staff commute from outer zones. Budget for London rents, Transport for London fares and, if you relocate with family, school places. The UK government’s GOV.UK pages give current visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge if you need a work visa.
SOAS Dean of the College of Social Sciences: FAQs
What is the deadline for the SOAS Dean of Social Sciences job?
The deadline is 9:00am GMT on Monday 9 November 2026. Apply through the Perrett Laver portal with reference 8612.
What is the salary for the SOAS Dean of the College of Social Sciences?
SOAS has not published one. Ask Perrett Laver about the package during an informal conversation.
Does SOAS offer visa sponsorship for this dean role?
The advert doesn’t mention sponsorship either way. Confirm with Harvir Bains at Perrett Laver before you apply if you need a UK work visa.
When are interviews for the SOAS Dean role?
SOAS expects formal interviews with the Selection Panel in late December 2026.
Sources and updates
Checked on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing for this role (listing 416565, Perrett Laver reference 8612), SOAS’s College of Social Sciences page, SOAS’s About page and its June 2026 news release on the QS World University Rankings 2027. Salary and visa details were not in the advert. We will update this page if SOAS or Perrett Laver publish more detail or the closing date changes.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
