City St George’s, University of London President Job 2026: Requirements, How to Apply and Deadline

City St George’s, University of London is hiring a new President, the most senior job at one of the largest universities in London. The City St George’s President job is permanent and full time, and the deadline is 11:59pm GMT on Monday 9 November 2026. The executive search firm Perrett Laver is running the search, and the reference to quote is 8634. You request the application pack through Perrett Laver’s candidate portal and apply through the link on the advert.

The vacancy opened because Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein, President since June 2021, is coming to the end of his six-year term. Times Higher Education reported on 14 October 2026 that the search had started, though he has not confirmed an exact leaving date. The salary is not published. Below is what the advert asks for, how a UK university presidential search usually runs, and how to put together a pack that stands up against sitting vice-chancellors and provosts.

City St George’s President job at a glance

About City St George’s, University of London

City St George’s was created on 1 August 2024, when City, University of London merged with St George’s, University of London, a specialist medical and health sciences university in Tooting. The merged university now has around 27,000 students from more than 170 countries, according to its own About page, and roughly half of them come from outside the UK. It describes itself as “the University of business, practice, and the professions.”

Teaching and research sit in six schools, which include Bayes Business School, The City Law School, the School of Science and Technology, the School of Communication and Creativity, the School of Policy and Global Affairs, and health schools drawn from both legacy institutions. The university’s executive leadership page says the two health schools are running jointly until a single unified school is formed. That tells you something about the next President’s in-tray: the merger is legally done, but the integration work is not.

The two student counts differ because THE uses its own data definitions and an earlier reference year. Quote the university’s figure if you mention size in your letter.

Living and working in London

London is one of the most expensive cities in Europe for housing, and that is the cost that will matter most if you are relocating. The three campuses are spread out: Clerkenwell and Moorgate are in central London, close to the City, while Tooting is in the south west, next to St George’s Hospital. A President will spend time at all three. Senior packages in UK universities sometimes include relocation support, but the advert says nothing on this, so ask Perrett Laver.

What the City St George’s President does

The advert describes the President as the leader who will deliver the university’s Vision and Strategy 2035, which centres on education, practice-led research and community engagement. In plain terms the job covers:

• Strategy: lead delivery of Vision and Strategy 2035 across the whole university.
• Running a complex institution: lead a multi-school university, set clear priorities and build shared accountability and high performance.
• Change: work with staff, students and Council through significant change, which includes finishing the integration of two former universities.
• External voice: promote the university’s identity and build relationships in London, across the UK and internationally.

The advert says the appointment comes after the merger has put the university on a footing of financial stability, at a time of pressure across UK higher education. Read that as a signal. The panel will look for someone who can protect that stability while sector income is squeezed.

Reporting line

In UK chartered universities the head of the institution is accountable to the governing body, which here is Council. The advert names Council as one of the groups the President works with through change. An Appointment Panel, supported by Perrett Laver, is identifying and assessing candidates. The advert does not name the panel members or the Chair of Council, and the executive leadership page I checked did not list the Chair either. Ask for the candidate brief, which should cover governance in detail.

Requirements for the City St George’s President role

The advert keeps the person specification short. These are the qualities it names:

The full person specification, with essential and desirable criteria, sits in the application pack on Perrett Laver’s portal. The advert on Times Higher Education does not separate essential from desirable criteria, so get the pack before you write anything. The advert does not state a doctorate requirement in the text I checked. Most UK presidents and vice-chancellors hold one, and you should expect the pack to ask for an academic record at professorial level or equivalent standing.

Reading between the lines

City St George’s sells itself on business, law, health and the professions. A candidate who has led professional or practice-based education, such as a business school, law school, medical school or health faculty, matches that story well. So does someone who has been through a merger or a large restructure. That is my reading of the advert, not the university’s wording, so check it against the candidate brief.

Salary and terms

The advert does not state a salary. Pay for UK university heads is set by each university’s remuneration committee, and universities publish the head’s pay in their annual financial statements. If you want context, the latest City St George’s financial statements will show what the current President is paid. That figure is context only. It is not the advertised salary, and the package for the new President will be agreed with the selected candidate.

On visas, the advert says nothing either way. If you are not a UK or Irish citizen and don’t already have the right to work in the UK, raise sponsorship with Perrett Laver early.

How to apply for the City St George’s President job

1. Get the application pack: register on plusportal.perrettlaver.com and request the pack for reference 8634.
2. Book a confidential conversation if you want one: contact Thomas Cameron at Thomas.Cameron@perrettlaver.com before you submit.
3. Read the pack in full: check the person specification, the documents required and any length limits.
4. Prepare your CV: a leadership CV with the scale of every role you have held.
5. Write your supporting statement or covering letter: answer each criterion in the pack with specific evidence.
6. Submit through the advert’s apply link: before 11:59pm GMT on Monday 9 November 2026, quoting reference 8634.
7. Read the privacy notices: Perrett Laver processes candidate data on a legitimate interests basis, and the advert links its privacy policy and the university’s data protection policy.

How the presidential search will work

Perrett Laver runs most UK vice-chancellor searches in a similar way. The firm advertises the role and also approaches people directly, so many shortlisted candidates were invited rather than finding the advert. After the deadline the Appointment Panel and the firm draw up a longlist. Longlisted candidates usually have a preliminary interview with the search firm. The panel then picks a shortlist for final interviews, which at this level often include a presentation and meetings with staff, students or Council members. Council makes or approves the final appointment.

City St George’s has not published its timetable in the advert, so treat that sequence as the general pattern, not the confirmed plan for this search. The application pack should give dates for longlisting and final panels. Keep those days free before you apply.

How to write the application

At president level the pack is short and read closely by people who know the sector. Two documents usually carry everything: a CV and a covering letter or supporting statement.

Covering letter structure

1. Opening: your current role, the scale of what you lead, and why City St George’s at this point.
2. Evidence against each criterion: academic vision, strategic and financial judgement, leading through change, and external standing. One concrete result per point.
3. Your view of the university: a short, informed reading of the merger, the six schools and Vision and Strategy 2035, and the two or three choices you think are coming.
4. How you lead: an example of bringing staff with you through a hard decision.
5. Close: what you would bring in your first years, kept modest and specific.

Two to three pages is a sensible length unless the pack sets a limit.

Sample opening line, for illustration only: “As Vice-Chancellor of a 20,000-student university, I led the merger of two institutions and returned the combined budget to surplus within three years, and I am applying because City St George’s is at the stage where integration has to turn into growth.” The numbers in that line are invented to show the shape; yours must be real.

The CV

Put leadership first. List each senior post with its size (students, staff, budget) and two or three results. Follow with your education, a short research summary with selected outputs, board and external roles, and honours. Our Europass CV guide covers layout basics, though a clean narrative CV reads better than the Europass template at this level.

Common mistakes

• Writing a letter that would fit any university, with no mention of the merger, the schools or Vision and Strategy 2035.
• Listing duties instead of results. A balanced budget, a merger completed or research income grown says more than “responsible for”.
• Ignoring the financial context. The advert mentions both financial stability and sector pressure.
• Applying without reading the full pack, which holds the real person specification.
• Leaving it to the last hour. The deadline is GMT, which catches out applicants abroad.
• Not telling your current employer. Senior searches are confidential, but news can travel once shortlists are interviewed.

Who should apply and who shouldn’t

You should apply if you already lead a university or a large faculty, or serve as provost, deputy vice-chancellor or equivalent, and you have a record in academic leadership plus financial and people management. Leaders from business, law, health or professional education fit the university’s identity well. Candidates who have led a merger or major restructure have something specific to offer.

I wouldn’t apply if your leadership experience stops at department head, unless you have something exceptional to show. The same goes if you have never managed a large budget or worked closely with a governing body. If you are an earlier-career academic thinking about the UK, our guides to the University of Manchester Global Futures Scholarship and the Cardiff University International Excellence Scholarship are a better starting point.

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City St George’s President job: FAQs

What is the deadline for the City St George’s President job?

The deadline is 11:59pm GMT on Monday 9 November 2026. Quote reference 8634.

What is the salary for the City St George’s President?

The advert does not state one. The package will be agreed with the selected candidate, and the current President’s pay appears in the university’s published financial statements as context only.

Does City St George’s sponsor visas for this role?

The advert does not mention visa sponsorship. Ask Perrett Laver early if you would need it.

How do I get the application pack?

Request it through Perrett Laver’s candidate portal at plusportal.perrettlaver.com, quoting reference 8634. For a confidential talk, email Thomas Cameron at Perrett Laver.

Sources and updates

Checked on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing for this role (listing 416555), the City St George’s About page and executive leadership page, Times Higher Education’s news report of 14 October 2026 on the start of the search, THE’s World University Rankings 2027 profile, and the university’s news release on The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026. The advert spells the current President’s surname “Finklestein”; the university spells it Finkelstein. We will update this page if the deadline changes or when the appointment is announced.

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