The University of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, is hiring a Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Success). The post is permanent and full time. You would report to the Vice-Chancellor, sit on the University Executive Team and lead most of the university’s “Students First” priority: student success, the student experience and teaching quality. The salary is advertised only as “competitive”. Applications close on 13 November 2026.
The advert carries the reference AQ3577 and links to the executive search firm Anderson Quigley for the full candidate information. This guide covers what the University of Bradford Pro Vice-Chancellor Education job involves, who the university wants, how to apply, how a UK senior search runs and how to build an application that reaches the shortlist.
University of Bradford Pro Vice-Chancellor Education job: key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employer | University of Bradford |
| Address on the advert | Richmond Building, Richmond Road, Bradford, BD7 1DP |
| Job title | Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Success) |
| Reference | AQ3577 |
| Contract | Permanent, full time |
| Reports to | The Vice-Chancellor; the postholder is a member of the University Executive Team |
| Salary | “Competitive”. No figure or pay band is published |
| Search firm | Anderson Quigley (the advert links to its role page for further information) |
| Telephone on the advert | +44 (0)1274 236637 |
| How to apply | “Apply on website” button on the Times Higher Education (THE) Unijobs listing, job 416671 |
| Advert posted | 16 October 2026 |
| Deadline | 13 November 2026 |
| Interview dates | Not published in the advert |
| Visa sponsorship | Not mentioned in the advert |
About the University of Bradford
Bradford became a university in 1966, the fortieth in the UK, and Harold Wilson was its first Chancellor. Its About page gives 10,887 students for 2024/25: 8,037 undergraduates, 2,562 on taught postgraduate courses and 288 postgraduate researchers. Another 2,908 come from the EU and overseas, which makes the student body one of the more international in northern England.
That last point matters for this job. The Higher Education Policy Institute’s Social Mobility Index placed Bradford first in England in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, according to the university. A high Social Mobility Index score means many students come from backgrounds with less family experience of university. A Pro Vice-Chancellor for student success at Bradford needs a plan for continuation and completion that fits those students.
On teaching quality, Bradford received Silver in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in October 2023, with Silver for the overall rating, student experience and student outcomes. The TEF panel found very high quality with some outstanding features. The advert says the university’s goal is TEF Gold, so the new Pro Vice-Chancellor is the person expected to move that rating up a grade at the next exercise. Subject strengths named on the university’s site include Paramedic Science (3rd in the UK in the Guardian 2026 tables) and Chemical Engineering (5th in the UK in the same tables).
Bradford the city was UK City of Culture in 2025. Living costs in West Yorkshire are well below London and the south east, and Leeds is a short train ride away. For a senior hire moving from London or abroad, housing costs here will feel modest by UK standards.
What the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Success) will do
The advert sets out the duties in broad terms. In plain language, the postholder will:
- Lead “Students First”: take charge of most of Strategic Priority 1, which covers student success, the student experience and educational performance.
- Raise survey and TEF results: improve National Student Survey (NSS) outcomes and work towards TEF Gold.
- Use data: track performance with data and student evidence, then turn it into measurable improvement.
- Shape the course portfolio: lead the strategic development of the academic portfolio, weighing demand, quality, relevance and financial sustainability, including digital and flexible study.
- Protect quality and standards: oversee academic quality, standards and regulatory confidence.
- Lead teaching and learning: provide leadership for teaching and learning, including the Teaching Excellence team.
The advert also says the role works mainly through influence across faculties and professional services. In practice that means the deans and heads of service do not all report to you, and you get results by persuasion, shared data and good relationships. Candidates who have only led through direct line management should think about how to show they can work this way.
If you are applying from outside the UK, two acronyms need explaining. The NSS is a national survey of final-year undergraduates whose results feed league tables and the TEF. The TEF is run by the Office for Students and rates universities Gold, Silver or Bronze on teaching and outcomes. “Regulatory confidence” refers to the Office for Students’ conditions of registration, which include minimum thresholds for continuation, completion and progression to graduate jobs.
Requirements: who Bradford is looking for
The advert has no separate essential and desirable lists. It describes the person in three parts:
- Senior academic leadership: a strong track record of senior academic leadership and educational transformation.
- Measurable improvement: ideally, evidence of significant improvement in NSS, TEF or comparable measures.
- Portfolio change at scale: experience of reshaping provision in a large, complex organisation.
Read together, this points to someone who is already a Pro Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, Dean of Education or Executive Dean, and who can show numbers moving under their leadership. Almost every UK appointee at this level holds a doctorate and many are professors, though the advert does not demand either. Experience with a widening participation intake, commuter students or large international cohorts would fit Bradford’s student body well. The full candidate pack from Anderson Quigley may add detail, so treat it as the final word.
Salary and pay context
Bradford gives no salary figure, only “competitive”. Pro Vice-Chancellor pay in the UK is set individually and sits above the national single pay spine used for lecturers and professors, so I cannot give you a published band for this post. Ask the search consultants for the range in your first conversation. For context only, another current UK advert in this same list, the Oxford Brookes University Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), states a salary of GBP 155,352. That is a different university and a different portfolio, so treat it as a rough guide to the level, not Bradford’s offer.
Visa sponsorship for international candidates
The advert does not mention visa sponsorship either way. UK universities can sponsor senior academic staff under the Skilled Worker route, but whether Bradford will do so for this post is not stated. If you would need sponsorship, raise it with Anderson Quigley at the start, before you spend time on a full application.
How to apply for the University of Bradford Pro Vice-Chancellor job
- Read the candidate information: the THE listing links to Anderson Quigley’s page for this role (reference AQ3577). Download the candidate pack and check the documents it asks for.
- Ask for a confidential conversation: UK search firms expect candidates to call before applying. The advert gives the telephone number +44 (0)1274 236637.
- Prepare your documents: the THE advert does not list them. For UK senior searches this is usually a full CV and a supporting letter, sometimes with equality monitoring details. Follow the pack exactly, including any page limit.
- Submit online: use the “Apply on website” button on the THE Unijobs listing, which takes you to the application route, before 13 November 2026.
- Keep copies: save what you sent and any confirmation email. You will need them to prepare for interview.
Deadline
Applications close on 13 November 2026. The advert gives no closing time, so submit at least a day early and confirm the deadline in the Anderson Quigley pack.
How the selection process usually runs
Bradford has not published its interview dates, so the stages below describe the normal UK pattern for a Pro Vice-Chancellor search, not a confirmed timetable:
- Longlist: the search firm reviews applications against the person specification and holds preliminary interviews with the strongest candidates.
- Shortlist: a panel, usually chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, picks a small group.
- Stakeholder sessions: shortlisted candidates often meet deans, professional services leaders and students’ union officers, and may present on how they would raise student success.
- Final interview: expect questions on NSS action plans, continuation data, portfolio closures and how you lead through influence.
- Offer and references: references are usually taken late. Senior notice periods are often three to six months, so a start in 2027 is likely.
How to write the application
A Pro Vice-Chancellor application is judged on evidence. Build your supporting letter this way:
- Opening paragraph: your current role, its scale (students, staff, budget) and why Bradford’s student body and “Students First” priority interest you.
- Student success evidence: one or two changes you led, with before and after figures for NSS, continuation, completion or awarding gaps.
- Portfolio work: a course review, closure or new flexible or online offer you led, with the financial result.
- Quality and regulation: your experience with TEF submissions, Office for Students conditions or the equivalent quality regime in your country.
- Leading through influence: an example where you got results from units that did not report to you.
- First-year plan: two or three things you would do at Bradford in your first twelve months.
Sample opening line, for illustration only: “As Dean of Education at [university], I led a three-year programme that raised continuation among first-generation students by [figure] points, and I would bring that work to Bradford’s Students First priority.”
Keep the CV leadership-first. List roles, remits and results before publications. A long publication list belongs at the end, if at all.
Common mistakes to avoid
- No numbers: the advert asks for evidence of improvement in NSS, TEF or similar. Statements without figures will not compete.
- Ignoring the student body: a letter that could be sent to any university, with no reference to Bradford’s widening participation and international intake, rarely makes the longlist.
- Skipping finance: portfolio decisions must balance quality with financial sustainability. Give an example of a course you closed or reshaped.
- Not calling the consultants: the confidential conversation tells you what the panel cares about most.
- Leaving sponsorship questions until the offer: if you need a visa, say so at the start.
- Using unofficial sites: apply only through the THE listing and Anderson Quigley. No genuine search firm charges a fee.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
You should apply if you hold or have held a senior education role (Pro Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, Dean of Education or Executive Dean) and can point to measured improvement in student outcomes. Leaders from Nigeria, India, Pakistan or elsewhere with that record can compete, especially if they have worked with large first-generation or international cohorts. Explain your institution’s size and regulatory system so a UK panel can judge your scale.
You probably shouldn’t apply if your highest post is programme leader or head of a small department, if your experience is mainly in research leadership, or if you cannot relocate to West Yorkshire. Earlier-career academics will find better openings in lecturer posts and fellowships, and UK study routes such as the Chevening Scholarship suit people who want a UK master’s first.
Similar senior leadership jobs to compare
| Role | Institution | Location | Salary (as advertised) | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Success) | University of Bradford | Bradford, UK | Competitive | 13 November 2026 |
| Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) | SOAS University of London | London, UK | Not stated | 9 November 2026 |
| Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost | Leeds Trinity University | Leeds, UK | Not stated | 22 November 2026 |
| Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) | Oxford Brookes University | Oxford, UK | GBP 155,352 | 2 November 2026 |
| Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost | Bournemouth University | Bournemouth, UK | Competitive | 1 November 2026 |
Of these, the SOAS post is closest in focus because it is also an education portfolio. The Leeds Trinity role is a Yorkshire alternative one level up, and the Oxford Brookes post is useful mainly for its published salary.
FAQs about the University of Bradford Pro Vice-Chancellor Education job
What is the salary for the University of Bradford Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Success)?
Bradford advertises the salary only as “competitive” and publishes no figure or band. Ask Anderson Quigley for the range before you apply.
When is the deadline for the University of Bradford Pro Vice-Chancellor job?
The deadline is 13 November 2026. No closing time is given, so submit a day early.
Does the University of Bradford sponsor visas for this role?
The advert does not mention visa sponsorship. If you need a UK visa, ask the search firm at the start of the process.
Who does the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Success) report to?
The postholder reports to the Vice-Chancellor and is a member of the University Executive Team.
Sources and updates
I checked the role details on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing for job 416671, which links to Anderson Quigley’s role page (reference AQ3577). University facts come from the University of Bradford’s About page (student numbers, founding, Social Mobility Index, Guardian subject positions) and its October 2023 news release on the TEF Silver award. The Anderson Quigley page could not be opened when I checked, so the exact document list and any interview dates are not confirmed here. I will update this page if the deadline changes or the role is re-advertised.
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.
