Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Design

Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Design

At the University of Bath, engineering and design sit at the heart of our academic identity and our ambitions for the decade ahead. As we develop Strategy 2036, our framework for global excellence, outstanding people, and high-impact research and education, we are seeking a Dean of the Faculty of Engineering & Design to lead that agenda from the front.

This appointment comes at a pivotal moment. With a new institutional strategy taking shape and significant opportunities ahead in research, education, and global engagement, the Faculty is well positioned for its next phase, and it now needs the right leader to drive it forward.

About the Faculty

The Faculty of Engineering & Design is one of Bath's largest and most distinguished academic communities, comprising four top-performing departments: Architecture & Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electronic & Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Home to approximately 3,000 students and over 300 staff, with student entry standards among the highest in the UK.

Research is organised around three large-scale themes (digital, health, and sustainability) delivered through a network of interdisciplinary centres, including IAAPS at the Bristol & Bath Science Park, alongside centres specialising in bioengineering, climate adaptation, sustainable energy, and advanced manufacturing.

About the Role

As Dean, you will hold three distinct and equally important leadership responsibilities:

• Faculty Leader: setting direction, shaping culture, and driving performance; raising research quality, building a compelling educational offer, championing commercialisation, and creating an environment where exceptional people do their best work.
• Academic Executive: working closely with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost on strategic planning, budget setting, student number targets, and KPI delivery, with direct accountability for the Faculty's financial sustainability.
• Institutional Leader: sitting on the University Executive Board from day one, contributing to Bath's wider institutional strategy and policy beyond the Faculty.

Key priorities include developing a compelling and diverse educational offer; enhancing research performance and commercialisation; growing global engagement and transnational education; strengthening culture, equality, diversity and inclusion; and ensuring strong financial management.

About You

You will bring academic and/or professional qualifications relevant to the Faculty, with the credibility to lead a top-performing engineering community. You will have a proven record of leadership in higher education, motivating and developing academic and professional staff in an open, inclusive, and collaborative style. You will be an exceptional communicator, confident across a wide range of audiences, with a track record of leading change and delivering strategic results. A sound understanding of the national and international higher education landscape is essential.

Why Bath?

Bath is distinctive: compact, campus-based, and cohesive. It is a place where leaders see strategy become reality. You will join at a moment of genuine momentum, working alongside a Vice-Chancellor who is an engineer, a Provost deeply invested in Faculty performance, and a senior leadership team committed to excellence. This is a role with real autonomy: trusted to lead, empowered to act, and supported to succeed.

Further Information

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Aswin Satheesh Raju, Talent Acquisition Researcher.

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 31 March 2026. Interviews will be held on 1 May 2026.