The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology is a distinctive higher education institution, designed to develop engineers in close connection with practice. It brings together academic study and real-world engineering in a way that reflects how engineers learn and work in industry. The Institute attracts individuals who are motivated by solving problems, understanding how things work, and applying their learning in live contexts.
Our undergraduate engineers undertake an integrated programme that combines academic study with substantive roles in Dyson’s global engineering teams. They contribute to real projects throughout their degree while studying for an MEng awarded under our own degree awarding powers. As salaried employees who graduate without tuition fee debt, they leave with both academic achievement and meaningful professional experience.
We are now seeking to appoint an Academic Head to join the Institute’s executive team at an important and ambitious stage in its development. This is a role for an academic leader who is motivated by the opportunity to work, and lead, differently. Someone who brings a strong commitment to academic quality and rigour, but who is equally energised by the opportunity to adapt, test and evolve approaches within a more integrated, industry-facing model.
Working closely with the Director, the postholder will lead the Institute’s teaching and learning strategy and community, with responsibility for academic staff, programme development, and the overall student experience. A central part of the role will be continuing to evolve the Institute’s approach to pedagogy and assessment, particularly in view of new opportunities afforded by AI, building on strong foundations while addressing the practical challenges of supporting and assessing learning in a workplace-embedded environment. This includes engaging with emerging questions around the assessment of applied, professional capability, and shaping approaches that are both academically robust and fit for purpose.
The role also offers the opportunity to work with the Director to shape a focused and applied research agenda. Research at the Institute is intentionally selective and purposeful, reflecting both academic priorities and the realities of operating within a global engineering company. This creates a set of important challenges: balancing commercial sensitivity with academic openness, aligning with Dyson’s need for timely and impactful outputs, and creating space for broader, earlier-stage enquiry that can be disseminated and published. The Academic Head will support staff to engage in research that is credible, relevant and distinctive to the Institute’s context.
Close and constructive engagement with Dyson is central to the Institute’s success. We are looking for a candidate who is comfortable operating at this interface, and who sees real value in academic staff engaging directly with the business to inform their teaching and research. This may include encouraging greater movement between academic and engineering contexts and helping to build a responsive culture in which academic and industrial perspectives actively inform one another.
Alongside this, the Academic Head will contribute to the Institute’s continued growth and outward reach, including the development of new academic provision such as credit-bearing professional qualifications, and the expansion of the Institute’s footprint internationally, particularly in South East Asia. This will require an ability to translate the Institute’s model into different contexts while maintaining its core integrity and quality.
The successful candidate will be a thoughtful and credible leader, able to operate effectively in a focused and evolving organisation. They will bring sound academic judgement, an openness to new approaches, and the ability to work productively within a corporate context. Above all, they will be motivated by the opportunity to help shape and lead a distinctive model of engineering education; engaging with the real opportunities and constraints of that model and contributing to its continued development and impact.
The Dyson Institute is building a world class academic faculty to develop the engineering leaders and innovators of the future.
We are searching for an experienced academic leader who will be responsible to the Director of the Institute for the strategic leadership, management and development of academic staff to transform the pedagogy, the implementation of academic strategy, and for ensuring an outstanding student experience.
As an integral member of the Director’s Executive Team, this is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of a unique and ambitious Higher Education institution that attracts outstandingly talented students and provides state-of the art facilities - all while benefitting from the support, resources and industrial expertise of a global technology company. Priorities include continued evolution of our programmes (including expansion into credit-bearing professional qualifications, and to digitally enabled pedagogies) and developing strategies to increase the Institute’s footprint in South East Asia.
Ideal candidates will have a mix of strategic and management skills and an appetite for high performance and driving change, coupled with the resourcefulness and adaptability to thrive in a specialist academic institution that operates in a corporate context. The appointee must have experience in leading and managing change across a broad range of activities including the development of academic staff teams, programmes of study, and quality assurance, as well as identifying, appointing, and assuring the quality of external lecturers to provide specialist teaching provision where required.
Strategic Management
Shaping and implementing the Dyson Institute’s strategy for learning, teaching, and assessment, encouraging innovation and excellence in all areas to ensure an outstanding student experience.
Developing an explicit embrace of AI in teaching, learning and assessment such that our students are equipped to function effectively and ethically in the AI-era.
Develop strategies and implementation plans to internationalise the Institute’s programmes in appropriate ways, including spearheading transitions to high-quality and well thought-through distance, blended and hybrid learning.
Working closely with the Deputy Director (Engineering Integration) to ensure coherent integration of the academic, industrial application and professional development elements of the programme.
Ensuring robust and academically credible approaches to the recognition, assessment and award of credit for learning that takes place within the workplace, alongside more formally taught provision
Ensuring that students are supported to progress, are inspired by their experience, and are equipped to achieve great things within the Dyson business.
Build credibility and excellence in all we do, championing the Institute, its ethos and accomplishments with national and international peers.
Leadership and Development
Acting as a role model, inspiring and mobilising the academic team in the delivery of the Dyson Institute’s distinctive curriculum model and educational value proposition.
Developing and leading strong external networks and strategic partnerships to enhance the Dyson Institute’s national and international reputation, while providing visible leadership in positioning it as a centre of excellence in engineering education through sector engagement and relationship-building.
Developing clear targets, milestones, and performance indicators to monitor progress in delivering The Dyson Institute’s strategic academic aims. Implementing and managing academic quality systems, policies, and procedures and ensuring programmes are designed to maintain compliance with engineering accreditation requirements.
Working with the Registrar and Professional Services Team to ensure all strategic and operational plans are supported by high-quality data and management information. Supporting the Team in ensuring compliance with the requirements of regulators (OfS and Ofsted), Health and Safety, etc.
Collaborating with the Senior Finance Manager to ensure the alignment of academic and financial objectives ensuring resources are efficiently, equitably and effectively allocated and utilised.
Line managing senior academic staff through an appropriate framework.
Identifying, appointing, and assuring the quality of specialist teaching provision from external academics and Dyson engineers/researchers, working in partnership with Dyson leadership and the wider research community.
Communicating the academic decisions and expectations of The Dyson Institute’s Executive Committee (via the Director) to all relevant stakeholders.
Actively seeking to implement the Institution’s EDI agenda and promote equality of opportunity in relation to the duties of the post.
Skills
- Proven ability to champion a strong focus on student experience and success, ensuring teaching, assessment and support practices are inclusive, engaging and responsive to diverse learner needs
- Demonstrated ability to develop and articulate strategy across a wide range of development opportunities, and to see through strategy to successful implementation
- Comfortable liaising with, and reporting to, senior executives and Council members
- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence and engage employees and stakeholders at all levels
- Ability to be outward facing and a confident external ambassador for the Institute
- Ability to lead and deliver innovation in pedagogy and assessment, particularly within work-based or practice-integrated learning environments
- Evidence of using AI ethically and productively in teaching, learning and assessment.
Experience
Proven experience of leading and managing change, ideally with experience of transforming HE organisations and driving innovation in the sector
Experience in driving academic programme development and improvements
Experience in managing, developing, and improving operational processes within a business and academic environment
A successful track record in leading on successful projects and initiatives including cultural and organisational change management
Experience of effectively using performance management and appraisal systems
Experience in overseeing and championing equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives
Appropriate academic credentials in a relevant academic discipline
Evidence of affinity with or experience in commercial business relevant to the Dyson organisation.
Knowledge
An intuitive and empathetic understanding of academic faculty and academic perspectives
A background in and in-depth knowledge of a subject relevant to the Dyson Institute’s engineering programme
Extensive knowledge of English HE regulatory requirements, preferably including apprenticeships
Substantial strategic awareness of higher education and an understanding of national and international trends, and emerging government policy
Proven financial acumen
Personal Attributes
A clear commitment to the core values of the Institute
A receptiveness and commitment to seeking and driving innovation
Resilience and the ability to take challenging decisions and maintain clear, well-evidenced positions
A ‘can do attitude’, with an eye for the bigger picture and the patience and resilience to work in a complex stakeholder environment
A desire and willingness to develop others as leaders and to build a cohesive group of academic leaders, giving timely feedback in a professional way to maintain a high-performing team
A substantive reputation as an academic leader at national level, for example as evidenced by the award of a National Teaching Fellowship.
Safeguarding
The Dyson Institute is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our learners. Successful candidates must be willing to undergo a full screening including DBS check. Issues relating to safeguarding and promoting welfare of students will be explored at interview.
BenefitsFinancial
- Performance-related bonus scheme
- Competitive pension scheme
- Life assurance
- Discounts on Dyson machines and retail discounts
- Free bus travel to and from campus (from Bristol, Bath, Chippenham, and Swindon)
Lifestyle
- 27 days’ holiday (plus bank holidays)
- Free on-site lunches, fruit, and hot drinks
- Free on-site sports centre, gym, hair salon, and lifestyle assistance (concierge)
- Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
- Ability to purchase additional holiday
Health
- Private medical insurance and dental insurance
- Employee assistance programme, digital GP, on-site physio and GP, prescription service, fertility treatment support
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How to Apply
For an informal confidential discussion, potential applicants may contact Bob Tricklebank.
Dyson is an equal opportunity employer. We know that great minds don’t think alike, and it takes all kinds of minds to make our technology so unique. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and employment decisions are made without regard to race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other any other dimension of diversity.
Skills Required
- Proven experience of leading and managing organisational change in higher education
- Experience in driving academic programme development and improvements
- Experience managing and improving operational processes within business and academic environments
- Experience using performance management and appraisal systems effectively
- Experience overseeing and championing equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives
- Appropriate academic credentials in a relevant academic discipline
- Evidence of affinity with or experience in commercial business relevant to Dyson
- Extensive knowledge of English higher education regulatory requirements (preferably including apprenticeships)
- Substantial strategic awareness of higher education and understanding of national and international trends and policy
- Proven financial acumen
- Evidence of using AI ethically and productively in teaching, learning and assessment
- Willingness to undergo full screening including DBS check
- Proven track record and substantive reputation as an academic leader at national level (e.g., National Teaching Fellowship)
- Experience transforming HE organisations and driving innovation in the sector
Dyson Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Dyson and has not been reviewed or approved by Dyson.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision offerings are broad, paired with company‑paid life and disability coverage, plus EAP, backup care, and wellness incentives. Employer‑funded healthcare dollars and premium‑discount or Lifestyle Spending Account options further enhance coverage value.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with a company match is consistently advertised on U.S. postings. This provides predictable retirement support across roles.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellbeing programs, commuter benefits, and notable product discounts supplement core coverage. Wellness incentives and a Lifestyle Spending Account expand lifestyle support beyond medical plans.
Dyson Insights
What We Do
At Dyson we are focused on solving the problems that others have ignored; solving them first using our technology and ingenuity. In order to achieve this we need to pioneer technologies that are different and authentic. This is the core of what we do and who we are. We must strive to create the future, every single day by developing new things, different things, things that go against the grain with a diverse and global team of ingenious minds. Dyson employs over 14,000 people and is present in more than 80 countries. And while we are growing fast we want Dyson to remain a start-up in spirit with the freedom of experimentation and learning, constantly reinventing our products as well as reinventing how we work, how we sell and how we support our owners. At the same time we are working through the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson Award and Dyson Institute to inspire future engineers and pioneering a new approach to engineering education. Underlining everything we do in this diverse environment is the need to always show respect, supporting each other as one team to overcome whatever challenges we encounter. We drive empowerment, development and equality in an inclusive environment for our people around the world. The future doesn’t just happen, we look to make it happen, to achieve leaps through pioneering new ideas
