Senior roles grow as UK universities invest in online education
In the last few years UK universities have been increasingly recruiting for senior leadership roles focussed on online learning, with over 40 new roles being established. This trend has accompanied the growing importance placed on online education as a whole, with more universities growing their online course portfolios.
One of the main drivers for this is a need to diversify income. For many, online education is another way to cross subsidise, much like we’ve seen through the growth of international postgraduate students on campus.
The increasing importance of online education for diversification of income along with it becoming a more competitive landscape, has meant the need for skilled & capable individuals to head up this work and navigate the landscape is critical.
However, this isn’t without its challenges, particularly for institutions for whom online learning is still relatively new. There’s also a challenge of supply due to the lack of a large pre-existing pool of people occupying these roles already in the UK.
Institutions have been approaching the establishment of new senior online roles in different ways, and it’s been interesting to observe and analyse this trend and the varying approaches in the last few years.
What job titles are appearing?
Job titles reflect everything from external consistencies through to internal idiosyncrasies, and this is reflected somewhat in the range of titles and roles being advertised.
The most notable new role in the past year has been a Pro-Vice Chancellor (PVC) role focussed on online education, and unless I’m mistaken this feels like it’s a first in the UK outside of online distance universities. There have also been a small number of Dean’s of Online Education or equivalent and a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) role created by universities.
By far the most common job titles are derivatives of Director, Associate Director or Head of Online Learning, with a few academic prefixed titles that also reflect this range, as they are either Academic Director or Academic Head.
Other key words adding to the flavour of these titles include; Operations, Development, Implementation, Programmes, Flexible, and Professional Learning.
What are the salary ranges?
Salaries aren’t always easy to ascertain, as they are not always publicised, however there’s enough information on published salaries to develop a rough picture.
On average the lower limit of salaries for senior online education roles is £57k, with the top limit averaging £77k.
Now, it’s worth saying again that this is only a rough picture, salaries are obviously reflective of the size, standing, and location of institutions, as well as other factors such as where this role is located within the structure of institutions and the scale & scope of online learning operations both now and projected into the future.
The sample is also not as comprehensive as it might have been, but nevertheless, this is an interesting rough guide amount.
Where are roles located, and what is the typical line of reporting?
Where roles are located within institutions and the reporting lines (i.e. what role the person reports into) can tell you a decent amount about different approaches and priorities.
A number of roles were direct reports of university executive team members such as PVC, DVC, or Vice-Principal. However, outside of this, there were a variety of lines of reporting ranging from Director and more senior roles focussed on partnerships and global engagement, to senior IT leadership roles, through to senior continuing education roles and senior academic development/teaching & learning centre roles.
This highlights the common variety and inconsistency of how online education originates and is managed within institutions. How these things can spring up range from the central significant moves into developing a dedicated online arm and operation, through to the more reactive creation of a singular internal role to manage an OPM partnership that’s already been setup.
What about responsibilities and scope of influence?
One of the most common and obvious areas of responsibility for senior online learning roles is around partnerships. Private partnerships with online education companies is not only a big feature of this space; they are also the increasingly dominant way that UK universities are developing and delivering online education.
It’s been interesting to observe how some of these job roles have come with the explicit responsibility that the role holder will help to instigate a partnership with an Online Programme Management (OPM) company.
The follow excerpts highlight this:
“Assess and research the Online Programme Management (OPM) market…and procure an OPM that can manage..courses and content, ensuring value for money and return on investment.”
“To put in place a contract with an appropriate external partner organisation to provide support to the University in meeting its requirements and expectations.”
To a certain extent, this speaks to the scope of influence the role holder would have, given that one of the key strategic decisions of “build or partner” is already taken off the table, and one would have to take on trust that such a decision has been grappled with effectively.
Existing OPM and online education company partnerships are also an important element, as several job adverts make clear that a key part of the role is to manage an existing relationship.
Depending on the institution's context, some of these roles can be pioneering, envisioning the appearance and structure of an operation and team, and actively recruiting to shape it. Others come with significant commercial responsibilities, including market intelligence, as well as selecting course and programme titles. While some roles are more focused on shaping the overall learning, teaching, and student experience.
In contrast, there are roles with a somewhat limited scope, particularly where an OPM partnership is well-established, leading to roles that resemble a liaison position.
What are the challenges for institutions and professionals?
One of the biggest challenges institutions face in recruiting for these senior online education roles is their relative newness in the UK. The UK lacks a long legacy of senior online education roles in universities, leading to a small pool of individuals with relevant experience over the past 5-10 years.
Unless institutions possess the clout and vision to attract the limited pool of experienced individuals, they will need to be creative and seek talent elsewhere. The later approach has been seen, with institutions recruiting from online education companies and promoting individuals with expertise in business development, partnerships, and learning & teaching
The development of these roles signifies the steady maturation of online education in UK higher education, and we can expect more such roles to emerge from strategic imperatives and growing partnerships with online education companies.
This creates a greater level of opportunity for those either working in or interested in getting into online education. In addition to the increased availability of these roles, I anticipate more movement between them in the coming years, partly because not all institutions will make successful moves into online learning. I would expect that unsuccessful forays into online education will necessitate changes and may open up future opportunities.
From an online education professional perspective, this is part of the package of things to consider when weighing up current and future opportunities. Factors such as salaries and institutional brand carry obvious appeal. However, for those aiming to significantly influence and achieve success, a broader range of indicators must be considered to ensure the right conditions are in place.
Of course, individuals have a variety of strengths, ambitions, and appetites for risk and challenges that will guide their direction and interest in specific institutional roles, but it remains a landscape to navigate with care.
If you allow me some creative license, there are parallels with football management, where opportunities range from developing at a less prestigious but well-run club to awakening a sleeping giant or reviving the fortunes of a high-profile club with star players to manage.
What lies ahead?
What’s clear is that the growth in senior online education roles within UK universities is more than a trend—it's a significant indicator of the growing importance of online education. These developments offer opportunities for professionals to engage in a dynamic sector of education and to help shape its future directions. However, these opportunities come with the inevitable challenges posed by the existing organisational cultures and contexts, given this is, at its core, change-oriented work.
As we continue to observe expansion in various facets of online education, it will be fascinating to see the different strategies and identities that senior online learning professionals help establish, and to note where and how ambitions are realised or ultimately fall short.
