CANDIDATE BRIEF

Overview of the Role

Faculty of Medicine and Health

Leeds Institute of Medical Education

Interim Admissions Lead for MBChB and Gateway to Medicine

This role will be based on the university campus with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner.   We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

Are you passionate about selecting the best medical students onto our undergraduate medical degrees?

The Admissions Lead for MBChB plays an important, strategic and co-ordinating role in selecting students for the School’s undergraduate medical programme. 

The Admissions Lead for MBChB has responsibility for supporting the Head of Admissions for the School in managing the annual admissions process for approximately 280 undergraduate students onto the MBChB programme as well as the implementation of the associated policies and procedures required to securely underpin the admissions cycle in line with School, Faculty and University strategy and objectives. 

The responsibilities require a pro-active approach and liaison across the School of Medicine and with academic and student education service colleagues across the Faculty of Medicine & Health and the University. 

We are seeking a highly motivated individual who is passionate about selecting the best students onto our undergraduate medical degree and wishes to contribute to the development of our selection processes where you will have a specific remit for admissions to the MBChB programme and Gateway to Medicine programme. 

The expected time allocation for this post is 0.3 FTE, and you must be able to work flexibly to carry out the requirements of this role. This interim role will be available for up to one year.

What we offer in return

• 26 days holiday plus approx.16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – That’s 42 days a year!
• Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.
• Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team, and self-development courses including languages, Creative Writing, Wellbeing Therapies and much more.
• Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.

And much more!  

If you are looking for a role that will give you the opportunity to work within a committed team to further the development of best practice selection processes for tomorrow’s doctors, apply today.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: 

Professor Gail Nicholls, Professor of Medical Education and Recruitment. Email: g.c.nicholls@leeds.ac.uk.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Overview of the Role

For candidates already employed by the University of Leeds, this role is available on a workload remission basis. For clinical applicants who do not currently hold a substantive contract of employment with the University, the engagement type and salary arrangements will be discussed at offer stage, with secondment being an option (subject to agreement from your employing organisation). The role will be open to both primary and secondary care clinicians.  However, it is essential for applicants who are employees of NHS organisations, that those organisations are affiliated with the University of Leeds.

Working with the Faculty Senior Admissions Manager, Faculty Operational Admissions Manager and the Undergraduate Admissions Team Leader, the role of the Admissions Lead is to coordinate and deliver the MBChB’s admissions policy and strategy. 

• Reporting to the Head of Admissions for the School, oversee the MBChB, Gateway Programme admissions decisions and participate in the confirmation and clearing processes. 
• Working collaboratively with relevant teams, oversee the delivery of the MBChB and Gateway programmes’ recruitment processes.
• Participate in the School Admissions Committee and proactively contribute to meeting the recruitment strategy for home/EU and international students.
• Participate in promotional activities and events in support of student recruitment, participation and presentation at School, Faculty and University Open Days and other outreach activities.
• Working with the Professor of Medical Education and Recruitment and the Faculty Admissions Managers, monitor and interpret application rates and trends throughout the admissions cycle and evaluate progress against targets. Report regular updates into programme, School and Faculty level committees so that the School has a clear overview of progress against recruitment targets set. 

Main duties and responsibilities

Admissions decisions/recruitment literature

• To oversee the assessment & processing of UCAS applications from school leavers, mature graduates & international students. 
• To oversee the assessment & processing of applications from alternative routes of entry into the our medical programmes: IMU, dental graduates, Interdisciplinary Science Foundation and the International Foundation Year.
• To support the design and development of suitable data management protocols and solutions as required to support the admissions processes.
• To assist work using both admissions and student on-course assessment data to report on the predictive validity of different elements of the admissions process. 
• To review recruitment literature and where necessary provide academic content in conjunction with programme leaders and the marketing team.  
• To assist with Access to Leeds module tutoring for the MBChB, working with the DSE and Deputy Head of Admissions for the School to ensure adequate tutors are recruited and supported to deliver this activity.
• Work with the Faculty Admissions Managers to ensure preparations are in place for confirmation and clearing and actively participate in this process.

University open days and applicant/interview days  

• To work with the Faculty Admissions Managers in the planning and execution of these events.
• To work with the Faculty Admissions Managers supporting the process of recruiting & training members of University and NHS staff and senior MBChB students to act as interviewers.
• To provide academic leadership for interview days and ad-hoc online interviews.
• Participate in the delivery of webinars and outreach events.  

Monitoring and interpreting application rates and trends throughout the admissions cycle:

• Work with the Faculty Admissions Managers on student forecasting.
• Provide updates to the School at timely points throughout the year about progress with recruitment and any concerns or changes in strategy.  
• Work with the Faculty Admissions Managers and DSE, on preparing and submitting written reports as required by the School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Health and external bodies including the General Medical Council.
• Where recruitment progress against targets is lower than expected, work with the Faculty Admissions Managers to identify actions that can be undertaken to address this.  Communicate these and work with appropriate staff to help deliver on these actions. 

Committee participation

• Attend committees both within the University and with external organisations as required including UCAT consortium. 

Qualifications and Skills

• Experience of teaching, supervising and assessing medical students.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Strong interpersonal skills to allow engagement and effective relationship building at all levels in stakeholder organisations.
• Ability to work flexibly and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to work as a member of a team.

Additional Information

University Values

All staff are expected to operate in line with the university’s values and standards, which work as an integral part of our strategy and set out the principles of how we work together. More information about the university’s strategy and values is available at https://www.leeds.ac.uk/about/doc/strategies-values 

Institute Information

 Further information about the Leeds Institute of Medical Education can be found here 

Working at Leeds 

We are a campus-based community and regular interaction with campus is an expectation of all roles in line with academic and service needs and the requirements of the role.  We are also open to discussing flexible working arrangements. To find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Leeds area visit our Working at Leeds information page. 

Fixed term for up to 12 months due to a need for temporary cover due to staff absence.

Our University  

As an international research-intensive university, we welcome students and staff from all walks of life. We foster an inclusive environment where all can flourish and prosper, and we are proud of our strong commitment to student education.  Within the School of Medicine we are dedicated to diversifying our community and we welcome the unique contributions that individuals can bring, and particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to Black, Asian, people who belong to a minority ethnic community; people who identify as LGBT+; and disabled people. Candidates will always be selected based on merit and ability.

Information for disabled candidates

Information for disabled candidates, impairments or health conditions, including requesting alternative formats, can be found on our Accessibility information page or by getting in touch with us at hr@leeds.ac.uk

Criminal Records

A criminal record check is not required for this position. However, all applicants will be required to declare if they have any ‘unspent’ criminal offences, including those pending.

Any offer of appointment will be in accordance with our Criminal Records policy. You can find out more about required checks and declarations in our Criminal Records information page.

Please note: If you are not a British or Irish citizen, from 1 January 2021 you will require permission to work in the UK. This will normally be in the form of a visa but if you are an EEA/Swiss citizen and you were resident in the UK before 31 December 2020, this will be your status under the EU Settlement Scheme.