Junior Dean

Junior Dean: Further Particulars

Keble is one of the largest of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, with about 425 undergraduates
and 400 graduate students, of whom roughly half are from overseas.  In 1870 its founders wished to
extend  access  to  the  University  more  widely,  and  the  College  strongly  continues  to  promote  its
reputation for being friendly, supportive and inclusive.  The Junior Deans play a very central role in
this.

Our undergraduates reside on the Parks Road site, which has a library, Hall, theatre, café, pizza bar,
gym, chapel, music rooms, bar,  several common rooms  and four  quadrangles whilst our graduates
reside in our HB Allen Centre (a 5-minute walk from Parks Road site) located between Banbury Road
and Woodstock Road and has a café, gym and common rooms.

The Junior Deans are part of the College’s supportive welfare and decanal teams. The Welfare Team
consists of the Welfare Fellow (Fr Max Kramer) and the Student Support Officer (Ms Layla Al-Katib),
who is the line manager of the Junior Deans, as well as the College Nurse.  The Decanal team consists
of the College’s Dean (Dr Sabrina Martin - to whom Junior Deans report discipline matters) and the
Sub-Dean.

There are currently four Junior Deans, they work as a closely-knit collaborative team, liaising with a
wide range of staff and students. They provide emergency call out cover in College outside of daytime
office hours, as well as daytime cover when the Student Support Officer is away.

The main duties and responsibilities of the Junior Deans are to:

•  Provide assistance to the Lodge porters in the event of fire or emergency
•  Act as first responder for student welfare and discipline issues within the College sites
•  Authorise student parties, clubs and society meetings and dinners within the College according to

established procedures

•  Undertake training provided by the University Counselling Service, if not previously trained
•  Undertake first aider training within the first few months of taking up office, if not already first aid

qualified

•  Participate  in  Keble’s  Domestic  Committee  and  Welfare  Committee,  sub-committees  of  the

Governing Body.  Junior Deans are not members of Governing Body itself

•  Draw up the duty rota (see below)

Although the role of Junior Deans is primarily welfare orientated, they can be empowered by the Dean
to impose fines and penalties on junior members who breach the College Regulations.

Hours of work

Junior deans provide call-out cover during nights (5:30pm to 8:30am) and weekends (for a full 24-
hour period).  Junior Deans also cover the daytime period (8:30am to 5:30pm) on some weekdays
during the vacation periods (excluding the closure periods detailed below) which includes two
regular days per week when the Student Support Officer (SSO) works from home and, given
reasonable notice, any periods when the SSO is on annual leave.

The Junior Deans have to agree a roster to share duty shifts equitably between themselves.

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Junior Deans provide the cover detailed above from 1 September to 30 June (excluding a two-week
closure over Christmas and a five-day closure over the Easter Bank Holiday, except on the occasions
when the Easter weekend falls within 0th week of Trinity Term).
This means that Junior Deans can take time away during the closure periods over Christmas and
Easter, and in July and August.  Additionally, further time away can be agreed mutually between
Junior Deans (along with agreement from SSO), provided an acceptable level of cover is in place.

In order to fulfil their responsibilities Junior Deans must, when on duty:

During the Night:
Remain within the University area and at night (5:30pm to 8:30am), be in communication with the
Lodge by mobile phone and be able to reach there within 10 minutes.

During the Day:
Remain within Oxford (8:30am to 5:30pm), be in communication with the Lodge by mobile phone
and be able to reach there within 20 minutes.

The actual hours of work will fluctuate according to circumstances and are to a certain degree
unpredictable.  The role should generally involve roughly 6 hours a week – more for the senior of the
Junior Deans than the junior – although Junior Deans are expected actively to participate in College
life and to be much in evidence around the College.

Applicants must ensure that the terms of their visa allow them to undertake the duties of the post.
(The post should call for no more than 20 working hours per week, making it compatible with a Tier-4
visa. If appointed, Tier-4 visa holders would need to alert their line manager if they risk exceeding this
limit).

Students  who  undertake  placements  or  fieldwork  as  part  of  their  course  may  not  have  suitable
availability for the time demands of this position.

Sites

Keble College Parks Road site is located on Parks Road.  Recently, we have built the HB Allen Centre, a
large predominantly graduate centre located between the Banbury Road and Woodstock Road.  The
duty Junior Dean is expected to also cover any matters arising at the HB Allen Centre as well as the
Parks Road site, when on call.

Applicants must obtain the agreement of their academic supervisors that their research or other
academic commitments can be combined with the demands of the post.   The successful candidate
will be required to provide documentary evidence of his or her eligibility for employment in the UK
(and for the duration of the post) before starting work with the College.

Start dates

We are looking to recruit one Junior Dean position for a period of two years.  The successful
candidate must be available from mid September; the actual start will be confirmed in due course.

Stipend

There is an annual stipend of £3,467 as well as an additional payment of £287 (subject to uplift). This
is paid via monthly instalments.

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Benefits

Accommodation:

Meals:

All Junior Deans reside in College free of charge.
Accommodation is single occupancy only.  We are unable to provide
any accommodation for partners or families.
Free meals in Hall, and two lunches and one dinner each week in the
Senior Common Room

Common room membership:  Membership of both the Senior Common Room and the Middle

Common Room

The total value of this package associated with employment is approximately £20,500.

Eligibility and selection criteria

To be eligible for this position, candidates must:
•  Be a full-time postgraduate at the University of Oxford, undertaking research, with the

expectation that their course will continue for at least the two-year period of their Junior Dean
appointment.

•  Be able to start in mid September 2026 to serve the full two years of office, which should

coincide with their research and/or degree.

•  Be willing to become a member of Keble College if not one already (although migrating from

another College is not compulsory).

•  Be willing to undertake the Junior Dean training course run by the counselling service.
•  Ensure that the terms of their visa allow them to undertake the duties of the post.  (The post

should call for no more than 20 working hours per week, making it compatible with a Tier-4 visa.
Tier-4 visa holders would need to alert the Student Support Officer if they risk exceeding this
limit).

•  Be prepared to become a first aider, if not already.

To be successful, candidates will also need to demonstrate that they meet all or most of the
following criteria:
•  ability to shoulder the twin roles and responsibilities of discipline and pastoral support in  a

sensitive but firm combination;

•  ability to respond reliably, promptly, responsibly, and exercise good judgment in stressful

situations

•  have previous experience in a role supporting others;
•  be experienced in providing support to others in difficulty;
•  willingness to espouse the College’s commitment to inclusiveness, its promotion of a supportive
environment in which learning can flourish, and its encouragement of a vibrant community
whose students excel not only academically but also in music, drama, and sport;

•  have good interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work well with others;
•  willingness to show commitment to and participation in College life;
•  be familiar with the graduate and/or undergraduate life of an Oxford College.

How to apply

Please provide a full CV (no longer than 2 pages), a covering letter (no longer than 2 pages) outlining
the skills and qualities you could bring to the post, and two references, one of which should be from
your graduate studies supervisor: see “Hours of Work”, above.
The application must address all the eligibility and selection criteria.  Please focus closely on these
criteria. Detailed information about your academic research and career is not required.

Applications and references should be sent to hr@keble.ox.ac.uk.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the references are received by the deadline and all
must be received by 5pm on Friday 1st May and will be acknowledged by email.

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Applicants may contact the Student Support Officer or Junior Deans for advice on the position.

Student Support Officer: student.support@keble.ox.ac.uk
Junior Deans:

junior.dean@keble.ox.ac.uk

Keble College is an equal opportunities employer.

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