Junior Dean vacancy

Stipend £3,000 p.a. plus accommodation allowance and lunches
Closing date: Wednesday 11 November 2026 at 12:00

The college intends to appoint a Green Templeton student to the role of Junior Dean to start in Hilary Term 2027. The appointed person will join the college’s welfare team, which includes two experienced Junior Deans, who together form a team of three at any one time.

Junior Deans are a key part of the college’s welfare team and residential community. They are expected to be mature, responsible, and excellent communicators. They must be able to confidently make judgements, be unafraid to challenge others, and be friendly, socially-minded, and keen to make a positive difference to the college community, as demonstrated by proactive engagement with student life on site and in our residences. Previous experience of student welfare-related support and activities will be an advantage to candidates interested in applying for this position.

Each Junior Dean is expected to devote 10 hours per week to the position. The incoming Junior Dean will be booked onto the University’s training programme in Hilary Term; attending this programme is a requirement of the role.  There will also be an opportunity for some handover with our outgoing Junior Dean in December 2026.

Candidates should be Green Templeton students who are certain of holding student status at Oxford for the duration of their contract and our preference will be to appoint a new Junior Dean at a date that will allow them to join the rota early into their contract in HT27 (starting 0^th Week) and to extend their contract, subject to satisfactory performance, for a further year from August 2027 to August 2028. Our Junior Deans will be required to live in Green Templeton accommodation and should not have any plans for time away from Oxford for the length of the appointment, and especially during term time (Weeks 0-10) when they must be available on site. The Junior Dean role can be demanding, and so it is crucial that applicants are making good progress with their studies, and all shortlisted candidates will be expected to provide assurance that they would have the support of their academic supervisor/adviser should they be offered the role. This position is not suitable for students on one-year Masters or other intensively taught programmes, or for those on any programmes which require regular commitments away from Oxford.

Potential applicants must carefully review the role’s key responsibilities (below), along with its Terms and Conditions, and are asked to indicate that they meet all essential requirements as outlined in the Person Specification (below) in their application materials.

Main Purpose of Role

The primary role of the Junior Deans is to foster a positive sense of belonging and wellbeing in Green Templeton College through the provision of general welfare support, signposting and guidance to students. Junior Deans have a central role within the college’s welfare team, acting as key liaison figures between college staff and students, which includes the Lodge and other Domestic teams, as well as the Senior Tutor and Academic Registrar. Operating a 24hr rota throughout Weeks 0-10, Junior Deans are the first point of contact for welfare concerns raised by students outside of conventional college office hours.

Key responsibilities of the role

Student Welfare

• To know, and to be known by, student members of the college. This means being visible and approachable to students regularly at (e.g.) college lunches, welfare brunches and other key college events. It also means working with the GCR, Peer Supporters or other students to offer some low-key welfare activities each term, e.g. picnics, walks, teas, or residence-based meet-ups.
• To proactively and reactively support students by responding to welfare issues and needs, signposting on to relevant professional or academic services as appropriate and extending confidentiality with the Senior Tutor, Academic Registrar and Dean of Welfare as necessary.
• In responding to welfare concerns or needs, Junior Deans will maintain a connection with a student whilst they secure any necessary specialist support and proactively provide some follow-up support, where helpful.
• To support college staff to maintain an atmosphere in college and college accommodation conducive to learning by encouraging considerate co-living and understanding of, and compliance with, the rules and regulations of the college and the university.
• Support the Lodge Porters should they require assistance in responding to fire-alarm, security, and accommodation incidents, and any other emergencies that occur outside of normal office working hours.
• To keep welfare and fairness of all persons involved at the heart of dealing with and reporting any concerns raised related to student conduct.
• In respect of the above, to respond to and report any concerns around student conduct, escalating issues to the academic team, the Lodge or Security Services, as required, and in coordination with the Dean of Discipline and Domestic Bursar where relevant.
• At all times, to maintain strict confidentiality in line with college and university Guidance.
• To complete Junior Dean Training (40h) and Prevent training (1h), as well as other training as required by Human Resources or Senior Tutor of Green Templeton College.

 Accessibility and Monitoring

• Junior Deans are expected to reside in college and operate a 24-hour on-call rota throughout term (defined as Weeks 0-10 inclusive) except for times when granted permission by the Senior Tutor.
• Junior Deans should work closely with the GCR and other student groups, especially with regard to ensuring there is relevant welfare support at larger college events, including BOPs or balls, when appropriate.
• To maintain a confidential record of cases, incidents and activities; produce reports as requested.
• To refer health and safety issues to the college’s Health and Safety Officer.
• To attend meetings related to their role. These will include (but may not be limited to) regular welfare catch-ups, Welfare Committee meetings (2h a term), monthly meetings with the line manager, JD supervisions (4h a term).
• Outside of extended term (weeks 0-10), the Junior Deans will be asked to organise a rota that ensures one JD is available to students via email/Teams during day-time hours (10:00 to 18:00). Payment for out-of-term hours will be independent of the contractual Junior Dean compensation, and organised on a retainer basis (see below). Junior Deans to take responsibility for rota-ing themselves equitably.

Coordination, Communication and Representation

• To communicate effectively with the Senior Tutor, Academic Registrar, Domestic Bursar and Deans and involve them when appropriate.
• To communicate effectively and regularly with students, including via newsletters and by contributing to college inductions and welcome events.
• To work closely and collaboratively with the other Junior Dean(s), dividing tasks, such as those listed below, equitably and sharing information as appropriate.
• To help to co-ordinate a consistent system of good communication and close working with the ‘frontline’ welfare team, which includes Green Templeton Accommodation team, Lodge, Peer Supporters, college Nurse and Domestic Bursar.
• To sit on the Welfare Committee and attend other welfare or discipline-related meetings as required.
• To undergo training to become an Invigilator and to invigilate exams in college from time to time. Occasionally, this could take place at a weekend.        

Person Specification

Essential

• Applicants must be a graduate student enrolled at Green Templeton College for the duration of their appointment and eligible to work in the UK, preferably from 10 January 2027 until 31 August 2028.
• Ability to relate to, and communicate professionally with, staff, fellows, and students.
• Ability to be approachable, empathic, and listen sensitively without being judgmental.
• A commitment to confidentiality when dealing with sensitive and personal issues, including when communicating with colleagues, including other Junior Deans and the college staff team
• Ability to act as an advocate when required.
• Ability to respond and adapt to a wide range of unpredictable changes or situations which may require crisis management and de-escalation skills, individually and as part of a team.
• Ability to respond in a timely and considerate manner to both welfare and minor conduct issues.
• Strong experience of working effectively, fairly and thoughtfully as part of a team.
• Ability to take the lead, once provided with the appropriate training, in practical situations involving health and safety.
• Ability to keep meticulous, confidential records and write reports to deadline.
• Understanding of graduate student life and its academic pressures and welfare issues.
• Commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and embedding these principles in all aspects of the Junior Dean role.
• Must be equipped to cope with the demands with the role without it impacting adversely on academic study. Candidates should be prepared to provide assurance that they are making satisfactory academic progress.
• Must be able to meet the time commitments required of the position (further details below – see Terms and Conditions) and to live in Green Templeton accommodation.

Desirable

• Experience of welfare work within a college/university/student residential setting – Junior Dean, Common Room Welfare or Peer Supporter, or similar role supporting students.
• Experience of adopting a flexible work style for duties, including working unsociable hours including evenings, weekends and during vacations.

Green Templeton welcomes applications from people from all sections of the community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as LGBTQ+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, who currently are under-represented in the college staff team.

Terms and Conditions of Employment

Training and Support

Each Junior Dean will be required to attend the University Counselling Service’s 30-hour Junior Dean training course and to take a one-day course in First Aid. The Junior Deans will further be required to attend the Counselling Service’s fortnightly Junior Dean supervisions during term time throughout their tenures as Junior Deans.

The Junior Deans may also choose, but are not required, to attend welfare and safety training courses offered through OUSU, Nightline, and other providers.

Time commitment

It is expected that the Junior Deans will each commit to an average of 10 hours per week on these duties during weeks 0-10 inclusive.  Junior Deans will be asked to live on-site and co-ordinate their activities to provide maximum cover for the college. In addition, this will involve being on-call during evenings, overnight and weekends.

The expectations of work for on-call duties are as follows:

• To ensure that one Junior Dean is on call and a second is always available to provide additional support on-site during term time through weeks 0 to 10 inclusive. A 2-week rota system is recommended, although the JD team will have freedom to organise the rota as required. The Junior Dean on call is expected to respond as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours, to any non-urgent situation reported. Urgent situations that occur out of hours should be escalated to relevant professional services via the Lodge and reported to relevant college officers as required.
• To monitor the JD email, triage enquiries, and reply to non-urgent issues in a reasonable amount of time. Junior Deans are expected to be readily available for students requiring help or support of a pastoral nature, and will also be receptive to an informal approach.
• To arrange a suitable handover at the end of the shift. This will include a list of ongoing and outstanding issues, as well as a record of situations that have been dealt with.
• Some student issues may be most appropriately handled by a single Junior Dean regardless of the rota. Examples include acute issues, situations where continuity of care and support needs to be established, or simply students who wish to speak to a particular Junior Dean, for example, due to pre-existing relationships with students, gender, or ethnicity. In these cases, the Junior Dean involved will monitor the situation while off-call and request support from senior staff or the other Junior Deans when necessary.
• To check on the whereabouts and wellbeing of any student member of the college about whom there is concern.
• To deal with occasional urgent situations, such as illness, when they arise and to ensure the appropriate professional services are called and college officers alerted.
• In matters related to discipline, Junior Deans are expected to exercise their own judgement in the upholding of college regulations and will report serious violations to their line manager, Accommodation Manager, Domestic Bursar, or directly to the Dean of Discipline as required.
• To respond to call-outs 24/7 and deal with minor misdemeanours directly when it is safe to do so. If it is unsafe to do so, then to arrange support from the Lodge, the University Security Service, or the Police.

Annual leave entitlement

Junior deans will be entitled to 38 days annual leave calculated pro-rata for part-time hours and for term-time working per year. Junior Deans will be expected to reside onsite during weeks 0-10 of term and to take their annual leave out of term time during the University vacation periods, specifically the three weeks of Christmas and Easter vacation after week 10 and the first three weeks of July in the Long Vacation.

It is expected that Junior Deans will co-ordinate annual leave with their line manager to ensure that at least one Junior Dean is available at any one time during these vacation periods.

Permission for short periods of leave during term where it is required to attend conferences or similar that are important for academic work will not be declined without good reason, though it will be necessary to ensure that the required on-call rota can be delivered throughout weeks 0-10. Leave for longer would normally require agreement for a sabbatical to ensure that alternative cover can be arranged.

Probationary Period

Newly appointed Junior Deans will be subject to a six-month probationary period.

Term

Our preference is for candidates to be available to start from 11 January 2027 with a contract to the end of August 2028 in the first instance.

Remuneration

The college will provide an accommodation allowance of £945 per month (academic year 2026-27) to each Junior Dean. Junior Deans who select a room within this allowance will therefore incur no accommodation charges; if a Junior Dean requests a room at a higher cost, they will pay the difference between the allowance and the cost of the room. Junior Deans will also have lunch-time dining rights (when the kitchen is open), and a stipend of £3,000 per year paid termly in three instalments.

Additional pay by way of a daily on-call retainer (two hours per day paid at the equivalent of the University’s Scale 5 rate per hour) will be arranged for the vacation periods (as detailed above) to ensure that one Junior Dean is available throughout the year.

Green Templeton College is an independent employer and does not automatically apply University of Oxford employment terms and conditions or policies.

Recruitment Timetable

Application closing date

Wednesday 11 November at 12:00

Interview

Interviews will take place on Wednesday 25 November, in person at Green Templeton College (times to be confirmed).  As there are several staff members involved in the selection process, it will not be possible to alter the interview date.

Candidates shortlisted for interview will be asked to contact our current Junior Deans separately to arrange a short informal meeting/call prior to attending the interviews. This is to give shortlisted candidates an opportunity to ask any questions about the role and to meet the other members of the JD team.

In the interests of economy, we will only contact those candidates who have been shortlisted for interview and they will be informed by email. Applicants are welcome to telephone or email to check the progress of their application.

How to apply

Please submit the following to hr@gtc.ox.ac.uk by Wednesday 11 November at 12:00 noon. Late applications will not be considered.

• Covering letter summarising interest in, and suitability for, this post. It is recommended that candidates detail how they meet all essential criteria as outlined in the Person Specification.
• CV providing details of relevant achievements as well as your professional and educational history.
• A Diversity Monitoring Form which will assist us with monitoring equal opportunities in recruitment. We can assure you that the information given is kept separately from the information used in recruitment decisions; that all information is strictly confidential, used purely for statistical purposes and to ensure that policies are being applied fairly.
• Contact details of two referees. Green Templeton will assume that it is free to approach referees at any stage of the application process unless the applicant states otherwise. Normally, one of the referees would be a current academic supervisor.

Data Protection

All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post, and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the College’s Data Protection Policy.