King's College London

About us

The Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London is one of the oldest law schools in England and recognised as one of the best law schools in the world. 

We are based in the East Wing of Somerset House, a Grade One listed building, on our Strand Campus, a short walk from the Royal Courts of Justice and Inns of Court in the heart of legal London. Our location enables us to have excellent contacts with practitioners and policymakers, and we have a strong tradition of engagement with the legal profession. 

About the role

The Dickson Poon School of Law is seeking to appoint to a Professor of Law. The post-holder will be an outstanding candidate with research interests and teaching expertise in their field of Law. The successful candidate will also take on the role of Vice Dean (Research) within the school, for a 4-year tenure.

The Vice Dean (Research) is a member of the senior leadership team in the School and has overall responsibility for leading the School’s preparation for REF2028 and overseeing research grant funding activity, research resources, the Postgraduate Research programmes and impact activity within the School. 

The post-holder will exercise world-class academic leadership in research and teaching. We are open to the candidate’s field of specialist expertise within law, although expertise that complements existing expertise is desirable. The successful candidate will be expected to undertake world-leading research and to have a deep personal commitment to the delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching of the highest quality. Teaching responsibilities will be limited during the tenure of the Vice Deanship. 

We embrace equality, diversity and inclusion. We attract students and staff from across the world, from many different backgrounds, with a variety of ethnicities, religions, and sexual and gender identities. We promote flexible working as a key enabler of inclusion. We particularly encourage and welcome applications from women, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, and from candidates who are LGBTQ+ and/or have a disability. 

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract.

About you

Essential criteria

1.       PhD, DPhil, JSD, or equivalent experience in Law.

2.       Have an established international reputation in Law as proven by outstanding contribution through research publications, and a substantial record of highly cited publications of original research.

3.       Have a substantial record of grant acquisition and a strategy for further grant capture.

4.       Excellent teaching skills, and a proven track record of teaching at postgraduate (including PhD) and undergraduate level, including competence with electronic learning platforms and other IT skills.

5.       Experience of leading an academic function (e.g research, education, a Law department).

6.       Understanding of current issues in Law and Higher Education.

7.       Excellent oral and written communication skills.

8.       Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships, to work on own initiative and as part of a team, including to deadlines, and to contribute to the School’s culture of collaboration.

Desirable criteria

1.       HEA Fellowship

2.       Experience in impact and engagement activities.

3.       Experience of leading a REF submission.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held the week of 24th February or 3rd March 2025.

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.