Stipendiary Lecturer in Geography

Brasenose College wishes to appoint a 4-hour Stipendiary Lecturer from 1st October 2026 to September 2027. The person appointed will co-ordinate with the Geography Fellows and Lecturers to teach the full range of topics in physical geography for Preliminary and Final Honours School papers. The Lecturer will also participate in student admissions and assist generally in the running of the Geography programme in collaboration with the subject tutors.

The salary will be within the range £11,270 – £12,446 per annum, according to qualifications and experience. Note that this is a 0.33 FTE Grade 5 appointment. Further particulars, including details of pension provision, allowances, and lunch and dining rights, are available below.

An application form, letter of application, and CV should be submitted online here.

The closing date for applications is noon on Friday 26 June and interviews for the position will be held on Wednesday 29 July. Any queries about the application process should be addressed to the Academic Registrar, Brasenose College, Oxford, OX1 4AJ (tel: 01865 277823; email: academic.registrar@bnc.ox.ac.uk).

Brasenose College is an equal opportunity employer.

The Appointment

Applications are invited for a Stipendiary Lecturer in Physical Geography at Brasenose College, Oxford. The post is tenable from 1st October 2026 to 30 September 2027. This is a teaching-only post, and the salary will be within the range of £11,270 – £12,446 per annum, plus allowances, according to qualifications and experience. Note that this is a 0.33 FTE Grade 5 appointment and the salary reflects this. The appointee will have the option of becoming or remaining a member of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS).

The salary range will require candidates to demonstrate that they possess the right to work in the UK since the salary will not meet the UKVI’s minimum threshold to enable a Skilled Worker Visa appointment. Since this is a teaching-only position, candidates must also be available to start by the specified start date.

The post is to replace a lecturer who has been offered a new post at another College, subject to approval by the new College’s Governing Body on 17th June. This role at Brasenose is therefore conditional on that approval.

Brasenose College

Brasenose College is one of the older foundations in the University of Oxford.  Across all years within the College, there are approximately 375 undergraduates and 250 graduates. The College’s senior members comprise the Principal, Fellows (45 of whom constitute the Governing Body), and College Lecturers. Brasenose’s paramount objective is the pursuit of academic excellence for the public benefit and is concerned to foster research as well as high-quality teaching.  The College has a substantial library, mainly for undergraduate use, and well-developed IT provision.  Further information about the College can be found at www.bnc.ox.ac.uk.

The College has a reputation for being open and friendly and we are keen to be inclusive, encouraging applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds. As a Stipendiary Lecturer, you will be welcomed into the Brasenose community, and through our various events, and especially over lunch (which is very popular and well-attended), you would have the chance to interact with a broad range of other academics across many different disciplines. The appointment offers scope to get as involved in the social and intellectual life of the College as you wish. Throughout the year, there are also opportunities to invite guests – a hospitality allowance (detailed below) encourages academics to do this. Brasenose also seeks to be a family-friendly employer and wherever possible will consider a flexible approach to work.

Brasenose admits 6 undergraduate students per year to study Geography. The college also admits graduate students of high calibre studying for the M.Sc and D.Phil courses offered by the School of Geography and the Environment, but there are no teaching duties for graduate students.

Duties

The person appointed will co-ordinate with the Geography Fellows and Lecturers to:

• Teach 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students the full range of topics in physical geography for Preliminary papers (Earth Systems Processes, Geographical Controversies, Geographical Techniques) and FHS papers (Earth System Dynamics, Environmental Geography, Geographical Thought) and associated revision classes;
• Deliver teaching in theory and methods of geographical research;
• Supervise undergraduate dissertations;
• Undertake other teaching duties as appropriate, including termly collections (College exams), providing regular feedback and submitting student reports, and participating in reviews of student progress;
• Take a full part in the undergraduate admissions processes for Geography candidates.

A weighting system moderates the amount of contact time needed to fulfil the teaching obligation. For Tutorials given to one student the weight is 1, for two students it is 1.25, and for three or more students the weight is 1.5.  As far as possible, the tutorial teaching will be provided to pairs of students.

Teaching will principally be to undergraduates of Brasenose College, but some exchange of teaching with colleagues in other colleges may be possible, and is often desirable in order to enable undergraduates to be taught by experts in their range of options.

The Stipendiary Lecturer will work alongside other academic staff. They will be expected to play an active part in the life of the College, sharing in the general responsibilities towards Geography teaching. They will undertake all the normal duties of an undergraduate tutor, including mentoring and pastoral oversight, writing references, writing termly reports, attending end of term collections, setting and marking College exams and providing feedback, and organising and attending relevant start of term meetings.

The undergraduate admissions duties associated with the post are: participation in College open days; communication with potential candidates if required; preparation for the annual admission process, including analysis of candidates and attendance of meetings, and participating in interviews.

The College offers undergraduates the opportunity to give feedback on Tutorial and class teaching each year. The current system consists of termly individual electronic feedback.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria for the post are:

1. A high quality of education and training at first-degree and postgraduate level in the appropriate areas of Geography (essential). A doctorate in the subject is preferred but applicants studying for a doctorate in the subject who are close to completion will be considered.
2. It is essential that the successful candidate has an aptitude for teaching students with high ability, including experience with small group teaching, and sufficient depth and breadth of knowledge in physical geography to develop new teaching materials as appropriate;
3. The ability and experience to contribute teaching across the full range of topics in physical geography for Preliminary papers (Earth Systems Processes, Geographical Controversies, Geographical Techniques) and FHS papers (Earth System Dynamics, Environmental Geography, Geographical Thought). The CV and covering letter should provide full details of relevant teaching experience.
4. The successful candidate will show evidence of an ability and willingness to participate in the full range of pastoral, administrative and similar duties required in the post;
5. Experience of undergraduate admissions (desirable);
6. Excellent communication, interpersonal and organisational skills to support undergraduate teaching;
7. The successful candidates must be available to start at the advertised start date.

Notice Period and Probation

The Stipendiary Lectureship is offered on a fixed term basis to provide additional teaching as the number of Geography undergraduates at the college reaches a steady state following an adjustment to the subject quota. A permanent version of this post may be advertised once the permanent teaching need is established. The appointment will end on 30th September 2027 unless the College, for operational reasons, ends the post sooner. It should be noted that the expectation is that the entire period of each University Term of this Lectureship will be worked. Should exceptional circumstances arise, one month’s notice may be given by either party, or such longer notice as is required by statute.

The College reserves the right to end employment without notice or payment in lieu of notice in cases of summary dismissal on grounds of gross misconduct.

Right to Work

To comply with UK employment legislation the successful candidate will be required to provide documentary evidence of his or her eligibility for employment before taking up the post.

The appointment will be subject to satisfactory provision of proof of the right to work in the UK.

Further information is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

Remuneration 

Stipend. The salary will be within the range £11,270 – £12,446 per annum, plus allowances, according to qualifications and experience. The figure will be adjusted in line with any reviews of the University’s recommended salary scale for University Lecturers that may occur during the tenure of the post.

Allowances. The Stipendiary Lecturer will be entitled to two lunches or dinners per week free of charge at common table at Brasenose, when the College kitchens are open during Term and the vacations. The College will provide a Hospitality Budget (currently £160 p.a.) and an Academic Budget (currently £257 p.a.)

Medical Questionnaire

The appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion of a medical questionnaire if required.

Equal Opportunities Policy

The colleges of Oxford University are equal opportunities employers.  They will work to remove any barriers, real or perceived, which might deter people of the highest quality from applying to the colleges as staff.  Entry into employment and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each particular post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration. Subject to statutory provisions, no applicant or member of staff will be treated less favourably than another because of their gender, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or parental status, sexual orientation, religion or belief, racial group, age or disability.

How to Apply

The closing date for applications is noon on Friday 26 June. Candidates should submit the following documents via our online portal, https://submit.bnc.ox.ac.uk, using the Applications for Academic Appointments box:

1. A completed application form.
2. A letter of application, which should include statements of how the candidate satisfies the selection criteria, and other relevant experience.
3. A curriculum vitae (including the names, addresses and telephone numbers of two academic referees).

Queries about the application process can be sent to the Academic Registrar, Brasenose College, Oxford OX1 4AJ (academic.registrar@bnc.ox.ac.uk).

Timetable for applications and appointment

The timetable for making the appointment is as follows:

(a)       The final date for the receipt of applications is noon on Friday 26 June.

(b)       A short-list will be drawn up shortly afterwards.  Candidates are asked to provide a telephone and email address, indicating where they can be reached during the week beginning Monday 6 July.

(c)       Interviews will be held on Wednesday 29 July.

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 UK Data Protection Act 2018. Please see the relevant privacy notice on the website:

https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/about-brasenose/official-information/286-privacypolicies

Disclaimer

This summary of terms and conditions is provided for information purposes and the contents do not constitute a contract of employment.