Deputy Programme Director

Deputy Programme Director

Calling all Deputy Programme Directors

Anna Freud is seeking a Deputy Programme Director - MRes Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology (DNP) to join our world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families. More information about Anna Freud is available on our website.

Our EDI commitment

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and being an equal opportunities employer, whereby equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are core to our recruitment practices. All candidates who meet the job criteria will be considered for employment, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities and care experience.

We ask candidates to share their diversity dimensions with us to help us identify, tackle and prevent bias across the employee lifecycle. We believe a diverse workforce enhances our ability to support mental health and wellbeing, allowing us to better meet the needs of the children, young people and families we serve.

As a Disability Confident employer, disabled candidates meeting our criteria are guaranteed an interview. Applications are submitted anonymously and assessed using a fair evaluation process based on the criteria set out in our job profiles.

What we offer

We offer a range of staff benefits, including an all-in-one rewards and recognition platform called Perkbox and wellbeing offers such as finishing early on Fridays and free counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme. We are proud to have staff-led Diversity Networks offering unique opportunities for learning, connection and impact.

What you ll do

As Deputy Programme Director for the MRes in Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology (DNP), you will play a key role in delivering and developing a world-class postgraduate programme, combining academic leadership, teaching, student support, quality assurance and programme management to ensure an outstanding student experience and high academic standards.

• Lead and deliver high-quality teaching and learning by contributing to curriculum development, teaching, assessment, marking and maintaining academic excellence across the MRes programme
• Manage and coordinate the Multiple Perspectives in Child Development modules, including planning content, working with guest lecturers and seminar leaders, overseeing assessments, and continuously enhancing the student learning experience
• Support students throughout their academic journey by monitoring progress and attendance, providing pastoral and academic support, responding to student feedback, and helping to manage extenuating circumstances and student wellbeing
• Contribute to programme leadership and governance by supporting day-to-day programme management, quality assurance activities, UCL compliance requirements, exam boards, committees and strategic programme development
• Support recruitment, stakeholder engagement and programme growth through involvement in student admissions, marketing, applicant selection, recruitment of teaching staff, and collaboration with colleagues across Anna Freud, UCL and Yale University.

What you ll bring

You will be an experienced academic leader with a PhD in Psychology, Neuroscience or a related field, bringing expertise in developmental neuroscience and child psychopathology, alongside a strong track record of postgraduate teaching, curriculum development, student support and programme management within a Higher Education environment.

• Subject Matter Expertise Strong knowledge of developmental neuroscience, developmental psychopathology, child development and research methods, with a deep understanding of at least one major theoretical approach to developmental psychology
• Postgraduate Teaching and Curriculum Development Experience designing, delivering and evaluating Master's-level teaching programmes, with the ability to develop and maintain high-quality curricula and learning outcomes
• Academic Leadership and Programme Management Proven ability to lead and coordinate teaching teams, manage competing priorities, maintain academic standards and ensure programme quality and compliance within a Higher Education setting
• Student Support and Engagement Demonstrable experience providing pastoral and academic support, fostering student engagement, monitoring progress and achieving positive student feedback and outcomes
• Research Training and Stakeholder Management Experience organising and overseeing research training or placements, alongside the ability to build effective relationships with students, teaching staff, guest lecturers and external partners in multidisciplinary and international environments

Key details

Hours: Part-time 17.5 hours per week worked across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Salary: £59,258 FTE per annum, plus 6% contributory pension scheme

Location: Hybrid (a mixture of home/onsite working): staff are working onsite for at least 20% of their working hours, at our London site (4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH).

Contract type: Permanent

Next steps

Closing date for applications: midday (12pm), Monday 29 June 2026. Please note that due to high application volumes, we may close this advert early. We encourage you to apply promptly and to keep an eye on our future vacancies for more opportunities.

Notification of interview: shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Monday, 06 July 2026. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Interviews: will be held remotely in week commencing 13 July 2026

How to apply: click on the 'apply now button to apply online. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies.

Questions?

Please email us with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer we do not hold a sponsor license therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.