Job Shadowing HE: Reflections on Season 2

Season 2 of Job Shadowing HE is now complete. The Season has contributed 10 more stories about working in Higher Education, and a total of 30 episodes are now freely available offering a unique sector resource that shares insight into the working lives and career paths of HE colleagues.?

While Season 1 was experimental, shiny and new, designing Season 2 came with an element of trepidation what with sequels being notorious for not quite hitting the mark. Knowing that the audience was growing, my aim was to provide some element of continuity whilst also offering something extra. And through combination of design, and the willingness and brilliance of my guests, the trepidation was replaced with 10 new creations.

Season 2 not only focuses on specific HE jobs, but delves further into topics we don’t talk about that much . Starting the Season with Andrea Bolshaw ’s experience of life as an interim was a fantastic way to understand more about that style of working life, including how you might become an interim, what it’s like day-to-day and what it’s like for colleagues working with interims. Andrea’s candid story now provides a unique new resource for colleagues to draw upon to inform their own working lives or future career paths.

As colleagues progress their HE careers, the point may come when they are approached by an executive search firm, or where they may want to approach the search firm themselves. So how does this all work? In Episode 2, Anderson Quigley partners, Claire Lauder and Akhil Yerneni expertly stepped us through ‘Demystifying Executive Search’. Claire and Akhil offered invaluable insight into working with a search firm – for both permanent and interim roles – as well as offering more general advice about how to build back up if you don’t secure an appointment. Again, this episode means there is now a go-to resource to understand more about executive search to support colleagues progress their career journeys.

I was particularly pleased that Dr Diana Beech , CEO of London Higher, accepted my invitation to be the guest in Episode 3. Her career background, including roles at the Higher Education Policy Institute as well as subsequently being Special Advisor to several Secretaries of State in the Department for Education, offered further insight into career pathways within the HE sector, as well as how you can become a CEO. Profiling sector body work on the podcast also shows the different types of organisation it is possible to work for, and why advocacy for HE is vital. Diana’s episode is a great inspiration.

Episodes 4, 5 and 6 each profiled different guests and topics. But they also profiled the role that these colleagues had in contributing research designed to support the future of the sector. In Episode 4, it was a delight to spend time with Dr David Gilani , Head of Student Engagement and Advocacy at Middlesex University who offered invaluable insight into the student engagement career pathway, the role he has at Middlesex (including being a staff governor) and the PhD he has recently completed into research on student belonging which is already having a notable impact across the sector.

In Episode 5, it was a pleasure to meet Kelli Wolfe MSc, FAHEP , Deputy Academic Registrar at the University of Roehampton who, along with sharing insight into her career pathway, discussed the published research she’s undertaken on staff burnout in university professional services. Talking openly about this topic, supported by Kelli’s passion for the sector to address it, and with published research findings to back it up, felt like an important matter to cover at a time when the sector can feel very challenging for many colleagues.

Challenge was a theme that continued into Episode 6, when it was a privilege to spend time with Dr Monika Nangia , Academic Registrar and Director of Student & Academic Services at Durham University, who is leading sector research – and action – on the need to address ethnic diversity in professional services leadership roles. Monika shared her own experiences as well as stories she had collated from other colleagues, all of which were particularly uncomfortable to hear. More information about Monika’s work and how to contribute to it, is available on the podcast website.

The theme of diversity continued into Episode 7, where I had a hugely enjoyable conversation with Revd Ian Worsfold, Coordinating Chaplain at City St George’s, University of London. Chaplaincy is one of the least talked about roles in the HE sector, and Ian offered great insight into his role within a highly diverse university community. The topic of ‘disagreeing well’ was a particular highlight of this episode.

Episodes 8, 9 and 10 kept the theme of ‘challenge’, but shifted the focus to the challenge of finances and stability. In Episode 8, I met with powerhouse, Vivi Friedgut , CEO of Blackbullion, the learning platform for students who want to gain control of their money. Vivi shared her career path to date and why she had chosen to work with the Higher Education sector. She also shared her views about sustainable models for HE, and what she wants to see looking better for students into the future. A specific benefit of meeting with Vivi was to hear views from someone working with as opposed to in the sector, and to gain her insight as an entrepreneur.

With the sector facing challenge, Episode 9 focused on what is probably one of the greatest challenges - market exit and merger. It was a real privilege to spend time with Secretary and Registrar, Holly Duglan , who took us through her leadership role in the market exit of Writtle University College and its subsequent merger with Anglia Ruskin University. This episode was not only hugely interesting in its own right, but currently offers the only direct in-depth insight into the process of market exit and merger.

Episode 10 continued with the topic of money, where I met with the highly experienced – and entertaining – Erica Conway , Chief Financial Officer at the University of Birmingham and Chair of the British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG). This slightly extended episode offered insight into Erica’s career path and the role of CFO as a facilitator. There are so many valuable take-aways from this episode whatever the role you have within an HEI, but I particularly appreciated her take on working in partnership with colleagues, and her views on the financial state of the sector. She also shared the myth-busting role she and her team take to break down misunderstandings about the role of finance, and how an institution’s money operates; I doubt there will be a single listener working in an HEI who will not be able to relate to one or more of the stories she shares…

As Season 2 progressed, I was delighted to see the podcast audience grow substantially, and to know that this resource is making a difference in the sector. Please do share it with colleagues who may not know about it. Search Job Shadowing HE on any major podcast platform, or you can access all episodes at www.jobshadowinghe.com. So, huge thanks to my brilliant guests. Also, a big thank you to the organisations who have sponsored specific episodes and whose support means that the podcast can continue. Thank you also to listeners, other supporters of the podcast, and to those of you who ‘like’ my Linkedin posts, who repost and take the time to comment, or send me feedback privately. Having that interaction really makes a difference to me just sitting behind a mic in between my HE consultancy work!

And what next? Well, in the week of 27th January, I will be sharing more on Linkedin about a new mini-series that will start in February that I am particularly excited about! Season 3 will then follow later in the year. If you have any thoughts about people, roles or topics that you would like to see covered into the future, please let me know. And if any organisation would like to sponsor one or more episodes later in the year, I would be delighted to hear from you.