Job Description

Job Category: Academic
Degree Level: First Degree
:
Role: Assistant Professor for Academic English and Approaches to Learning - Global College
Grade: 7
School / Service: Global College
Location: Dubai UAE
Working Hours: Full Time
Reporting Line : Head of Global College Dubai
About Heriot-Watt
Heriot-Watt University is a global university with five campuses: across UK, Dubai and Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business and languages.
With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and practical, leading-edge research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry. We connect with industry at every level and develop programmes to match their needs - so employers get work-ready industry-fit graduates.
Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort. We have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.
Heriot Watt University Dubai Campus was first established in 2005. Home to over 5,000 students, it is one the largest and most successful international universities in Dubai. Our campus is state-of-the-art, ensuring that staff and students work and learn in the best environment for education.
About our Team
The Global College brings together academic pathways and pre-sessional English provision across Dubai, Malaysia and Scotland, and enables Heriot Watt to strengthen its academic excellence and provide an invaluable experience for students transitioning from Schools to Higher Education. Within Dubai, the Global College has been established since 2008 and supports the university in widening access to students both locally and internationally. The Global College runs the most successful degree entry programme in the UAE in terms of quality and reputation, and this has resulted in it becoming an extremely popular entry route to Heriot-Watt university with over 600 students enrolled in the 2025-26 academic year.
We are seeking a passionate and knowledgeable educator to teach on our Academic English and Approaches to Learning (APL) courses. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Academic English and Skills for success, with the ability to inspire and educate students as part of the Global College team.
Key Duties and Responsibilities * Develop and deliver engaging Academic English and APL curriculum for students, ensuring alignment with academic standards and educational objectives.

• Utilise a variety of instructional strategies and resources to accommodate diverse learning styles and promote student engagement and understanding.
• Assess student progress through assignments, exams, projects, and other forms of evaluation, providing constructive feedback and support for individual growth.
• Attend and contribute to Course Boards and Assessment Boards as appropriate.
• Contribute to the administration associated with the course delivery.
• Participate in external engagement activities for the Global College.
• Stay informed about current trends, developments, and best practices in Academic English and APL, participating in professional development activities and conferences as appropriate.
• Foster a positive and inclusive classroom environment that promotes respect, collaboration, and a passion for learning.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.
Education and Qualifications
Essential Criteria

• Degree in Relevant discipline.
• Teaching qualification
• Experience of Academic English or Academic Skills at Higher Secondary or University Foundation level.
• Teaching experience within the British Education system.
• Effective student engagement skills.
• Collaborative approach to work.
• Ability to set and monitor quality standards.

Desirable Criteria

• Masters in relevant discipline.
• Expertise in one or more other courses within the Global College Dubai programmes
• Experience of course/programme level management.
• Experience of developing innovative learning via VLE
• Ability to develop academic leadership at course /programme level.

About the University
With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and professionally relevant, leading-edge research and enterprise, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry.
We are a vibrant, forward-looking university, well known for the quality of our degrees, with employers actively seeking out our graduates. Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's international university with an unsurpassed international in-country presence. We deliver degree programmes to circa 30,000 students in 143 countries worldwide, have a further overseas campus in Dubai and boast the most significant international student cohort in Scotland.
At Heriot-Watt we've created an environment that nurtures innovation and leadership - where our researchers, teachers, staff and students can realise their potential and develop their ambitions.
We are proud of our collegiate atmosphere and integrated teaching and research approach which has helped to build a community of committed academics and highly motivated students. Our focus on careers delivers results and we've an excellent reputation for graduate employability.
In addition to the Edinburgh campus, we currently have campuses in the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai, and Malaysia. For all our campuses we aim to provide stimulating, supportive environments conducive to effective learning and research, where staff and students can excel. At Heriot-Watt, we have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities. Our values describe our deeply held beliefs and our community spirit. They characterise not only how we are as a higher education institution but also frame how we want to be. Our values are:

• Belong
• Collaborate
• Inspire
• Celebrate

As a learning, living, and working institution, we use our values as the building blocks of how we go about doing our work and how we each conduct ourselves as members of Heriot-Watt University. They represent what binds us together as a university community and help us to become the best at what we do. For full details on our university, please view our website
How to Apply
Please submit your application via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system attaching a Cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the post and an updated CV
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to proceed to in-person formal interviews at our Dubai campus, where you will be asked to deliver a brief presentation on a relevant topic. Following the formal interview, the preferred candidate will attend a second interview with senior staff at the Dubai campus before a final offer decision is made.
Interviews will be held near the end of February (we are looking at a start in August 2026)
At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.
Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Learn more about our benefits here:
Heriot-Watt University Dubai is ( ) CAA Licensed; therefore, successful candidates will need to either provide terminal degrees attested from a UAE institution accredited by the CAA or if the degree is not from a UAE Institution, the candidate will need to have MoE (Ministry of Education) Equivalency. More info on attestation can be found on the MoE website. The candidate is responsible for getting their degree attestations done and these should be completed within six months of joining.
The appointment is conditional upon successful completion of all Labour and Immigration formalities, and the start date will need to be delayed if the employment visa is not in place.

Skills Required