As a new or established leader or manager, there is a range of development opportunities available to support you, including workshop based programmes for leaders, managers and project managers as well as a range of resources for self-directed study.
The Alexandra Programme is a practical, leadership development experience designed to equip current leaders with the mindset, skills, and confidence to lead people and areas of work effectively at Lancaster.
Delivered over three days across four months, the programme explores the human side of leadership—helping you build trust, inspire others, and lead through change, while reflecting on your own leadership identity and impact.
The programme aims to enable you to:
Who the Programme is For
This programme is aimed at leaders and managers in general or middle management roles across academic and professional services areas.
Typically, participants will:
Programme Structure
Day 1: Understanding Leadership and Your Role
You will:
Day 2: Building Relationships, Trust and Communication
You will:
Day 3: Leading with Purpose and Through Change
You will:
You will also be offered two 1:1 coaching sessions with an external coach to support your learning and development.
Commitment and Line Manager Support
To gain maximum value, commitment from both participants and line managers is essential.
Line managers are expected to:
This shared commitment is key to ensuring learning translates into meaningful impact.
Programme Dates
Application
To apply for the Alexandra programme, please fill out this . Applications close on Sunday 21st June, 11.45pm.
Programme Overview
This four-day programme is designed for academic and professional services staff in, or preparing for, senior leadership roles within a university setting. It focuses on developing strategic thinking, compassionate leadership, and the ability to navigate complex, high-stakes challenges with confidence and integrity.
The programme aims to enable you to:
Programme Structure
Day 1: Orientation and Strategic Leadership Foundations
Day 2: Leading with Compassion and Tackling Complexity
Day 3: Change, Risk and Influence
Day 4: Immersive Simulation – “The Senior Leadership Challenge”
Each workshop will be followed by a self-facilitated action learning set, where you will bring your own leadership challenges. With your peers you will use your critical thinking and questioning skills to come up with solutions for you to implement back in your workplace.
As part of the programme you will also be able to access three 1:1 coaching sessions with one of Lancaster's external coaches to enable you to consolidate learning and work through leadership challenges.
Participants
This programme is designed for aspiring and established leaders within academic and professional services roles who are preparing to step into, or are already operating at, senior leadership level. Typically, participants will be in Grade 8 or above roles, such as Principal Investigators or Heads of Professional Services, with significant responsibility for people, projects, or strategic initiatives.
It is particularly suited to individuals who are looking to broaden their institutional impact, strengthen their strategic influence, and prepare for progression into more senior leadership roles.
To ensure maximum impact, participation requires a high level of personal commitment and active organisational support. Participants must have a clear, developmental rationale for attending, agreed in advance with their line manager and formally reflected within their Performance and Development Review (PDR).
Line managers play a critical role in enabling success and are expected to actively support participants throughout the programme. This includes agreeing protected time to fully engage with all elements of the programme, encouraging ongoing reflection, and creating opportunities to apply learning in the workplace.
Participants are expected to take ownership of their development by engaging fully in all sessions, contributing to peer learning, and committing to sustained reflective practice. Crucially, they must be willing to translate insights into action, applying their learning to real organisational challenges and demonstrating visible impact within their role.
Programme dates
To apply for the Bonington Programme please fill out this . Applications close on Tuesday 16th June, 11.45pm.
This session tackles challenging and supportive conversations of all kinds with a particular emphasis on conversations in times of uncertainty and change within the University. The workshop will introduce practical methods and techniques that will equip individuals with knowledge, skills and understanding to deal with different situations on all levels, with a proactive and assertive approach.
Dates
There are currently no dates scheduled for this workshop. Please contact OD to register your interest.
The Head of Department (HoD) development programme aims to equip new HoDs, through a tailored programme of blended development interventions, with the knowledge, underpinning understanding and associated skills and behaviours aligned to the role.
The programme is appropriate for newly appointed HoDs, existing HoD’s, deputy HoDs and academics who may be considering applying for the role within the next year.
On appointment, all new HoDs will have a meeting with an Organisational Developer to discuss their development needs, outline the development offer available and agree a tailored programme of activities.
The development programme comprises the following elements outlined in the handbook.
HoD Workshops
This workshop series covers the essentials that incoming HoDs need to know. Dates and times are shown below. HoD’s will be invited to these workshops by Organisational Development. The workshops are also appropriate for colleagues who may be considering the role of HoD, if you have a colleague they might be suitable for please ask them to contact OD.
For session descriptions, please see the .
HR System Demonstration - There are no sessions currently scheduled, a recording is available upon request. Please contact OD.
Health and Safety - The Health and Safety team will be in touch with HoD’s directly to arrange this session.
Academic Promotions - TBC
Academic Probation - There are no sessions currently scheduled, a recording is available upon request. Please contact OD.
Student Support Structures - There are no sessions currently scheduled, a recording is available upon request. Please contact OD.
Finance and Budgeting - TBC
Legal Responsibilities - Corporate Governance - There are no sessions currently scheduled, a recording is available upon request. Please contact OD.
Legal Responsibilities - Staff and Students - Please contact OD if you have any queries or would like to register your interest.
Research Support
The Research Support Office provide Information and Guidance specifically for HoD's, please see the useful documents linked from this webpage.
For specific advice and guidance please contact your Faculty Contacts. The Faculty Research Development Partnership Manager will conduct an induction with all new HoD's.
For general enquiries regarding HoD development, please email .
A Managers Handbook has been developed to support leaders and managers to feel effective in their role, with appropriate signposts for further information and support. The handbook will be useful if you are a new Head of Department and will be a key point of reference beyond.
There is a comprehensive range of resources available in the Management Resources - self-directed study section.
This workshop provides an essential foundation for effective leadership. You will reflect on your leadership experiences, exploring the distinction between leadership and management, and different leadership styles.
Key topics include building trust and psychological safety, developing core leadership skills, effective delegation, and strategies for leading individuals and teams. By the end of the day, you will gain practical insights to lead with confidence and clarity.
Dates
There are currently no dates scheduled for this workshop. Please contact OD to register your interest.
This programme is the starting point for your induction as a leader or people manager at Lancaster.
It is appropriate for leaders and managers with different levels of experience and works as a refresher for existing managers.
The workshops will:
Describe the role and responsibilities of people management at Lancaster
Highlight the importance of the role of a leader to the University achieving its strategic objectives
Signpost to additional support and development opportunities
Help you reflection on your individual development needs and your personal management priorities
This Programme is made up of two sessions and it is recommended that you attend both sessions.
Workshop 1:
Setting the Context of Leading/Being a People Manager at Lancaster, our values and the context of Higher Education
People Management (What You Need to Know)
People and Culture Plan (Values-Led Leadership)
Workshop 2:
People Development (PDR)
Staff Wellbeing
Dates:
Workshop 1 dates:
Workshop 2 dates:
You need to influence and persuade each and every day. Sometimes, you need others to go along with your way of thinking. This ranges from your manager, team, colleagues, students, basically, everyone at all levels. This session will help you to understand the difference between influence and persuasion and how you can do both by tweaking your communication style, displaying empathy and by following a simple structure.
Dates:
There are currently no dates scheduled for this workshop. Please contact OD to register your interest.
This programme enables participants to develop the skills associated with scoping, planning, delivering and evaluating projects through the use of a range of tools and techniques. Learn how to plan projects, meet deadlines, interpret quality standards and plan to meet budget constraints.
The programme includes:
Delivered via 3 half-day workshops supported by a follow up small group action learning session where participants present their project findings and can address individual project management queries.
Participants are required to commit to participating in all elements of the programme.
Staff working on projects.
Cohort 1
Workshop 1: Tuesday 19th May, 9.30am-12.30pm
Workshop 2: Thursday 11th June, 9.30am-12.30pm
Workshop 3: Thursday 18th June, 9.30am-12.30pm
Action Learning Sets: 30th June, All day
Cohort 2
Workshop 1: Wednesday 10th June, 9.30am-12.30pm
Workshop 2: Tuesday 23rd June, 9.30am-12.30pm
Workshop 3: Wednesday 8th July, 9.30am-12.30pm
Action Learning Sets: Tuesday 21st July, All day
Please note, you must attend all the session within the cohort to be marked as complete.
Applications for this programme have now closed. To register your interest for future programmes, please contact OD.
The role of the PI (and CoI) is a vital one, both for the success of the University itself, but also in enhancing and supporting the career development and personal growth of the researchers, postdocs and PhD researchers employed within any given research project.
The concordat to support the career development of researchers identifies three areas to which PIs (and universities more generally) must pay specific attention:
Understanding good employment practice
To support our PIs specifically-tailored sessions which offer a practical mix of Lancaster-based information and leadership considerations are being held. These will be linked both to the new Concordat, grounded in good research practice and based on feedback from existing PIs about the needs and gaps that they have identified in their own practice.
There are currently no dates scheduled. To register your interest please contact OD.
The University’s aim is that all candidates have a positive and equitable experience at all stages of recruitment and selection process.
This workshop aims to ensure that participants are equipped with the understanding, knowledge and skills to undertake fair and equitable recruitment and selection, ensuring that all candidates have a positive experience, and the best candidate is ultimately selected.
All panel chairs and all members of the recruiting panel are required to participate in Recruiting the Best training prior to engaging in any recruitment activity at the University.
Panel chairs need to attend the Recruiting the best workshop. The workshops are held throughout the year. Panel chairs that have previously attended a workshop are required to take the every three years to be kept abreast of best practice and legislative changes.
Panel members can participate in Recruiting the Best training in one of two ways. They can either attend the Recruiting the best workshop, if places are available, or they can complete the as an alternative.
The refresher online training is to be completed every three years to be kept abreast of best practice and legislative changes.'
This workshop ensures that all those involved in recruitment:
Please contact OD if you have any queries or would like to register your interest.
You are recommended to read the , available on the people section of the staff intranet and prepare any questions this raises – there will be a short opportunity with a HR Partner within the workshop to help you answer these.
This online training is designed to help staff develop the best practice for recruiting and vetting individuals working and volunteering with children and adults at risk. This session is targeted at line managers of staff in roles where they could potentially be working with adults or children at risk and all roles which require a DBS check.
Dates:
There are currently no dates scheduled for this workshop. Please contact OD to register your interest.
Visit the Career Management microsite to take stock of where you are now in your career and help you to plan for the future.
More resources and support can be found on the Leading People Through Change page.
For more information, please see Networks and Communities of Practice.
The following Leadership and Management apprenticeships are available:
This is suitable for a team leader/supervisor or could be suitable for an individual that is looking to move into a line management role in the future.
This is suitable for Operations or Departmental Managers, who have direct line management responsibility for teams and/or projects, and achieving operational or departmental goals and objectives, as part of the delivery of the organisation's strategy. They should be accountable to a more senior manager or a business owner.
Comprehensive information on apprenticeships for staff wishing to begin an apprenticeship and their managers is available on the .
A number of providers offer these apprenticeships of which are one.
(LinkedIn Learning)
The toolkit is designed to walk you through the full lifecycle of the recruitment process.
This offers practical support for hiring managers to support inclusive, fair and equitable recruitment practices. It outlines key actions across the recruitment lifecycle — Attraction, Selection and Assessment, and Onboarding — and provides advice on addressing bias and signposting to the Recruitment & Talent Manager and EDI team locally or with People and Organisational Effectiveness for further support.
(LinkedIn Learning)
