Working with us

Our community is diverse, open and collaborative. We want our staff to feel empowered to do their best while recognising the different talents and approaches that make us who we are.

Staff at Kent

With our bold and transformational vision for the years ahead, we are working to recruit and retain people who can help us shape and implement our future strategy. People who are eager to challenge traditional ways of doing things or who want to explore new possibilities for interdisciplinary working.

We are – and will remain – an international university with strong European links, with a desire to ensure everyone feels welcome and supported during their time with us.

Life at Kent

Our Director of HR and Organisational Development Martin Atkinson talks through some of what you’d find as a Kent employee.

Culture and Values

Kent has a tradition of celebrating an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, with links built across areas wherever it can add value. We have thriving staff networks that bring together and stand up for under-represented groups, while staff representation is built into decision making across the University.

Like any University, academic freedom is fundamental to how we work, with respectful challenge and space for disagreement wherever this can support progress. We host regular All Staff Forums and an annual Staff Conference where staff can ask questions directly of our Executive Group. Our annual Staff Awards are also a major highlight of the year, recognising the innovators, unsung heroes and community champions who make our University so special.

Benefits and community

Flexible working is now a permanent part of how we work, with teams encouraged to work in ways that suit them in line with institution-wide Hybrid Working policies. Optional volunteering hours are also built into staff contracts, with many staff helping to deliver our outstanding graduation ceremonies in Canterbury and Rochester Cathedrals each year.

Staff benefit from discounts and offers, from reduced food and sports memberships on campus to access to wider schemes such as private healthcare and discounted shopping. Our campuses are beautiful work environments, with green spaces and multiple venues such as the Gulbenkian Theatre that form part of day-to-day campus life. Many staff benefit from the USS pension scheme, while the University’s generous annual leave allowance matches others across the sector.

Kent is a special place to work, with room to breathe and space to grow. We look forward to welcoming you to our University.