About working for Heriot-Watt University
Work for Heriot-Watt
Heriot-Watt is a university that remains true to its heritage of creating and exchanging knowledge for the benefit of society.
A key distinction is our international activity, in research and education of students. Our world-class research and teaching are professionally relevant and produce highly employable and innovative graduates who have a distinctive and strong professional orientation. Much of our research is undertaken in collaboration with business and industry; delivering innovation and transformational research across the globe.
Our heritage and Scottish roots
Founded in 1821 as the Edinburgh School of Arts, Heriot-Watt was the world’s first Mechanics Institute, born out of the Scottish Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, with a mission to educate working people for technical and scientific jobs.
Our founding mission, and character of the University across the years has been to make education accessible and deliver tangible benefit to industry and society. Over the years, we have grown from a technical college to a global university with a reputation for excellence in science, engineering, business, and design.
Heriot-Watt University today
Heriot-Watt University is a charity registered in Scotland, with a distinctive multinational operation through its campuses in the UK, UAE and Malaysia, as well as through collaborative activity with partners around the world and its Virtual Campus.
Heriot-Watt University Malaysia is a Private Higher Education Institution and subsidiary company of the Heriot-Watt Group; Heriot-Watt University Dubai is a branch entity; and Oriam – Scotland’s National Performance Centre for Sport – is also a subsidiary company, along with Heriot-Watt Trading.
A Distinctive University; A Sustainable Future
Growing from these Scottish roots in the 19th century, the University remains renowned for employability, for access and inclusion; and for its applied research impact and global reach. The University has an exceptional track record in transnational education with a globally connected delivery model, enabling students to ‘Go Global’ and learn through global teaching teams across campuses and cultures.
The University’s staff and students are the bedrock of its reputation and it is their achievements in teaching, learning and research, underpinned by our values as a community, that makes the University what it is today. These values – to Inspire; Belong; Celebrate and Collaborate – help us stay true, with respect for one another; understanding and valuing diversity.
We have an exceptional partnership with our students and, as a university community, we care most about the transformational value of education which is accessible and research which impacts on real world challenges and benefits society.
We are thought leaders in sustainability and see that future prosperity depends on us curating a future with institutional, environmental, economic and human factors in mind. As we look forwards in Strategy 2035, we are sharpening our focus and building on these strengths and characteristics.
Our values
The University shares four values that underpin how we work and how we reach decisions. We recognise that robust, respectful challenges help develop ideas and sharpen our thinking as we undertake research and deliver education. Our values reflect this approach and, as a values-led institution, we seek to apply our values to everything we do and in the way that we build a sense of community. Our values remind us that we:
Inspire
Inspire curiosity to learn and find solutions that transform lives.
Belong
Belong to a diverse, inclusive and international community working together across boundaries and cultures.
Collaborate
Collaborate by working in partnership to shape the future whilst taking responsibility for our own actions.
Celebrate
Celebrate excellence and take pride in the achievements of our students, staff and alumni.
Our commitment
We are a ‘Disability Covenant’, an ‘Armed Forces Gold Covenant’, a ‘Carer Positive’ employer and a ‘Living Wage’ employer. Heriot-Watt has become Scotland’s first university to achieve White Ribbon status in recognition of its commitment to address gender-based violence.
