Staff in senior roles are being targeted as part of the next round of redundancies at the University of Edinburgh.

The Scottish institution is looking to make further savings after 350 staff left earlier this year, with its principal and vice-chancellor Peter Mathieson warning of “serious and urgent financial challenges” facing the sector.

In an update to staff Mathieson said the stability of higher education across the UK was “under threat”.

“At Edinburgh, we have been transparent about how we are managing these pressures while strengthening our position as a world-leading, research-intensive university,” he said.

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A voluntary redundancy scheme was opened on 28 August for staff in senior grades alongside an enhanced retirement scheme.

This, according to Mathieson, will “support efforts to remain financially sustainable and avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible”.

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The university announced earlier this year that it needed to save £140 million from its annual budget, equivalent to about 10 per cent of its annual turnover.

In April, the institution revealed that 350 staff had left via a voluntary severance scheme.

This, combined with recruitment and promotion pauses, has led to projected staff cost savings of £24 million, Mathieson said in his latest update.

“We remain firmly committed to open and regular engagement with our community as we take the necessary steps to safeguard the future of our university.”

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University and College Union (UCU) members have already staged strike action over the plans, with further walkouts planned for September, when the university holds its welcome week for new students.

The union has accused the institution of a “manufactured crisis”, given its relatively healthy budgetary position.

Meanwhile, across the city at Edinburgh Napier University, a consultation has begun that could see about 70 positions cut.

A spokesperson said it was facing rising costs and “acute funding pressures” and that demand for its courses had “shifted significantly in recent years, meaning we need to adapt accordingly”.

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They said the university was “in a financially resilient position, with no debt” but needed to be run “in a sustainable way”.

It was therefore necessary to cut costs that were “outstripping our income” to return to an operating surplus.

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tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com