Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we do. The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector‑leading Birmingham Professional programme, which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. Almost 5000 professional services jobs are available across a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and on our Dubai campus, giving you many opportunities to develop your career at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who we are and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important to both our employees and to the success of the University. Depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements and a generous package of benefits, including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and offers excellent transport links, a state‑of‑the‑art sports centre, shops, restaurants, an art gallery, museum, and botanical gardens.
Background
Based across our world‑class campuses in Birmingham and Dubai, the College of Social Sciences (CoSS) is a global, diverse and inclusive community of more than 12,500 students, 900 academics and 300 professional services staff. We are committed to our strategic goal of driving social change for a fairer and more sustainable world.
The College’s four schools – Business Education, Governance and Social Policy, and Society – are at the vanguard of innovative and impactful research and teaching across social science.
This role would be based in the School of Social Policy and Society. The School delivers a suite of undergraduate, postgraduate, professional and executive education programmes to a diverse and international student population. We undertake research that matters, collaborating with partners from the private, public and third sectors worldwide.
Role Summary
The Head of Operations (HoOp) plays a key role in supporting the Head of School to deliver on University College and School strategy. The role balances strategic thinking with delivering operational excellence through leadership of the professional services teams, frequently requiring the post‑holder to translate complex strategy into operational plans.
Reporting into the College Director of Operations, the HoOp is a key member of the School Strategic Management Team, College Professional Services Strategic Leadership Team (PSSLT) and College Management, and is a College role based locally within a School. An occasional cover and support to other Schools within the College may be required based on operational demand and business need.
The HoOp will require strategic thinking, excellent communication and leadership skills, significant operational experience and a commitment to continuous improvement of service delivery through a collaborative and inclusive approach.
Main Duties
Leadership
* Provide the Head of School with exceptional leadership support to deliver both strategic and operational priorities.
* Work effectively with the School’s Senior Management Team (SMT) translating strategy into practice and ensuring clear communication of priorities to professional services teams.
* Lead and manage professional services staff to ensure effective positive working relationships at all levels, including interim and matrix managers.
* Lead staff through periods of change by communicating a clear and positive vision and acting as a role model.
* Support ongoing development of direct reports through coaching and training, both formal and informal.
* Develop teams that consistently embody and demonstrate the University values, leading by example.
* Collaboration with senior Professional Services colleagues to lead continuous improvement of operational service delivery.
Strategic and Operational
* Partner with College Business Partners to support the Head of School in developing the School’s Strategy in the context of CoSS 2030 and the University Strategic Framework.
* Engage with strategic initiatives including external partners to ensure the required professional services contribution is made.
* Act as a critical link between University Professional Services College and School, balancing local needs with overarching University and College objectives and ensuring alignment wherever possible to deliver an outstanding student and academic experience.
* Work closely with the College Finance Team to understand the School’s operational budget and support year‑to‑year financial planning processes.
* Oversee the School Operations Teams’ day‑to‑day management of operations, including facilities management, security, maintenance, administrative services, and ensure appropriate health and safety procedures are in place.
Governance and Compliance
* Support the Head of School to establish robust governance and decision‑making structures aligned with those at College and University levels.
* Lead understanding of compliance requirements with accreditation and regulatory bodies relevant to the School.
* Support School committees to a high standard and ensure decisions are communicated and followed up appropriately.
* Ensure the School complies with University Regulations, policies, procedures and guidelines.
HR Management
* Implement appropriate HR strategies and procedures for School staff, including induction, succession planning, training, performance management and review, and reward mechanisms.
* Recruit, train and supervise professional services staff, promoting professional development and high performance.
* Conduct regular performance reviews and address staff concerns.
* Lead School HR processes, liaising with internal colleagues and external stakeholders, managing staffing requests, drafting business cases (CPAG) and job descriptions, and overseeing fixed‑term contract staff activities in partnership with HR.
Technology and Innovation
* Utilise technology to enhance operational efficiency and service delivery, including automation.
* Oversee implementation of new systems and processes.
Equity, Diversity and Belonging
* Actively promote equality, diversity and belonging, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
Citizenship and Collaboration
* Develop effective working relationships with other Heads of Operations and professional services colleagues across the University.
* Take on projects as requested by the College Director of Operations for the benefit of the wider College and University.
* Support key university activities and projects, such as graduations, confirmations, clearing, and other events, working flexibly across the University if required.
* Occasional reassignment to other Schools may be required based on operational demand and business need.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) plus relevant leadership experience in complex operational delivery, preferably within the Higher Education sector.
Skills
* Proven capability as a leader or manager with a flexible and inclusive management style appropriate to complexity.
* Demonstrable success in building relationships across a complex organisation, with evidence of exceptional negotiating and influencing skills, especially with senior academic stakeholders.
* Proven ability to deliver complex strategy, translating institutional strategy into operational plans.
* Evidence of excellent communication skills, including the ability to interact with diverse audiences across a complex organisation.
* High degree of self‑motivation and ability to motivate and lead others.
* Evidence of digital skills and capabilities to succeed in an evolving digital environment, including MS 365.
* Ability to manage conflict effectively and handle sensitive and confidential issues.
Knowledge and Experience
* Significant experience leading and developing teams.
* Experience of writing and presenting reports in a clear, well‑structured manner for senior management, and of analysing source material and data.
* Experience of monitoring and reporting on budgets and an understanding of financial management procedures.
* A readiness to challenge the status quo, with evidence of service excellence and continuous improvement opportunities.
* A commitment to people development and the organisational values underpinning University culture.
* Evidence of a commitment to excellent service delivery.
* Experience of championing Equity, Diversity and Belonging in own work area.
Informal enquiries: Yvonne Hackforth‑Williams, Director of Operations, College of Social Sciences, email: [email protected]. Professor Nicola Gale, Head of School, School of Social Policy and Society, email: [email protected].
View our staff values and behaviours here: Employee Values.
Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.
We are committed to proactively addressing barriers experienced by some groups in our community and hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We also support sustainability as a key part of our strategy. For more information, visit our website: University website.
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