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Description
Job Description
Position Details
College of Social Sciences
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535 with potential progression once in post to £63,606
Grade: 8
Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to June 2027
Closing date: 10th February 2026
Interview date: 24th February 2026
This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.
Previous applicants need not apply.
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and 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. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your car
eer at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive 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 there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham
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 currently more than 12,500 students, 900 academics, and 300professional services staff. We are committed to our strategic goal of driving social change for a fairer and more sustainable world. Our staff and students benefit from being in communities with rich cultures and contribute to the regional and global workforce and economy. Our four schools – Business, Education, Government, and Social Policy and Society – are in 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 our research partners from the private, public and third sectors from across the world.
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 Ho
Ops are key members of the School Strategic Management team, College Professional Services Strategic Leadership Team (PSSLT), and College Management Network. The HoOp role is a College role, based locally within a School, and part of a team of senior professional services leads within the College. Flexibility is a key aspect of this position, with occasional cover and support to other Schools within the College based on operational demand and business need
The HoOp will be required to work strategically with excellent communication and leadership skills, significant operational experience, and a commitment to continuous improvement of excellent service delivery through a collaborative and inclusive approach.
Main Duties
Leadership
Provide the Head of School with exceptional leadership support in order to ensure both the School’s strategic and operational priorities are delivered to a high standard.
Work effectively with the School’s Senior Management Team (SMT), translating strategy into practice, and ensuring clear communication or the School’s priorities to professional services teams.
Lead and manage professional services staff in the school to ensure effective, positive working relationships at all levels, both directly and through working with interim and matrix managers.
Lead staff through periods of change, communicating a clear and positive vision and acting as a role model.
Ongoing development and support for direct reports through coaching and training, both formal and informal.
Developing teams that consistently embody and demonstrate the University values, and an ability to lead by example.
Working with senior Professional Services colleagues across the College, lead on the continuous improvement of operational service delivery.
Strategic and Operational
Work in partnership with College Business Partners (as appropriate) to support the Head of School, in developing the School’s Strategy in the context of the CoSS 2030 and the University Strategic Framework.
Engagement with strategic initiatives, including with external partners, ensuring that the required professional services contribution is made.
Work as part of the College Professional Services Strategic Leadership Team to provide a critical link between University Professional Services, College and School. Balance local needs with overarching University and College objectives and ensure that practices are aligned wherever possible, ensuring the delivery of an outstanding student and academic experience.
Work closely with the College Finance Team, Head of School to understand the school’s operational budget and support in year financial planning processes
Oversee the School Operations Team’s day-to-day management of operations within the School, including facilities management, security, maintenance, administrative services and ensuring that the School has appropriate health and safety procedures in place.
Governance and Compliance
Support the Head of School in ensuring that the School has robust governance and decision making structures that are fully aligned with those at College and University level.
Lead role in understanding requirements for compliance with accreditation and regulatory bodies as relevant to the School, and responsibility for operational aspects.
Ensure that the School’s committees are supported to a high standard and ensure that decisions made are communicated and followed up as appropriate.
To take the lead on ensuring that the School complies with University Regulations, all other University policies, procedures and guidelines, relevant legislation.
HR Management
Ensure appropriate HR strategies and procedures are in place for school members of staff to include induction, succession planning, training and development, performance management and review and reward mechanisms, working with College HR staff as appropriate to ensure compliance with University policy and procedures and relevant legislation.
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 by 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 the 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 the 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.
As a Birmingham Professional at the University of Birmingham, you are expected to support key university activities and projects, for example, graduations, confirmation and clearing, and other key events and to work flexibly across the University if required.
This role may require occasional reassignment to other Schools 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 the complexity
Demonstrable success of building relationships across a complex organisation with evidence of exceptional negotiating and influencing skills, specifically with senior academic stakeholders
Proven ability to deliver complex strategy, including translating institutional strategy into operational plans
Evidence of excellent communications skills including the ability to interact with different audiences across a diverse 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 of leading and developing teams
Experience of writing and presenting reports in a clear and well-structured manner for senior management, and to produce and analyse source material, information, 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 developing and implementing service excellence, and identifying continuous improvement opportunities
A commitment to people development and the organisational values that underpin the culture of the University
Evidence of a commitment to excellent service delivery
Experience of championing Equity, Diversity and Belonging in own work area
Informal enquiries to Yvonne Hackforth-Williams, Director of Operations, College of Social Sciences, email: y.e.williams@bham.ac.uk or Professor Nicola Gale, Head of School, School of Social Policy and Society, email: n.gale@bham.ac.uk .
View our staff values and behaviours here
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 believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone
on our website.
Head of Operations - College of Social Sciences - 106721 - Grade 8 | University of Birmingham | Hunt UK Visa Sponsors
