Head of Placement Contracts

When you work for the University of Lancashire, you’ll be part of a thriving community of talent that’s united in a common commitment to transform lives. We do this by delivering an outstanding educational experience and creating prosperity and opportunity in the communities we serve. Whatever your role, you’ll be playing a vital part in helping us achieve our vision.

About the Role:

This senior position represents an exciting opportunity to move into a leadership role in the Academic Registry placements team at the University of Lancashire. With responsibility for leading the implementation of services provided by external contractors required for placement engagement across Registry teams, Student Services and Academic Schools this post requires a breadth of collaborative working, recognising the interface across teams. The post holder will be responsible for liaison with external providers, monitoring KPIs and working alongside finance colleagues to coordinate procurement and contract management activity. The experience provided by our external suppliers has a key impact on student and placement partner experience.

The postholder will have oversight of the Occupational Heath, Uniform and Placement system contracts, working to coordinate contract meetings and ensuring the highest level of operational implementation across the University. This will include all internal and external monitoring obligations and managing the process involved in student experience of placement administration.

The successful appointee will lead strategically and operationally, providing expert, authoritative advice on the procurement, implementation and management of contracts and processes based on an in-depth knowledge and understanding of such areas.

About you:

The ideal candidate will bring significant recent management and leadership experience in Higher Education or a comparable sector, coupled with a strong record of strategic and operational involvement at a senior level. You will be educated to undergraduate level or have the equivalent experience. You will have successfully led change initiatives, managed contracts and tenders, and demonstrated financial oversight in collaboration with budget holders to support effective planning and reporting. The role requires a consistent history of delivering excellent administration and support services, setting high service standards, and monitoring performance. Candidates should possess the ability to establish and implement robust systems, processes, and operations, backed by excellent IT proficiency, particularly in database or records systems. Strong written and verbal communication, effective negotiation and influencing skills, and the capacity to analyse complex information are essential.

The successful individual will be self-managing, capable of prioritising workloads under pressure, and committed to upholding university regulations and sector requirements.

What we can offer you:

Our people are our most important asset. We’ll encourage you to make the most of your talents and continually develop your skills and knowledge. As well as realising your career ambitions, you’ll be making a positive difference to other people’s lives. We also offer a fantastic package of rewards and lifestyle benefits – from an attractive annual leave entitlement to access to a comprehensive employee benefits platform.

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