Director of Strategy & Operations

The University of Hull is seeking a strategic leader to join Hull University Business School as Director of Strategy & Operations. This is a pivotal opportunity to help shape and drive transformational change in a School that has recently become a standalone unit outside the Faculty structure. As a trusted advisor to the Dean and a key member of the School leadership team, you will lead planning, operational delivery, and strategic alignment with University-wide initiatives, working closely with the Planning, Projects & Operations leadership team.

With a focus on continuous improvement, partnership working, and data-informed decision-making, this role is ideal for a forward-thinking professional ready to influence the future of higher education in a collaborative and ambitious environment. You will play a key role in ensuring effective partnership working between the School and Professional Services teams, supporting high-quality service delivery and continuous improvement across the University.

Your approach will be thoughtful, persuasive and engaging, with the ability to bring people with you and ensure strategic alignment. The ability to analyse data, distil insights, and communicate them effectively to senior leaders is central to the role.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Dean and School Leadership Team in strategic planning, decision-making and identifying opportunities, ensuring alignment with University strategies, particularly the Delivering 2030 agenda.
• Lead the development and delivery of School-level resource plans.
• Oversee the School’s administrative and support functions, setting performance standards and empowering staff to deliver against School objectives.
• Promote collaborative working between the School and Professional Services to facilitate and coordinate service delivery.
• Manage accreditation processes, working with Strategy & Insight, Academic Services, and the University Secretary’s Office to source data and respond to queries.
• Build relationships with other Directors of Strategy & Operations to ensure consistent service levels and foster communities of practice.
• Work with local leaders to develop and critically evaluate strategic plans for research, teaching and knowledge exchange, aligned to the 2030 Strategy.
• Collaborate with the Dean and leadership team to agree KPIs, SLAs, benchmarking and forecasting with Professional Services, using this insight to inform interventions and share best practice.
• Support the Dean in developing and maintaining a proactive approach to risk management, particularly in critical incident scenarios.
• Lead or contribute to University-wide projects focused on continuous improvement.
• Model and promote behaviours that support an inclusive, flexible and high-performing culture.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the external HE environment, including emerging policy developments, and identify practical responses to strategic challenges.
• Produce succinct, evidence-based reports from complex datasets to support strategic decision-making.
• Build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders, including funders, statutory bodies, commercial partners and peer institutions.
• Provide operational oversight of the School, including governance, Health & Safety compliance, and non-pay budget management.

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