Chief Operating Officer and Head of Administration

“To know the causes of things for the betterment of society”.

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is the foremost specialist social sciences university in the world. With 20 Nobel Prize winners and 40 past or present heads of state among its diverse community of alumni, LSE is a truly influential and international university at the forefront of global policy debate.

Under the leadership of Professor Larry Kramer as the President and Vice Chancellor, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is now seeking to appoint a Chief Operating Officer and Head of Administration (COO).

The COO reports directly to the President and Vice Chancellor and is a member of the School Management Committee (SMC), LSE’s senior management and executive team. The successful candidate will support the President and Vice Chancellor through exceptional leadership of the School's administrative services, driving strong performance, delivering value for money, and ensuring collaboration, communication, and cooperation across professional service divisions across all operational areas. They will be responsible for building and continuously developing a high-performing team of professional service division leaders and working closely with academics and academic leadership to understand and meet the operational requirements of LSE’s research and education missions.

In early 2025, LSE embarked on an ambitious Operations Excellence Programme, which seeks to fundamentally transform operations and processes in order to significantly improve the way LSE administration runs for the whole School community. This is therefore an exciting time to join LSE for a new COO who will lead this programme, with support from the wider School Management Committee, and drive meaningful and far-reaching organisational change.

The post holder will possess extensive experience of the kind needed for a COO leadership role within a complex organisation, gained at a senior level in the public and/or private sector. It is desirable that at least some of this experience comes from within the university sector. It is essential that the post holder has a track record of delivering operational change and transformation. They will demonstrate intellectual credibility and a proven track record of managing substantial human, physical and financial resources while driving transformational change to improve performance and increase value for money.

Political acumen and the ability to navigate complex challenges will be crucial to success in this role The successful appointee will possess exceptional leadership, communication and relationship-building skills, and be able to deliver operational excellence while respecting the collegial culture of higher education through successful consensus-building. They will have a clear commitment to equality and diversity, be aligned with the values of LSE and its mission to create a truly inclusive university.

Application is by submission of a full curriculum vitae (CV) and a covering letter of application.

Completed applications should be uploaded here, quoting reference 8056.

The closing date for applications is 09.00 GMT on Monday 27^th October 2025.

Perrett Laver will conduct preliminary interviews with long-listed candidates in weeks commencing 17^th November and 24^th November, and the Appointment Committee will meet during week commencing 8^th December to decide upon a shortlist of candidates.

These individuals will subsequently be invited for interview in early January 2026.

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