Deputy Director of Planning and Insight

Location: South Kensington & White City Campus - Hybrid

About the role

Are you passionate about making a difference within higher education?  Are you a skilled communicator and influencer, conveying key insights to inform decision making? Do you have experience of successfully leading, motivating, and developing a team?  Join Imperial as the Deputy Director of Planning and Insight.

Imperial is home to the greatest concentration of high-impact research of any major UK University and is consistently placed in the top ten of the world rankings. The Planning and Insight division is a broad ranging specialist team with significant skills in data analysis which ensures insight and connections to enhance insight-driven decision making. In this role, you will play a pivotal part in delivering Imperial’s mission by providing management, insight and data analysis across a breadth of topics that are central to Higher Education and Imperial’s strategic activities.

What you would be doing

This role is heading up the Socially Responsible Engagement team and Research, Strategy and Funding team (six staff members) within the Planning and Insight Division.  You will be responsible for the following:

• Identify trends, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within remits of the sub-teams and Planning and Insight that may have an impact on the University and lead and advise on appropriate and timely action to be administered, including analysis and modelling when appropriate.
• Work with the Director of Planning and Insight on the provision of strategic management information and performance monitoring for Imperial; including leading the continuous development of management information dashboards.
• Provide rigorous analysis of data to make recommendations for the College’s management committees and using judgement to guide the senior management of the College as required;
• Provide advice and support to the College senior management- Provost, President, Vice-Provosts on education, research, funding and strategy related matters;
• Actively manage the Planning and Insight Division as a whole and its longer term planning and strategy, in collaboration with the Director of Planning and Insight and its SMT; The Deputy Director will take the lead on oversight of day-to-day staffing matters across the team – e.g. recruitment, probation, performance management, in collaboration with relevant line managers.
• Shape the strategic direction, in conjunction with the Vice Provost (Research and Enterprise) and Director of Planning and Insight of the sub teams;  planning and organising the activities of these teams over time, considering the implications now and in the longer term, to support Imperial’s strategic objectives.

What we are looking for

• A degree or equivalent relevant experience;
• Significant experience of working within higher education in a research-intensive environment;
• Experience in managing and successfully delivering complex projects or processes across multiple functions, which are time-critical and of strategic importance.
• Well-developed and up-to-date knowledge and awareness of Higher Education funding and policy within the UK
• Senior level experience in developing and managing relationships, proactively and collaboratively with senior academic and professional staff
• Significant experience of developing and analysing complex information and using this to form judgements and provide advice;
• Experience of line management and leadership;
• A strong eye for detail, with the ability to juggle a busy/ varied workload to tight deadlines;
• An ability to see the big picture yet also provide sound, detailed advice across all areas encompassed by the role.

Further information

Interviews - 1st December 2025

To discuss this role, contact Anna Shierson a.shierson@imperial.ac.uk

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