Business and Operations Manager

The Department of Geography is looking for an experienced generalist manager to join the Department as its Business and Operations Manager.  This role covers a broad range of operational responsibilities and contributes strategically to the smooth and successful running of the Department.

The Department of Geography has a long-established international reputation as one of the leading centres of innovative geographical thought and education and celebrated one hundred years of teaching Geography in Cambridge in 2019.

The Department is a friendly and inclusive scholastic community with wide-ranging research interests spanning the natural and social sciences and the humanities.  Incorporating the Scott Polar Research Institute, and based on two central Cambridge sites, at Downing Place and Lensfield Road, it has approximately 40 academic, 25 research and 45 professional services staff at any one time.

In this senior role you will lead the Professional Services staff in the Department, supporting the academic Head of Department in achieving the Department's aims and objectives in governance policy and operations, in support of its mission of excellence in teaching and research.  You will be responsible, with the Departmental teams, for all operational matters, including finance, HR, research grant management, and estates matters.

For this important post, the Department is looking for an experienced manager who can operate flexibly across a wide-ranging role with a wide variety of tasks.  A successful candidate will need to be at ease with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior professors, and the full range of professional services staff including senior administrators, finance experts and laboratory technical staff.

This is an exciting time to join the University in a Professional Services role, as we are embarked on a major programme of change in the management and operations of the organisation.  The role holder will be responsible for ensuring the Department adopts these changes and benefits from them in due course.

In all the operational aspects of the role, the role holder is supported by advice from a range of experienced specialists in the School of the Physical Sciences, of which the Department is part, as well as the teams of staff within the Department.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience operating in a complex and devolved organisation, ideally within higher education administration.  A background in Geography is not required.

We are looking for someone with proven staff management skills, with substantial experience of strategic planning, policy development, HR knowledge and financial and project management.

Additional information regarding the role may be found within the Further Particulars via the link below.  Your application, along with a covering letter, should clearly set out how you meet the criteria listed in the person specification (the skills and experience required for the role) along with relevant examples.  Candidates will be shortlisted based upon these criteria.

The University of Cambridge is committed to supporting our staff to thrive both professionally and personally.  We aim to support a good work/life balance, whilst retaining the positive aspects of our unique in-person environment and culture. Some elements of this role are suitable for hybrid working, where staff can split their time between in-person collaboration and remote working.

Interviews: Tuesday 16 December and Wednesday 17 December 2025.

If you would like to discuss the role informally, please contact Dr Jim Bellingham, Secretary of the School of the Physical Sciences at SecSPS@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Advert information