Senior Global Operations Manager

About us

UCL is a radically different university. Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, we were the first university in England to welcome students of any religion, and the first to admit women to university education. Today, UCL has over 50,000 students and 17,000 staff, and is a world-leading, research-intensive university – consistently ranked among the top ten globally – with an annual turnover exceeding £1 billion. Our research and innovation continue to grow in scale and complexity, with record levels of research income and impact achieved in the past year.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Global Engagement team, under the academic leadership of the Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement). UCL Global Engagement (GE) helps put UCL’s knowledge to work in the world, supporting Faculties to deliver impact for the greater good through global partnerships for change.

GE comprises a high-performing team of professionals with experience in supporting global research and education, and expertise in partnership development, geo-political analysis, strategic operations, and global communications. We form part of the Office of the Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) – RIGE – which brings together a range of services, functions and resources to support the UCL community and our global partners.

RIGE is dedicated to supporting people, crossing boundaries, and enabling responsible impact – locally, nationally, and internationally – for the greater good.

You can read more about UCL’s global activity here.

About the role

As Senior Global Operations Manager, you will play a key role in delivering UCL’s most ambitious global projects. Reporting to the Associate Director (Global Operations), you will lead the day-to-day project management, operational planning and delivery of complex, institution-level international initiatives.

A key focus will be supporting the potential development of UCL’s overseas physical presence in partnership with Tsinghua University. You will drive workstream coordination across Faculties and Professional Services, contribute to business case development, maintain project plans and risk registers, and ensure robust governance pathways are followed.

You will act as an operational liaison for international partners, supporting them to navigate UCL’s systems and processes, and will manage inbound and outbound visits, preparing high-quality briefing materials for senior leaders. The role also contributes to internal and external communications, provides secretariat support for committees, and champions effective project management practices across Global Engagement.

This is a high-visibility, fast-paced role requiring independent judgment, excellent coordination skills and a deep understanding of international higher education.

Please note that this role is available as a secondment for internal UCL staff, or a a 2-year FTC.

About you

You will bring significant experience managing and delivering complex international projects or programmes, ideally within higher education. You understand the challenges and opportunities of internationalisation and can analyse risks, regulatory requirements and operational implications with confidence.

You excel at building strong relationships at all levels — internally across large, matrixed organisations and externally with senior stakeholders. You can produce clear, compelling business cases, reports and briefing materials, and manage diverse workstreams with precision.

Highly motivated, collaborative and results-oriented, you are comfortable working at pace, adapting to change and providing leadership in ambiguous settings. A relevant postgraduate qualification, project management accreditation, and experience of partnerships involving China or India are desirable, though not essential. A willingness to travel and occasionally work flexibly is required.

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