Deputy Business and Operations Manager

The University of Cambridge Research Office is seeking a Deputy Business and Operations Manager to join our Professional Services team at the heart of the University's research activity.

Research Services supports academics and professional colleagues across the full research lifecycle, enabling world leading research to thrive. Strong, dependable business support is central to that mission, ensuring teams operate smoothly, consistently and with resilience. 

Business Operations brings together key enabling functions across the Research Office, including business support, learning and knowledge support, communications, finance, HR, IT and executive support, ensuring that services are coordinated, consistent and work effectively in practice.  This role plays a central part in the team, partnering with the Business & Operations Manager, who holds overall operational responsibility for ensuring the Research Office operates effectively.  You will lead and embed our Shared Business Support model and to strengthen how we operate day to day, creating a function that connects activity across teams, supports consistent delivery, and brings structure and coordination to a complex and fast-moving environment.

What you'll be doing

• Leading the Shared Business Support function, ensuring consistent, reliable service delivery across teams
• Overseeing administrative activity and managing workloads to ensure resources are used effectively
• Maintaining oversight of operational activity, ensuring priorities and actions are clear and progressed
• Coordinating work across teams, resolving issues and connecting activity across the Office
• Supporting Research Office finance and managed grant activity, coordinating processes and working with internal teams
• Contributing to the development of processes and ways of working that improve clarity and consistency

What we are looking for

• Strong organisational skills and the ability to bring structure to complex activity
• Experience of managing and developing a team
• Confidence working across teams and connecting people and processes
• Good judgement and a proactive, solutions focused approach
• Experience coordinating or managing operational activity in a busy environment
• Clear communication and the ability to build effective working relationships
• A practical mindset and focus on making services work well day to day

It's an exciting time to join the Research Office as we continue to transform how research support is delivered. If you'd like to be part of a team that sits at the heart of how the Research Office operates, we would love to hear from you.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click the 'Apply button above. 

The closing date is 5th July 2026. Interviews will be held in person, in Cambridge during w/c 13th July. We reserve the right to close the advert early if sufficient applications are received, so welcome early applications.

Questions about the application process should be addressed to the Research Office Recruitment team at crorecruitment@admin.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference EW47320 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

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