Faculty Head of Technical Services (FSE)

The role

Shape the technical services that enable world-leading science and engineering

As Faculty Head of Technical Services, you will provide visible, strategic leadership for technical services across the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Reporting to the Director of Faculty Operations and working within the Faculty Leadership Team, you will lead a complex service encompassing multidisciplinary teams, specialist facilities, infrastructure, budgets and operational risks.

You will ensure services are safe, resilient, efficient and future-focused, bringing authoritative technical insight to senior decision-making. You will influence research and education priorities, enable collaboration and innovation, and ensure the Faculty makes effective use of its people, facilities and resources.

This role offers significant scope to lead change, develop technical capability and culture, guide workforce and infrastructure planning, and strengthen partnerships across schools and professional services. You will represent the Faculty internally and externally, contribute to University-wide technical leadership and may deputise for the Director of Faculty Operations.

What will you be doing?

• Lead people, culture and change: Provide inclusive leadership to a large technical community, promoting accountability, collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Shape future services: Develop and improve a service model that meets evolving research, education and operational needs.
• Direct facilities and investment: Prioritise infrastructure, specialist equipment and resources, supported by robust business cases.
• Assure safety and resilience: Lead health and safety, regulatory compliance, risk management and business continuity.
• Influence strategy: Bring technical expertise to Faculty and University decision-making and represent Bristol with partners.
• Build partnerships: Strengthen relationships across academic and professional services and identify collaborative, commercial and grant-funded opportunities.

You should apply if you have

• Significant senior leadership experience, including leading diverse technical teams and complex organisational change.
• Expertise in a relevant technical discipline and the breadth to work across varied technical environments.
• Substantial experience of operational safety, regulatory compliance, risk management and business continuity.
• Experience managing substantial budgets, competing priorities, business cases and service improvement.
• Strong influencing, negotiation and inclusive people-leadership skills.
• Knowledge gained through a relevant degree, professional qualification or registration, supported by significant experience and leadership training. Professional registration and a NEBOSH Certificate are desirable.

We welcome transferable experience from higher education, research institutes, national laboratories, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, engineering or other complex technical environments. Please refer to the attached job description for full requirements.

Additional information

• Hours: 35 hours, Monday to Friday
• Selection process: Thursday 5 November
• Informal enquiries: Dani Murtagh, dani.murtagh@bristol.ac.uk

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