Chief Operating Officer

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for the overall leadership, management, and the organization’s services functions. The purpose of the role is to ensure that the

Corporate Services functions are aligned with, and contribute to, the achievement of the overall strategic goals and objectives. In addition to the management of corporate

services the COO provides business and commercial advice to the senior leadership team.

The COO will serve as a key member of the senior leadership team and report directly to the CEO.

The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for the following functional areas:

·      Commercial Revenue

·      Human Resources

·      Estates & Facilities

·      IT Services

·      General Services

Key Areas of Responsibility

·      Leadership and effective management of the Corporate Services Division

·      Contribute to the implementation of strategy and ensuring that the Corporate

Services Division functions are aligned with strategic objectives and meet the needs of

key stakeholders.

·      Overseeing the implementation of strategies including the HR strategy, Digital strategy and Commercial strategy.

·      Advise the leadership team on the overall development of the organisation and in particular provide advice and assistance with commercial negotiations.

·      Deliver an efficient fit-for-purpose Corporate Services Division in a cost-efficient manner to include regular benchmarking services against best practice and drive improvement of processes and services to ensure value for money is delivered across all activities and functions.

·      Implementing service level agreements, KPIs and metrics.

·      Establish effective operational systems, processes and procedures and oversee the management of these operational systems, processes and procedures and ensure that they are communicated and embedded in day-to-day practice.

·      Developing the management team within the Corporate Services Division and promoting a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.

·      Coordination and leadership of large cross-functional programmes and projects including organizational change, infrastructure and large IT programmes and projects.

·      Oversee the development and maintenance of effective information and management systems.

·      Management of Health and Safety and business continuity.

·      Ensure that Corporate Services operations and associated policies and procedures comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

Person Requirements

·      Proven leadership skills and experience in managing multiple functional areas in a large and complex setting.

·      Proven track record in successfully driving and managing large scale organisational change including changes in structures, processes, and systems.

·      Strong project management experience in IT and large infrastructure projects.

·      Experience managing multiple stakeholders and an understanding of how to achieve results in an academic environment including sensitivity for and understanding of academic disciplines and issues.

·      Excellent interpersonal skills including communications, listening and negotiation skills and the ability to understand the needs of multiple stakeholders and build support for change.

·      Well-developed planning, organizational development and business skills.

·      Can articulate a vision for Corporate Services, with the ability to align strategy and

·      operations to that vision in support of strategy.

·      Strong experience in the development and implementation of strategy in a large and complex environment.

·      Proven commercial skills and strong business acumen including the ability to advise the senior leadership team on commercial development opportunities.

·      The ability to work with multiple stakeholders to implement strategy and drive continuous process improvement.

·      Strong understanding of information systems capabilities.

·      Ability to develop a strong management team and to coach and mentor.

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