Head of Business Services

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education.

Delving into history’s darkest moments, scaling the heights of Homer’s epic poetry and exploring current issues such as global warming and extremism, The Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences deals with the full range of human experience. Intrinsically interdisciplinary in approach, the Faculty produces cutting-edge research that informs our world-class teaching and inspires our students, academics and the general public.

The role

Do you have a passion for making a difference and transforming lives? If so, the Open University is recruiting a Head of Business Services to lead the Business Services team in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. As Head of Business Services, although you don’t teach or carry out research, you are vital to the success of the Faculty’s strategy and academic mission. You will contribute to every aspect of Faculty life, helping to create an environment in which important things happen and our staff and students thrive.  

Specifically, you will provide strategic and operational leadership of the Business Services team, overseeing strategic planning, policy development, and decision-making; business and financial management; operations and compliance; and you will contribute to Faculty and University-wide activities and projects.   

If you are looking for an opportunity to be at the heart of a dynamic and thriving community, have a track record for managing strategy development and business planning; experience of delivering services that support effective operations and compliance; and can demonstrate a commitment to change, continuous improvement and collaborative working alongside excellent line-management, this is the role for you.

Skills and experience

• Do you have a degree level qualification (or equivalent) or relevant professional experience, and a commitment to reflection and personal and professional development?
• Have you got experience of developing and implementing strategy; planning operational resource and financial budgets; and of developing and embedding new policy and processes within a complex organisation?
• Can you lead, manage, and motivate large teams; building and promoting collaborative working that supports the best collective outcomes; and do you have a commitment to a culture of belonging, and promoting diversity and equal opportunity?
• Have you got high level communication, interpersonal, and influencing skills with the ability to develop sustainable relationships and work constructively across teams to support shared goals?
• Do you have an enquiring and analytical mind; experience of leading change; and a commitment to continuous improvement?

Closing Date: 8 July 2024 - 12:00noon

Advert information