Technical Strategic Lead

We have an exciting new opportunity for an experienced senior technician to lead our expanding central technician team to champion Technical Services staff across the University and externally. This role will influence and shape the delivery of the University's obligations of the Technician Commitment and raise the profile of the needs and concerns of technical staff at a strategic level.

Learning and Development (L&D) supports excellence in learning, teaching and research at the University of Cambridge by providing professional, vocational and leadership development for 13,000+ university staff, in line with the University's wider mission and strategy.

The Role:

As Technician Strategic Lead you lead the Technician team, providing leadership on the direction and delivery of the Technician Commitment Action Plan (TCAP) Phase 3. A key aspect of the role is to provide clear leadership and central oversight in the development, delivery and evaluation of the technical services provided, adopting a strategic approach to career development, progression and sustainability of the technical workforce, and ensuring technical contributions to research and teaching are visible, recognised and costed. You will work closely with internal stakeholders and external contacts developing relationships and networks to raise the profile of technicians and achieve support for the delivery of the technician agenda.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Managing and developing the Technician Team and Technician Survey Project team;
• Overseeing the delivery of a Technician Survey;
• Developing a technical skills framework that aligns with the technical staff career development pathways, boosts technical skills, knowledge, and career development, ensuring provision and access to a range of professional development opportunities tailored to technical roles and careers;
• Contributing to working groups and projects developing policies, frameworks and resources that support improved technician culture at Cambridge.

About you:

As the ideal candidate for this role, you will join us with experience of:

• Technician Services, ideally within a Higher Education environment;
• Proven track record of leading and delivering projects that have added value to the organisation;
• Operating and engaging with senior and middle leaders and managers;
• Building effective working relationships that make a difference to others;
• Developing strategic approaches and initiatives in consultation with staff at all levels.

You will also have:

• Evidence of persuasion and influencing skills;
• Evidence of effective leadership and management skills;
• Demonstrable ability to work effectively, collaboratively and consultatively at all levels;
• Commitment to the professional development of technical staff, services and resources.

You will be:

• Credible to technical staff and other stakeholder groups as a strategic lead, with a technical qualification or equivalent;
• A team player with a commitment and passion to making a difference to technical services staff.

Benefits of working at Cambridge include:

• Competitive rates of pay with automatic service related pay progression and annual cost of living increases;
• Generous annual leave allowance of 41 days paid leave;
• Generous maternity, adoption and shared parental leave entitlement and other family friendly schemes;
• An auto-enrolment pension scheme, with a generous employer contribution;
• Travel benefits and retail discounts at over 2,000 local and national stores;

We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for part-time working or other flexible working arrangements.

Informal enquiries are encouraged and should be directed to: Leonie Isaacson, Head of Learning & Development at Leonie.Isaacson@admin.cam.ac.uk.

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

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