Director of Faculty Planning and Operations

We have an exciting opportunity to lead the strategic and operational planning activities of our world-renowned Faculty of Science and Engineering, supporting the delivery of its ambitious strategic priorities. If you have significant leadership and management experience gained in corporate planning or operations, ideally in a higher education institution, Manchester Metropolitan University could be your ideal next career move.

About us

Manchester Met is an exciting place to work. It balances a proud 200-year heritage with a dynamic future-focussed strategy which seeks to deliver the highest standards of both education and research, with powerful real-world impact. We are ambitious for our students, our staff and our future. And this ambition translates into investment and action.

We continue to thrive in a challenging environment and have invested over £400m in our estates and digital infrastructure to support our education and research ambitions. The latest addition to our estate is the new Faculty of Science and Engineering Dalton building, complete with contemporary teaching space, state of the art research facilities, and social and self-directed learning areas.

The Faculty of Science & Engineering has ambitious plans for the future. It is focused on delivering impactful, high-quality research and transforming the delivery and shape of STEM education, addressing the major challenges of our time by harnessing science and engineering to make a better future for everyone. Our diverse and vibrant student body numbers over 8,400, and are supported by 370 academic staff. Our students and researchers thrive in an environment where excellence in teaching and research informs all we do.

About the role

Join us and you could soon be providing the strategic guidance and insight needed to implement the Faculty of Science & Engineering strategic ambitions and bring leadership to our Professional Services teams. Working in the high-performing Strategic Planning Directorate, you will drive the Faculty’s strategic planning processes, including market insight and portfolio development. You will provide analysis and insight to support key strategies and decisions and you’ll be instrumental in the delivery of a number of key change projects. And, when it comes to working with senior colleagues to resolve any difficult issues or engaging externally within the HE sector to maximise opportunities to enhance the University’s profile and reputation, again, we’ll count on you.

About you

Ideally you’ll have experience in strategic planning and/or operations in an academic context and be familiar with data analysis and insight, benchmarking and the use of comparator data to support the development of strategy, policies and processes.  An accomplished project manager, you should have a good understanding of the techniques involved in leading a portfolio of complex projects and services to deliver the required outcome. You are used to improving processes and co-ordinating activity to deliver clear results and also leading or making a substantial contribution to change management projects. You will have led and developed high-performing teams, delivering outcomes to agreed deadlines. But above all, you will have clear networking and influencing skills, able to engage proactively with a range of colleagues, including senior management, and work effectively across organisational boundaries. This opportunity will enable you to gain exposure and experience of working at senior level within the Higher Education sector.

For an informal chat about the opportunity, please contact Helen Barton, Director of Strategic Planning and Operations at h.barton@mmu.ac.uk

Further information:

• Closing Date – Sunday 2^nd March 2025
• Shortlisting – w/c 3^rd March 2025
• Interviews – Friday 21^st March 2025

Manchester Metropolitan University is committed to supporting the rights, responsibilities, dignity, health and wellbeing of staff and students through our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. We promote applications from all sections of the community, irrespective of background, belief or identity, recognising the benefits that a diverse organisation can bring. We recognise the benefits and importance of an environment that supports flexible working and are open to conversations about this throughout the application process.