Head of Strategic Planning and Data Quality

Closing Date: 10 Mar 2025 (midnight)

Key Information

Salary: Appointments are normally made at the starting salary, however comparable skills and experience will be considered. Future progression is based on annual performance review. 

Hours per week: 35 hours per week (Full Time)

Location: Chelsea. This role is eligible for hybrid working

Job Details

Head of Strategic Planning and Data Quality

Do you have an interest and excellent understanding of Higher Education regulation and funding? Are you looking for an opportunity to take on a leadership role in strategic planning and data quality?

In this professional services leadership role, you will coordinate and assure the accuracy of all The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)’s statutory returns (such as HESA Staff, Data Futures, and TRAC), while advising senior management on higher education policy to maximise our core funding. You will provide vision and leadership for data strategy, ensuring regulatory compliance and to support the ICR’s academic and research objectives.

As a relatively small, specialist institution, we need someone who can both think strategically and carry out hands-on data tasks. This includes working side by side with colleagues who lead on statutory returns, providing detailed oversight, guiding data accuracy, troubleshooting data anomalies, and presenting robust analyses to senior leadership. The postholder will play a key role in ICR’s Research Excellence Framework preparations with a focus on data underpinning the submission including staff eligibility.

This is an exciting time to join ICR’s Research Services Directorate as we embark on the implementation of ‘Stratus’, a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Programme. You will be a member of the Stratus Delivery Programme, providing leadership in terms of data quality, data curation and reporting.

Key Requirements

You will have experience of managing the preparation and submission of external data returns and will be a strategic thinker with an ability to interpret complex information and present the bigger picture to senior management.

You will have strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret, validate, and reconcile large datasets (such as financial, staff, or research data) to provide fit for purpose management information.

You will be capable of translating regulatory or funding-body requirements into practical data solutions.

You will be able to interact confidently with ICR staff at all levels of seniority and demonstrate strong influencing skills.

Department/Directorate Information

The Research Services function plays a pivotal role in supporting the research community at the ICR, encompassing the following teams: Research Operations, Strategic Grants, Research Policy and Partnerships, and Strategic Research Partnerships.

Together these teams provide proactive support across key areas, including faculty recruitment, research committees, systems and information management, and grant coordination.

We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Emma Pendleton via Email on emma.pendleton@icr.ac.uk 

To apply, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above.

Advert information