Chief Operating Officer

University of Brighton

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Job Title: Chief Operating Officer or DVC Resources & Transformation

Closing Date: Thursday 6th February 2025

Formal Interview Date: Thursday 13th or Friday 14th March 2025 TBC

Responsible and Accountable to: Vice Chancellor

Responsible for: A large portfolio of professional services including finance, estates, IT and transformation

Department: University Executive

Location: Moulsecoomb Campus, Brighton with travel to other campuses as required (Hybrid with usually 3 days on campus)

About the University of Brighton

The University of Brighton is a community of circa 18,000 students and around 2,150 staff. We were awarded a TEF Silver for our teaching quality rating and a strong research record, factors which contribute to our reputation as a leading modern university.

We are a thriving, multi-campus coastal university delivering innovative career-focused courses at undergraduate and postgraduate degree level and our research and teaching transforms lives and benefits communities worldwide. The university offers a wide range of jobs in both academic and support roles, with competitive salaries and flexible working opportunities.

About the role

Reporting to the Vice-Chancellor and a key member of the University Executive Board, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) has a critical role in supporting the University’s strategic development and delivery of operational plans and objectives. This role will drive organisational progress and performance of across a wide range of key professional services functions. The role holder will also take a lead role in transforming the university, including by establishing and leading a new transformation team and driving the creation of more effective operating models, to ensure students, staff and other stakeholders achieve sector leading outcomes, and that the university is financially sustainable.

The COO portfolio includes a broad range of professional services such as Finance, Information Services, Academic Services, Health & Safety and Estates. Each of these functions are led by their respective directors/heads of services with the COO providing leadership and overarching strategic guidance and support.

The COO will engage with stakeholders to ensure all those services within their remit are effectively and efficiently aligned to support our academic ambitions and underpinned by highly constructive and resilient relationships with all other areas of the University.

As a key senior leader, the COO will have a successful track record in managing a broad range of operations within one or more large complex organisation. This is likely to have included leadership of a finance function. The successful candidate will need to demonstrate a strong commitment to our values and a track record of making organisations more equitable and creating a vibrant, student focussed culture.

For a confidential discussion on this role please contact: Owen Francis, Director or Beth Stickney, Principal Researcher, on +44 7703 821 996

For more detailed information please click the link to Alumni Global here