About the role

The Education Office is looking for an experienced Operations Officer who can hit the ground running, take ownership and independently lead a varied operational portfolio. This 12-month maternity cover offers the opportunity to work closely with senior leadership, lead financial and operational improvement, and manage a small Operations function.

You will join during the implementation of Atlas, Imperial's new enterprise system for finance and HR, with a key role in shaping and embedding effective financial and operational processes across the Education Office.

What you would be doing

Working closely with senior leadership and colleagues across the Education Office, you will support the effective operation of the team through strong financial management, process improvement, governance and operational coordination. As this is a maternity cover role, we are looking for someone with the experience, confidence and judgement to hit the ground running and operate independently from the outset.

Alongside this operational remit, you will provide high-quality governance support to the Education and Student Experience Committee (ESEC), working with senior academic and professional services colleagues to support effective committee planning, preparation, decision-making and follow-up.

A key focus of the role will be strengthening financial management across the Education and Student Experience portfolio. You will lead work to embed Atlas, Imperial’s new enterprise system for finance and HR, with a particular focus on establishing effective financial processes following implementation. You will support regular budget monitoring and review, identify financial risks and opportunities, and develop consistent and efficient financial processes across the team. You will be confident interpreting financial information and using this to provide meaningful insight and recommendations to senior colleagues to support proactive decision-making.

You will also take ownership of identifying opportunities to strengthen the wider Education Office operating model, independently reviewing processes and ways of working and taking improvement activity from identification and objective-setting through to implementation and evaluation. The aim is to leave sustainable, well-documented operational systems that strengthen service delivery and business continuity.

The role includes line management responsibility within the Operations function. You will need experience of setting clear priorities and expectations, monitoring delivery, supporting staff development and managing day-to-day workload independently, escalating matters to senior management where appropriate.

We are looking for someone with strong operational and organisational skills, strong financial acumen, and demonstrable experience of improving processes and ways of working. You will combine attention to detail with the ability to see the wider operational picture, exercise sound judgement and take ownership of work from problem identification through to delivery of results. You will be expected to resolve most operational issues independently, bringing progress, recommendations and outcomes to senior management as required.

What we are looking for

We are looking for an experienced operations professional who can work confidently and independently from the outset. You will bring:

A professional qualification in Business Administration or equivalent relevant experience gained through progressively responsible operational roles.

Strong financial acumen, with the ability to understand, monitor and explain expenditure and budget, as well as other numerical information.

Ability to work independently and manage own workload to tight deadlines with little direct supervision.

Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage a busy workload, adjusting priorities as necessary in response to changing circumstances or problems in order to ensure that deadlines are met.

Evidence of managing and developing staff successfully.

Proven administrative and operational experience within higher education, with an interest in learning, teaching and the student experience.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with high standards of accuracy and attention to detail.

Strong interpersonal skills and the confidence to build effective working relationships with colleagues at all levels of seniority.

What we can offer you

The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to use science for humanity.

Benefit from a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 43 days’ annual leave and generous pension schemes).

Access to a range of workplace benefits including a flexible working policy from day one, generous family leave packages, on-site leisure facilities and cycle-to-work scheme.

Interest-free season ticket loan schemes for travel.