Head of Social Purpose Operations

THIS JOB HAS NOW CLOSED

The opportunity

We believe the world needs creativity. That’s why UAL is a social purpose university, dedicated to nurturing creativity and deploying it to help solve the world’s problems. At the core of our new 10-year strategy is a commitment to making the world a better place through our collective creative endeavour. This is a time of great change, and great opportunity and we are looking for a unique, talented and focused individual to join us at this exciting juncture as the Head of Social Purpose Operations. 

This brand-new role will support the Chief Social Purpose Officer in defining, building and creating the University’s recently formed Social Purpose Group. The Group brings together our fundraising team, our communications directorate, and our new Storytelling Institute, a hub for campaigners and artists to collaborate in the service of social purpose goals. 

You will play a key leadership role in building and running the new division. Sitting within the Group’s new Senior Leadership Team and working alongside four Directors, you will: 

• Build and lead the strategic business planning for the Social Purpose Group ensuring that the directorates can develop and drive transformation, in line with UAL strategy
• Lead strategic planning and operational delivery of finance, people, data management, governance, compliance and communications for the Group, working with key business partners
• Develop, build and ensure consistent and effective ways of working in partnership with the Directors of Development, Communications, the Storytelling Institute and Social Purpose Lab
• Lead on the development and delivery of data-driven governance and communications internally and externally, including budget planning, business cases and papers 

There is also opportunity for designing new ways of thinking and being in the workplace, to deliver a fundamental step change in how UAL can make the world a better place. 

About you

We are looking for a candidate with significant leadership and management experience at a senior level in a complex organisational environment with multiple stakeholders. Key to the role will be your experience of successful management and delivery of culture change, within Higher Education or a similar environment, developing teams to be highly service focused. 

With a degree / postgraduate qualification in business, management or a relevant field, professional qualification in a relevant area or substantial equivalent experience, you will have in depth knowledge of core operations and process management activities such as administration, risk management, finance, HR and quality assurance. 

We are UAL

University of the Arts London (UAL) generates and inspires the creativity the world needs for a better future. Since 1842, our colleges have been defining creative education. With curiosity, imagination and intent we make work which creates lasting change for people and our planet. London is core to who we are, a place where we meet and share ideas with people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Our creative network influences learning, culture, industry and society on a global scale. Our academics and practitioners deliver creative education and inspire new ways of thinking through research and innovation. We work with students at every level from pre-degree and short courses to postgraduate and online learning, enabling them to build the careers they want. Together, we are a community of makers, thinkers, pioneers and storytellers redesigning the future.

Our culture

We are a global University, welcoming over 22,000 students and 6,000 staff from 130 countries. We aim to be a university where people can be themselves and feel supported to reach their full potential. That’s why we are proud to be members of the Race Equality Charter (REC) and Business Disability Forum, are a Disability Confident Scheme Committed and Living Wage employer and maintain our status as a Stonewall Diversity Champion.

Application process

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Thus, you will need to create an account and submit an application through our job board. As part of this, you will need to provide a supporting statement/answer some competency questions to demonstrate your suitability. Our recruitment process involves: Application, Shortlisting, Interview and Assessment, Offer, Onboarding.

We understand the benefits of using AI in work. But, if you are thinking of using it to submit an application, we ask you to think about what value it adds. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

If we receive a high volume of applications, the closing day date might close early. We aim to communicate any changes to the closing date with at least 24 hours’ notice. If you have any general questions or have accessibility needs, please refer to our Contact us page.

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