Ref Number
B01-05610
Professional Expertise
IT and Digital
Department
Vice-President (Operations) (B01)
Location
London
Working Pattern
Full time
Salary
£54,931-£64,644
Contract Type
Permanent
Working Type
Hybrid
Available for Secondment
No
Closing Date
13-Aug-2026
Information Services Division (ISD) enables UCL’s academic mission and operational excellence through technology, data, digital services and innovation. As technology becomes increasingly central to institutional strategy, the Office of the CIO (OCIO) provides essential leadership capacity to ensure ISD operates coherently, transparently and effectively across the university.
The OCIO ensures ISD “does the right things” through strategy and governance, and “does things right” through operating model development, performance management and organisational effectiveness. It provides leadership capacity for the CIO, enabling coherent decision‑making, transparent governance and consistent planning across the division.
The OCIO acts as a strategic integrator, connecting programmes, people, processes and institutional partners to ensure ISD operates as a unified organisation. The OCIO Operations Manager plays a pivotal role in enabling this by leading and strengthening governance, strategic planning and performance processes, supporting strategic decision‑making, and ensuring the smooth running of leadership operations across the CIO portfolio.
The role operates as a senior strategic partner within ISD, providing leadership through influence across multiple functions and ensuring that governance, planning and performance frameworks are consistently applied across the CIO portfolio. The post holder plays a critical role in shaping how ISD operates institutionally, supporting the CIO in delivering strategic coherence, operational discipline and organisational effectiveness.
The role also contributes to ISD’s financial sustainability by providing strategic financial insight, identifying cost‑saving opportunities and supporting value‑for‑money decision‑making in partnership with the CIO Leadership Team and Finance colleagues.
- Ensure the effective day‑to‑day running of OCIO operations and leadership activity.
- Lead governance, planning and performance frameworks across ISD and ensure these frameworks are consistently applied.
- Provide financial insight and analysis to support strategic decision‑making and cost optimisation.
- Act as a strategic integrator across ISD, ensuring that leadership decisions, priorities and operating model expectations are translated into coherent, coordinated activity
- Support people planning, organisational development and culture initiatives.
- Coordinate reporting, data analysis and risk oversight across the CIO portfolio.
- Maintain strong partnerships with HR, Finance, Communications, Procurement, Estates and the wider UCL organisation.
- Providing senior‑level leadership through influence, ensuring alignment, accountability and delivery across ISD where there is no direct line‑management authority.
Strategic leadership support
- Act as a senior advisor to the Director of OCIO on governance, planning and operational matters, providing judgement, insight and recommendations based on institutional context and performance data.
- Develop and maintain a strong understanding of the ISD operating landscape, including major programmes, risks, dependencies and priorities, and use this knowledge to shape leadership discussions and decision‑making.
- Support internal communications for the OCIO, including leadership updates, briefing materials and messaging for ISD colleagues.
- Lead ad hoc strategic tasks and special projects commissioned by the Director of OCIO.
Governance, planning and performance
- Lead and continuously improve governance processes, including meeting cycles, forward plans, papers, minutes, decision logs and action tracking, ensuring high‑quality, timely and strategically aligned outputs.
- Establish and enforce documentation standards and governance discipline across ISD, ensuring consistency and professional quality in all leadership materials.
- Support the development, monitoring and reporting of performance and service effectiveness measures across ISD, providing analysis and insight that informs strategic decision‑making.
- Lead the coordination of the OCIO risk register, ensuring risks are escalated, mitigated and monitored appropriately.
Financial analysis, planning and cost optimisation
- Lead the analysis of financial and operational data across ISD to identify cost‑saving opportunities, efficiency gains and areas for reinvestment, working closely with the CIO Leadership Team and Finance Business Partnering teams.
- Develop insight‑driven recommendations that support strategic financial planning, resource prioritisation and long‑term sustainability of ISD services.
- Monitor financial performance indicators, highlight emerging risks or pressures, and ensure these are escalated and discussed through ISD governance structures.
- Support the CIO and Director of OCIO in preparing financial briefings, investment cases and options analyses for institutional committees and senior stakeholders.
- Influence senior colleagues across ISD to adopt cost‑effective practices, ensuring alignment with UCL’s financial strategy and value‑for‑money expectations.
People, culture and organisational development
- Support strategic people planning, including workforce insights, skills planning and alignment of goals across the CIO portfolio, ensuring these processes are embedded within ISD’s operating model.
- Lead and influence people and culture initiatives across ISD, shaping engagement, leadership development and continuous improvement activities.
- Coordinate recruitment and onboarding for CIO Office roles.
Cross‑institutional coordination
- Act as a central interface between the OCIO and Colleague Services partners (including HR, Finance, Communications, Procurement, Estates), ensuring alignment of processes, priorities and expectations.
- Represent the OCIO in institutional forums and cross‑functional networks, influencing stakeholders and securing engagement where there is no direct authority.
Workshops, events and leadership operations
Continuous improvement
Other Duties
- Ensure compliance with UCL policies, including cyber security, equality,
As duties and responsibilities change, this job description will be reviewed and revised in consultation with the post-holder.
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
- 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
- Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
- Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
- Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
- Immigration loan
- Relocation scheme for certain posts
- On-Site nursery
- On-site gym
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
- Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
- Discounted medical insurance
Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.
We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.
These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.
We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.
These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women
A full job description is attached to this advert.
Please review the job description, paying particular attention to the Essential and Desirable criteria, and ensure these are covered in your application.
