The University
At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally. Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.
We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here.
Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page.
The Role and the Department
This is an exciting opportunity to lead the development of the University’s Strategic Reporting and Business Intelligence capabilities. You will be responsible for the Institutional Business Intelligence programme of work – leading the delivery of the key strategic analytical outputs related to the University’s strategic performance and planning imperatives. Central to this will be the ongoing development of integrated performance dashboards and continued work on the development of the University’s Management Information Hub. Your work will consider further development of the data lake for key data sources across different areas, as well as delivery of strategic reporting relating to those, expanding our core strategic PowerBI dashboard provision.
The postholder will have a significant role in providing insights and evidence for assessing performance and meaningful planning, including key performance indicators and competitive positioning. The postholder will also have a lead role in taking forward the University’s Data Strategy, liaising with senior leaders and stakeholders in a range of areas to ensure agility and progress with implementation. You will be responsible for the BI section in the Strategy, Planning & Insight Office, leading the team to deliver significant change and improvement in our strategic reporting and analytics, data lake resources, data dashboard reporting, data governance, data quality, data literacy and culture.
This is a great opportunity for someone with the right vision and leadership skills to drive this significant programme of work and lead institutional change in analytics and the informed application of data insights.
Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.
Working at Durham
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:
- You’ll receive 30 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
- We offer a generous pension scheme, and as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
- No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can also take advantage of our cost-effective and environmentally friendly Tusker Car Benefit Scheme, allowing you to lease a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle with savings on tax and National Insurance.
- We have a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
- We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
- Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
- Our family-friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
- We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
- You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.
- Various salary sacrifice schemes are also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
- If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs, and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest-free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.
Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.
Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion
Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.
We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.
What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification
When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.
Your application should cover the following criteria:
Essential Criteria
Qualifications/Experience
1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
2. Professional practitioner with specialist knowledge and expertise to influence service delivery, events and activities within the organisation.
3. Experience working in Higher Education and expertise considering key internal and external datasets used for strategic performance analytics and benchmarking.
4. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.
5. Experience of participating in internal or external networks to share and discuss good practice, develop strong and productive working relationships and positively influence the University’s reputation.
6. Experience of implementing policies and procedures and supporting service improvements.
7. Track record of cross-functional management and development experience and/or an enhanced management qualification applied across a large service team or teams.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
8. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
9. Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, business systems, Excel, and specialist analytical and BI software – Fabric, PowerBI (or equivalent), Alteryx (or equivalent).
10. Advanced analytical skills applied to organisational performance
11. Advanced understanding of data management practices, including data governance, data quality, and master data management.
12. Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.
13. Ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions.
14. Experience of being able to network effectively and develop strong and productive working relationships, to influence perceptions of the University.
15. Demonstrable ability to provide specialist advice and influence others at operational at strategic levels.
16. Track record of cross-functional management and development experience and/or an enhanced management qualification applied across a large service team or teams.
17. Experience leading a service that is focussed on customer experience.
18. Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.
19. Extensive knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.
Desirable Criteria
20. Experience in bringing together diverse functions and leading teams that include data analytics and warehousing personnel, guiding them through successful data analytic projects.
21. Technical experience with enterprise data warehouse solutions, statistical analysis tools, database systems, and data visualization applications.
22. Experience of delivering managed services including working with external delivery partners.
How to apply
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).
While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.
Submitting your application
We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.
What you need to submit
- A CV: and
- A supporting statement which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification.
Contact details
For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Alicja Konstantinidis-Pereira, Deputy Director of Strategy, Planning and Insight at
[email protected] .
Typical Role Requirements
Service Delivery/Development
- Contribute to equality, diversity and inclusion, and the University’s values.
- Oversee and manage professional and regulatory standards (for example, relating to best practice data and reporting development) and policies relating to activities carried out by Business Intelligence section.
- Accountable for the delivery of the University’s Data Strategy and Business Intelligence Programme of work, and for developing future versions of the Data Strategy, ensuring alignment to overall University Strategy, vision and objectives.
- Accountable for the governance of prioritised Strategic Business Intelligence Reporting demand (aligning prioritisation with the University’s strategic objectives) and successful execution of the resulting operational BI delivery roadmap.
- Use your leadership and management expertise to implement any significant changes in the optimal way, in collaboration with other senior managers and specialists.
- Lead on the development of new areas of work or activities within the delivery of Business Intelligence Programme of work and the University Data Strategy including scoping, planning and implementing any changes to achieve the outcomes expected by senior colleagues.
- Look for innovative ways to continually improve the services provided to your stakeholders.
- Develop and implement new or improved policies, processes and standards.
- Use your professional knowledge and experience delivering all aspects of Business intelligence, including the technical data warehouse expansion, dashboard strategic reporting provision and robust data governance practices to resolve problems, shape processes and activities, develop systems and to provide subject matter expertise and advice
- Orchestrate the design and implementation of standardised data management and governance processes and guidelines, promoting a culture of data ownership with defined, quality assured data assets.
- Establish and implement guidelines, processes and governance to ensure best practice in user experience (UX) and design in BI reporting.
- Support quality and regulatory audits to ensure that systems and processes are operating in an optimal and compliant way.
- Meet the professional development needs of your stakeholders by ensuring that a programme of training and learning activities is designed and delivered by Business Intelligence section.
- Provide specialist insight that enables data-driven decisions to be made about Business Intelligence and Strategic Reporting and Analytics.
Planning and Organisation
- Use your expertise to help develop strategic plans and business plans that cover a wide range of operational activities.
- Define what needs to be achieved so that other colleagues can scope, plan and implement large-scale/University-wide initiatives such as a transformational development of our institutional BI function and capabilities.
- Ensure your services are performing at the optimal level by setting clear standards and introducing measurable performance indicators.
- Use your leadership expertise to help project teams understand what needs to be achieved, solve any problems that are encountered and keep implementation plans on track.
- Allocate and monitor designated budgets, expenditure and resources.
Leadership and Team Development
- Set operational and strategic objectives and use your leadership and management skills, to develop the people in your team(s) and ensure high standards of performance.
- Help shape the skills and expertise needed to deliver a professional service by recruiting, inducting and training team members and structuring your team(s) in a way that will best meet operational and strategic priorities.
- Ensure that your team can deliver the required services by delegating responsibilities to appropriate team members and considering succession plans.
- Carry out regular performance reviews with colleagues to provide feedback on objectives and identify any development needs.
- Handle most HR issues and support the welfare and wellbeing of your team, taking advice on more complex issues from specialist services or senior managers.
Communication/Liaison
- Lead internal and external meetings and committees to influence University policy, standards and governance.
- Build and lead an influential network of internal and external contacts to increase your knowledge and skills, swap information with peers and use that information to improve and develop Business Intelligence and Analytics provision.
- Identify opportunities to build relationships with external organisations to support the delivery of strategic-level objectives.
- Drive the data agenda with upper management, securing sponsorship for the Data Strategy, and instilling a data-driven culture within the University
- Serve as a liaison between stakeholders and upper management to ensure that the stakeholder's specific data needs are met.
- Lead the implementation of data governance forums, bringing together stakeholders across functions.
- Research new approaches being taken by internal and external stakeholders such as other Universities, through our existing connections to Russell Group networks ,as well as our HE Planning professional bodies (HESPA) so that you can take these insights into account when developing BI service and Strategic Reporting
- Explore options to promote and increase engagement in reporting developed as a part of BI programme of work being delivered by your service.
- Design and deliver a programme of professional development activities to your stakeholders to support their development and information needs.
- Any other reasonable duties.
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.
When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.
