IT Services Change and Communications Lead

IT Services

This new full time post is available immediately on a permanent basis and offers the opportunity for hybrid working – some time on campus and some from home.

The University of Exeter is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 150 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022 and QS World University Ranking 2022). We have recently opened a number of new and exciting opportunities in our IT and Digital function.

The university is developing a new ten-year strategy where digital ways of working will be central to delivering our vision and goals. The digital transformation will impact profoundly on our workplace design, the skills we develop, the way our students learn, and the way we work and collaborate, and we want to ensure that this transformation has our staff and students at its heart. We are investing in digital technology and skills development to strengthen our education, research, and partnerships, and to meet the needs of our community.

Exeter IT & Digital is central to all of this, and we are looking for people to join us who want to be part of this major transformation and part of changing the way we work and the way our students learn.

Why our staff love working here

The role

As the IT Services Change and Communications Lead, you will lead and coordinate change and engagement activities to ensure the smooth transition from the existing ways of working to the new business model, and to ensure business areas are thoroughly prepared for the transition.

This includes generating positive engagement and feedback from stakeholders about the IT final operating capability, responsibility for staff engagement and communications, coordinating the realization of the benefits of the new ways of working and embed the new capabilities into business operations, and helping managers support their staff through what is a significant programme of change.

The ideal candidate will be educated at degree level (or demonstrable equivalent experience) and will ideally have a Prince II foundation, ITIL Foundation or Change management qualification (such as Prosci), though these are not essential. We are looking for someone who has experience managing large scale change initiatives in complex organisations and has a solid understanding of change management concepts and methodologies. You will have experience of working at a senior level including influencing senior management and academics. You will also have experience in developing and delivering training and staff development strategies as well as in coaching and mentoring managers and leaders.

The successful candidate will work under broad direction (work is often self-initiated), influence organisation, customers, suppliers, partners and peers on the contribution of own specialism, will perform an extensive range and variety of complex technical and/or professional work activities, and advise on the available standards, methods, tools and applications.

You will be expected to work independently under the direction of the Head of IT Projects and liaise with the Programme and Project sponsors, Assistant Director for IT Planning and Partnerships, IT PMO, IT Programme and Project Managers and local business change managers to implement the change.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role. 

We will be reviewing applications as they come in, so please don’t hesitate in applying, as we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications.

Are you convinced, but don't find you 100 percent fit the profile? Feel free to send us your application anyway! We look forward to growing with you!

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024).  We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our world-leading research impact has grown more than any other Russell Group university in recent years, and we are home to some of the world’s most influential researchers, seeking to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today.  More than 99 percent of our research is of international quality and 47 percent is world-leading (2021 Research Excellence Framework).

We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. 

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

Further information

For further information, please contact Dave Witts, [email protected]