PenARC Director of Operations

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

This new full-time post is available immediately on a permanent basis subject to extended funding.

Summary of the Role

We are seeking to attract a highly skilled and experienced leader to undertake the role of Director of Operations for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration for the South West Peninsula (NIHR ARC SWP); a partnership between the University of Exeter, University of Plymouth and health and social care organisations in Devon, Somerset and Cornwall. The Director of Operations will be responsible for the operational delivery of the c.£20m research programme and will be a key member of the PenARC Senior Leadership Team with shared responsibility for developing and delivering the strategic objectives of this major applied health research programme, a collaboration that has been in existence since the first funding cycle in 2008.

Establishing and utilising strong governance and accountability structures, the Director of Operations will act as a key relationship manager across the ARC SWP collaboration to ensure a focus on strategy (research, impact and capacity development) to its key customers/stakeholders, including health and social care partners, charities and commercial bodies in the region.  

The Director of Operations will be responsible for all aspects of financial, staff and programme planning and will hold research teams to account for progress and outcome delivery, including the management of the c.£4 million annual budget. You will also develop entrepreneurial initiatives to maximise opportunities for generating research revenue and raising the profile of the ARC SWP, the NHS and its collaborators.

The Director of Operations will: have strong intellectual capacity and reasoning; have proven staff management and leadership experience; a high degree of initiative, responsibility and self-motivation and a professional and proactive approach to problem solving; be a confident decision maker with strategic experience and significant operational delivery experience who can lead through periods of change; have experience of designing processes, systems and services to meet a diverse range of needs and have experience of managing complex budgets and contracts.

This role will be based within the University of Exeter’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. There will be flexibility for some home / remote working within the region of the ARC SWP. 

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

The University of Exeter

We are 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).  

Our research income in recent years means we’re the fastest growing UK Research University with some of the world’s most influential scientists, and we seek to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today through this. More than 99% of our research is of international quality and our world-leading research impact is growing faster than any other Russell Group university (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

With over 27,000 students and 6,400 staff from 180 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), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer. Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. Reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Benefits

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

• 41 days leave per year
• options for flexible working
• numerous discounts at leading retailers
• onsite gyms on all of our campus’ and a cycle to work scheme
• sector leading policies around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave (up to 26 weeks full pay), paternity leave (up to six weeks full pay) and a new Fertility Treatment Policy
• stunning campus environments in Exeter and Cornwall, in the beautiful South West of England

Interviews are expeced to take place on either the 2nd of 11th of November.