Learning and Teaching Operations Manager

As a key member of the School Professional Services Leadership Team, the post holder will be responsible for the management and strategic direction of the School’s teaching operations with oversight of academic workforce/workload model planning.

Working in partnership with senior colleagues across the School, College, and University, the post holder will hold responsibility for the delivery of key student learning & teaching streams of the School’s strategy and contribute to the development of service excellence through a collaborative and inclusive, resilient and purpose-driven School professional services team.

A key objective of the role will be to develop a robust, resilient, and agile student operations service provision in business processes and activities which support both taught and research students during their learner journey. In pursuit of service excellence, the post holder will also lead and contribute to the University-wide change program on behalf of the School.

The role reports directly to the Head of Professional Services within the School.

The School of Social and Political Sciences has 3,800 students, with a total of 460 staff. The post holder will be responsible for 4 direct reports, with the wider Learning and Teaching Operations team consisting of an additional c. 40 staff.

1. Play a lead role in developing and successfully implementing the School strategy and strategic deliverables in service excellence for learning and teaching, evidenced by the enhancement in service delivery of the School Learning & Teaching Operations team.

2. Provide leading contributions to the School’s strategic planning, providing advice to senior management as a leading partner to the School Senior Leadership Team, including Learning & Teaching Directors in the development and communication of policy and strategy.

3. Foster an inclusive environment and lead the design, and development of an agile and resilient student-focused operations service aligned with the School’s core learning and teaching activity in supporting students through their learner journey. Responsible for strategic oversight and coordination of UG, PGT and PGR administration, including ownership of policies and procedures, communication strategies, roles and responsibilities of staff members and ensuring full cooperation, coordination and, where appropriate, integration with other support teams in the School, College and wider University.

4. Work in partnership with senior academic colleagues within the School to operationalise an adaptable and effective service through the harmonisation of business processes to enhance the experience for both staff and students. Integrate personal and organisational foresight into regular operations.

5. Line management of the Resource Planning Manager, with oversight of workload modelling and workforce planning to meet the requirements of the School’s teaching and research priorities. Line management of Undergraduate, Postgraduate, and Erasmus Mundus Team Managers to ensure the effective delivery of services.

6. Senior contributor to support the School/College/University’s, in the development of innovative solutions which deliver flexible, scalable, and sustainable service operations to meet the needs of our students across all stages of the student lifecycle.

7. Develop a service excellence metrics framework to assess service performance, using analytical insight to identify and implement key opportunities for improvement.

8. Develop and deliver standard operating procedures for all complicated, routine transactional operations, applying continuous improvement methodologies to simplify processes and embed resilience in our core student service operations, empowering teams to engage with continuous improvement.

9. Lead and develop the desired capability to enable high-performing and resilient professional services Learning and Teaching Operations team within the School. Working in partnership with senior professional service leads across the College to inform the future and shape organisational design as the operations service evolves.

10. Develop operational analytics/management information with relevant insight to inform future service development.

11. Proactively network and develop strong collaborative relationships across the College and University more broadly, to share best practice and remove potential barriers to the delivery of service improvements.

12. Senior contributor within the School’s Professional Services team in our ambition to deliver service excellence.

13. Senior professional services lead in the School in contributing to the University’s World Changing Transformation programme and College initiatives to enhance capacity and capability in the delivery of strategic objectives.

14. Effectively manage the relevant governance, legislative and regulatory compliance In partnership with senior colleagues develop a robust framework to support compliance with relevant accreditation bodies and quality assurance processes.

15. Deputise for the Head of Professional Services as appropriate.

A1 Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9, 10 or 11 (Ordinary/Honours Degree, Post Graduate Qualification) or equivalent, including being professionally qualified in a relevant discipline, with a broad range of professional experience in a similar management role. Or Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary professional knowledge and management skills in a similar or number of different specialist roles.

A2 Relevant qualification and/or extensive experience of service design principles, process improvement and/or project/change management methodologies.

B1 Authoritative knowledge and understanding of the work practices, processes and procedures relevant to the role, including awareness of developments and challenges in the HE sector.

C1 Excellent organisational leadership and management skills, including the delivery and evaluation of projects, initiatives, and activities in a changing context and with reference to objectives and targets.

C2 Highly effective influencing and interpersonal skills, including negotiation and diplomacy with ability to adapt style accordingly.

C3 Excellent communication and presentational skills.

C4 Ability to lead and implement business process improvement delivery and change across a complex organisation.

C5 Effective project management skills.

C6 Solution-focused with a strong attention to detail and strong analytical insight.

C7 Strategic business planning skills underpinned by data analysis and interpretation and sound operational management skills.

C8 Excellent digital skills especially in the operation of Microsoft Office and reporting tools.

C9 Ability to develop operational plans to support delivery of strategic objectives.

C10 Effective project management skills.

C11 Resilient and able to maintain momentum in the face of challenges and setback.

C12 Excellent ability to empower and motivate others to deliver a high-performance culture in a participative manner.

C13 Experience in managing a team of staff and aligning the day-to-day work and goals of the team with the organisation’s strategic vision.

C14 Have a commitment to customer care within a service orientated culture.

E1 Proven track record of leading a high-quality operations service function across a multi-disciplinary range in a complex and diverse organisation.

E2 Sustained proven track record using Lean/Agile or other methodologies in delivery of business benefits through process improvement/change management programmes.

E3 Proven track record in leading with an inclusive approach to high-performing teams in a complex organisation, with experience of enabling adaptability in structures, processes and mindsets.

E4 Experience of managing a team of staff and aligning the day-to-day work and goals of the team with the organisation’s strategic vision.

E5 Significant experience of developing management information to inform service performance, enhancement, and decision-making.

E6 Experience in creating standard operating procedures and processes.

F1 Knowledge of the working processes and systems relevant to Higher Education institutions.

F2 Experience of working in central and devolved administrations.

F3 Proven experience of working at a senior level in or with the Higher Education sector.

Salary will be Grade 8, £46,047 – £53,353 per annum.

This post is full time (35 hours per week) and open ended. Relocation expenses will be paid where appropriate.

As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension – pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University.