Your opportunity to sit at the heart of decision-making at one of the UK’s top universities.
The Director of Strategic Planning and Analytics will lead, manage and develop the University’s effective utilisation of management information. Responsible for collecting and analysing the University’s data, providing insights into what it tells us about performance and using it to inform and drive the strategic planning processes and resource allocations.
At Warwick, we’ve rapidly become one of the most successful young universities in the UK. With a
dynamic and forward-thinking culture, and a reputation for combining innovation with the relentless pursuit of excellence, we are firmly established within the top ten of all UK university rankings –and since we entered the top ten we’ve never left. We’re currently 57th in the world (QS World University Rankings 2018). In the Government’s recent Teaching Excellence Framework we were awarded silver status. This shows we’re a university that ‘consistently exceeds rigorous national quality requirements for UK higher education’ and achieves ‘excellent outcomes for its students…with an institutional culture that facilitates, recognises and rewards excellent teaching’.
We’re proud of the links we have with our home city of Coventry, and with communities across Warwickshire and the West Midlands. We’re equally proud of the impact we have on skills, social mobility, well-being and economic development, including activities with two innovative higher education developments in industrial cold-spots within the UK. But we’re ambitious enough to look beyond our immediate surroundings: we recently opened a new space in London, adding to our presence in The Shard. At the same time we’re developing a strong presence in Europe. Our global relevance is growing, with one-third of our alumni living overseas, and increasingly strategic partnerships in China, continental Europe and Australia.
Job responsibilities and duties
- Provide leadership and development of strategy for university planning and resource allocation in relation to student numbers and teaching activity. This includes responsibility for the overall framework for the provision of data and management information and its accuracy. It also includes the ongoing development of management information systems to ensure they are fit for purpose and can underpin robust strategic planning and forecasting. The management information framework will be cross-functional and University-wide to enable effective institutional planning. You’ll initiate and trial new management information systems and frameworks to develop, lead and implement new areas of policy and identify the emerging MI needs for the institution.
- Prepare and submit high quality data returns to the relevant regulatory bodies, both in relation to staff and student data. This involves adhering to external requirements and assessing institutional/reputational impact of external submissions e.g. league tables.
- Lead and analyse the nature and determinants of institutional performance to drive management decisions.
- Develop and deliver the management information-related elements of the institutional strategy and working with senior stakeholders including Professional Services colleagues, the Provost and PVCs, manage its systematic implementation.
- Develop and lead the process for academic strategic planning across the institution both annually and over longer-term horizons, including in relation to student numbers/load, space demand and utilisation to inform wider strategic planning.
- Work in conjunction with academic schools/faculties in the process of strategy development and renewal.
- Be responsible for the University’s planning in relation to its teaching activities to negotiate, develop and identify potential new areas of academic development and strategy.
Skills and experience required
- Educated to degree level or equivalent
- Postgraduate qualification in a related area (desirable)
- Significant senior management experience to lead a diverse team of professionals
- Detailed knowledge and expertise of data management and application to policyand strategy
- A good understanding of government policy on higher education
- Substantial experience of staff management and budgetary control
- The capacity to master new areas of knowledge and skills rapidly and handle complex data
- The experience of leading, organising and planning numerous complex long term activities and events
- Good IT skills and experience of management and implementation of systems and process development
- Excellent written and verbal communications skills including the ability to negotiate and influence individuals or groups on complex and potentially controversial issues.
- The ability to influence senior stakeholders from both academic departments and professional services is crucial since the post holder will be the key source of expertise on policy matters within their area of responsibility
- Meticulous attention to detail, a highly organised approach to dealing with work and the capacity to progress a range of tasks and projects at one time
- The ability to work across functions and departments and to demonstrate awareness of areas of related interest.