Director of Planning

Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) is one of the UK’s foremost research-intensive higher education institutions. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework placed us in the top ten UK multi-faculty universities for the quality of our research, confirming our place in the very top group of research-led universities as we create and disseminate knowledge across the full disciplinary spectrum. Based in a creative and culturally diverse area of east London, we have a historical and deeply-held commitment to social justice and public engagement, and we consistently score more highly for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey than any other London Russell Group university.

This unique combination of scholarship at the highest level and an abiding commitment to the principles of widening access and public engagement sits at the core of all we do. Our mission and success as an institution depend on our staff and students having the academic freedom to pursue, create and share knowledge within the context of promoting an open, enquiring, educated and tolerant society, thereby transforming and impacting on the wider world.

The achievement of the university’s strategy needs to be underpinned by effective decision-making that is guided by sophisticated planning and business intelligence. Reporting to the COO and work closely with the Principal and other members of the senior executive, this role plays a critical part in supporting further strategic alignment between the University’s academic mission and under-pinning business processes. Our new Director will lead on the improvement of mechanisms supporting strategic planning processes, particularly through the more sophisticated use of internal and external data to enable the Queen Mary Senior Executive (QMSE) to make well-informed strategic decisions and effectively prioritise resources. Successful candidates will have extensive experience in providing a focal point for management information, institutional performance and competitor analysis to ensure that decision making is evidence based at all levels of the university will be a necessity.

The Director will have effective external networks and must work positively and collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders. She / he will have experience of developing the provision of relevant and timely management information, demonstrating political agility and appreciation for the dynamics of an academically-led organisation. The Director will be tasked to further develop robust strategic and operational planning processes informed by high quality academic and corporate data to ensure that QMUL has an integrated approach to planning and budgeting that links together all university activity.

Closing date for applications: Tuesday 30th May 2017