Head of International Workplaces in Cambridge

Join us as Head of International Workplaces, where you will have the opportunity to lead and transform our international workplace and property portfolio at a truly global scale. We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world‑leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

About the role

As Head of International Workplaces, you will lead the delivery of a people‑centred workplace strategy across our international estate. You will be accountable for ensuring our non‑UK workplaces are safe, compliant, efficient and aligned with organisational standards, supporting colleagues worldwide to work effectively and confidently. Developing and leading a small, high‑impacting team, you will oversee the delivery of international workplace and facilities services, working closely with regional leads and senior stakeholders. You will set a clear operating model, drive consistency and improvement, and ensure high quality service across a diverse range of locations and regulatory environments. You will have strategic oversight of the international property lifecycle, including acquisitions, lease management, refurbishments and major workplace projects. Alongside this, you will manage significant budgets, contracts and service providers, balancing commercial discipline with colleague experience, sustainability and long‑term value.

As a trusted partner to senior leaders, you will contribute to wider property and operations strategy, using strong governance, insight and reporting to help ensure our international workplaces remain resilient, future‑ready and fit for a growing global organisation.

In addition, you will:

• Act as the escalation point for significant international workplace risks, incidents and business continuity events.
• Champion the use of data, systems and emerging technologies to strengthen assurance and decision making.
• Represent international workplace management in cross‑functional and strategic forums, influencing direction and outcomes.

This role may require international travel approximately 2 or 3 times per year. This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40‑60% of their time collaborating and connecting face‑to‑face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long‑term health condition.

About You

You will be an experienced workplace, facilities and corporate real estate leader with a strong track record of operating at a strategic level within complex, multisite and international environments. You are comfortable balancing operational delivery with longer‑term planning, and you bring a clear understanding of how workplace strategy supports organisational performance and culture. You will have proven experience leading geographically dispersed teams and managing external service providers, using influence rather than hierarchy to drive consistency, accountability and results. You build credibility quickly with senior stakeholders and are confident navigating matrixed organisations and diverse cultural and regulatory contexts. With strong commercial acumen, you’re experienced in managing significant budgets, contracts and supplier relationships, and you’re able to make sound, evidence‑based recommendations decisions that balance risk, value and colleague experience. You are comfortable overseeing complex property projects and the full lifecycle of workplace and real estate activity. You will also bring a well‑developed understanding of property related international health, safety and compliance requirements, alongside a calm, structured approach to risk, incident management and business continuity. Collaborative by nature, you communicate clearly, think strategically and remain effective when working through ambiguity and change.

If you meet the above minimum requirements, we encourage you to apply. Your application will be even stronger if you can also demonstrate the following desirable criteria:

• Professional membership or qualification such as IWFM, RICS, IOSH or NEBOSH.
• Experience implementing or improving workplace systems, data‑driven reporting or digital tools to support service delivery and assurance.

We are a Disability Confident (DC) employer that is committed to equality and inclusion ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The DC scheme's Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in, and disclose a disability or a long‑term health condition, and best meet the minimum criteria for the role. In instances where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practical, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long‑term health condition.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for.

Rewards and benefits

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world‑class, flexible rewards package, featuring family‑friendly and planet‑friendly benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Group personal pension scheme
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
• Green travel schemes

Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now. We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for all applications will be 21st April 2026. We will review applications on an ongoing basis, and shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to take place week commencing 27th April 2026. If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect:

• First stage virtual interview via MS Teams.
• Final stage interview: in‑person at our offices in Cambridge. There will be a task included as part of the 2nd round interviews.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long‑term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry. We are committed to an equitable recruitment process. As such, applications must be submitted via our official online application procedure. Please refrain from sending your CV directly to our recruiters. If you experience technical difficulties or require additional support with submitting your online application, contact the Recruiter.

Why join us

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You will belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration. Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural or social class/background. We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.