158666 - Head of Operations, MRC CoRE in Human Neural Development

The Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) in Human Neural Development is seeking an exceptional and strategic operational leader to become Head of Operations.

Bringing together world-leading researchers, clinicians, patients and families across King's College London, University College London and The University of Manchester, the Centre has secured MRC funding to transform our understanding of how the human brain develops during early life.

About the role:

Working in partnership with the Centre Director and senior leadership team, you will be responsible for translating a bold scientific vision into operational reality. You will act as the strategic operational lead for a complex, multi-institutional research enterprise, overseeing governance, planning, performance, risk, finance, partnerships and stakeholder engagement across three leading universities and a diverse network of collaborators.

Holding overall responsibility for the Centre's operational infrastructure, you will oversee programme planning, governance, performance monitoring, risk and financial management across a complex partnership environment. You will act as a trusted strategic adviser, providing high-quality insight, analysis and recommendations to support informed decision-making at leadership level.

This role offers the opportunity to contribute to the development of a significant research investment, requiring the ability to navigate complexity, anticipate challenges and develop innovative solutions to support delivery of the Centre's objectives.

We are seeking an accomplished operational leader with significant experience gained within a research-intensive, higher education or similarly complex environment. You will have a strong track record of leading large-scale programmes or strategic portfolios, delivering against ambitious objectives while balancing multiple priorities and stakeholders.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30 September 2033.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

• PhD qualified in relevant subject area or equivalent experience
• Demonstrable experience of and/or qualification in Programme Management through delivery of a significant programme
• Extensive experience of operational delivery of complex research centres or consortia
• Track record of successfully managing professional services within a complex organisation, ideally in higher education
• Advanced financial management and analytical skills, extensive experience in budget profiling and forecasting, managing multimillion-pound budgets associated with complex research programmes
• Experience of designing research programme strategies and implementation plans
• Strong influencing, negotiation and partnership-building skills
• Strategic thinking and ability to operate at system level
• Advanced understanding of governance, risk and partnership arrangements for programmes of research
• Ability to lead through influence across systems without direct line authority
• Experience working at a strategic level with academic research collaborations, commercial partners, and/or research funders
• Excellent communication, negotiation and influencing skills
• High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

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When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

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