School Business Manager (Undergraduate Medicine) in Bolton

The Institute of Medicine at the University of Greater Manchester is home to the MBChB programme, alongside a growing portfolio of postgraduate and research activity. The School of Medicine is the undergraduate arm of the Institute, and our Professional Services team is the operational engine that keeps a complex, regulated, and fast-moving programme running smoothly for staff and students alike. Our Professional Services structure is still taking shape. It is established enough to offer stability and structure, but early enough that you can shape how things are done. If you want to build something rather than simply maintain it, this is a genuinely rare opportunity to do so within a medical school.

As School Business Manager, you will lead and manage Professional Services delivery for the School of Medicine, exercising a high degree of independent judgement across a broad and complex portfolio of operational responsibility. You will hold accountability for the operational integrity of the School's budget management processes, leading MBChB operational delivery with day-to-day direction of the BAM (MBChB) and BAM (Assessments), direct line management of the Administration Assistant (Core Operations), and coordination of the BAM (Recruitment and Admissions) in respect of undergraduate MBChB admissions activity. You will take ownership of the operational project management of the MBChB programme plan, coordinating implementation across the Professional Services team and the wider School. You will develop and maintain the management information that underpins good decision-making: dashboard reporting, early alert systems, and financial and staffing data, reducing reliance on manual tracking and giving academic and Professional Services leadership a clear, timely view of performance.

You will act as the primary Professional Services operational lead within the School: the authoritative point of contact for academic leadership on operational matters, the lead for School-level recruitment and onboarding, the GDPR champion for the School, and the operational lead for health and safety. Working within the strategic framework set by the Head of Professional Services, you will have real latitude to determine priorities, resolve complex problems, and deploy resources to keep Professional Services delivery running smoothly and to a high standard.

We are looking for an experienced Professional Services or operations manager, ideally from a higher education or medical/health-related setting, who is comfortable holding real accountability across a broad and interdependent range of functions. You will have significant experience of budget management and financial reporting, of operational project management for a complex programme or plan, and of direct line management with full accountability for performance, development, and HR matters. You will bring strong analytical skills and the ability to translate complex operational data into clear reports and recommendations for senior stakeholders, along with a sound working knowledge of governance, compliance, GDPR, and health and safety requirements in a regulated environment. Above all, you will be a proactive, solutions-focused operator with the professional judgement to know what sits within your own authority and what needs to be brought to the Head of Professional Services — and the collaborative style to build a high-performing team around you.

Our work is guided by five values that shape how we treat each other and the people we serve: Inclusion, Compassion, Integrity, Ambition, and Partnership. We look for people who bring these values to life every day — who treat colleagues and students with respect, who act with honesty and consistency, and who are ambitious for what our School can achieve while genuinely valuing the people they work alongside.

You will join a Professional Services team that is undergoing genuine, positive change. You will have the chance to build lasting systems and ways of working within a School that is ambitious for its students, its staff, and its place in medical education. We offer a supportive, collegiate working environment, opportunities for professional development, and the satisfaction of leading a function that makes a tangible difference to how well the MBChB programme runs. Successful applicants will be required to prove their right to work in the UK prior to the commencement of their employment. Whilst the University of Greater Manchester is a licensed sponsor, under UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) not all roles are eligible for visa sponsorship. This position may not meet the criteria for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). Eligibility will be assessed in line with the Home Office requirements at the time of making the offer. The University of Greater Manchester strives to achieve equality of opportunity.