University of Sheffield
Thank you for your interest in The University of Sheffield. We are seeking to appoint a new Faculty Director of Operations (FDO) for the Faculty of Engineering. This is a critical leadership role and the postholder will lead professional services in the Faculty, working with peers from other Faculties in line with a One University approach.
The Faculty of Engineering is one of the biggest and best engineering faculties in the UK and strives for excellence in its teaching and world-class research. As Faculty Director of Operations, you will work alongside the Faculty Vice-President and Deputy Chief Operating Officer (Faculty Operations) to ensure the successful performance of the Faculty of Engineering and support the effective implementation of the University Vision and Strategy across the Faculty.
You will be an experienced leader with a demonstrable ability to shape and influence strategy, operate with confidence and agility in a complex organisation and support change within the Faculty and across the wider University.
We are interested to hear from a diverse range of candidates, both from within higher education and from other relevant sectors. If you can see yourself in the above description, please do contact our search partners, details below, for a confidential conversation and we look forward to receiving your application.
To find out what makes the University of Sheffield a remarkable place to work, watch this short film:
The University of Sheffield is special. We are a world class institution at the heart of our city, with a strong culture of collaboration. Driven by outstanding people working as One University, we believe our work has the power to change lives for those who study, teach and undertake research here and for those who benefit from the breakthroughs we make every day. We are proud of our past, yet it is the future that really excites us.
Our global reputation is reflected by the outstanding quality of our student experience. We are home to 29,000 of the brightest students and over 8,000 staff from more than 140 countries. Our Students’ Union has been voted the best in the UK for the last 5 years, and we are investing heavily as an institution in sector-leading teaching and learning facilities. We want Sheffield to be an international centre of excellence for centuries to come, so we recruit ambitious, creative people from across the globe and we nurture their talent.
Our world-leading research has a real impact on our economy and society and helps enrich our teaching. In REF 2021, 92 per cent of our research was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. Our four University of Sheffield Research Institutes are actively addressing some of our most pressing global social, economic and health challenges. They build on some of our acknowledged areas of research excellence and will bring together people from across all our faculties to maximise our existing strengths and support new ambitions.
Sheffield has six Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and our alumni go on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields.
We work with our partners across the Sheffield City Region, other leading universities, governments and multinational companies to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today, from sustainable energy and food production to the global economy. Our partnerships with companies, including Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Siemens and McLaren, set a new standard for industrial research. Our Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has a global reputation for helping companies overcome manufacturing problems and is a model for collaborative research involving universities, academics and industry worldwide.
For more information, follow @sheffielduni and @ShefUniJobs on Twitter.
Our Vision and Strategic Plan
Through our 4 pillars of Research, Innovation, Education and One University, we will deliver life-enhancing research, innovation and education that not only transforms the lives of our graduates but shapes the world we live in.
Research
Our distinctive and innovative research will be world-leading and world- changing. We will produce the highest quality research to drive intellectual advances and address global challenges.
Innovation
Our transformative research and enterprise will address the worldʼs most pressing challenges. We will enable and promote a culture of excellence in innovation and entrepreneurship across the University.
Education
Our research-led programmes will inspire, enthuse and challenge a diverse community of outstanding students. Our graduates will be equipped to stand out as confident global citizens guided by strong values, ethics and standards, able to make meaningful contributions to society.
One University
We will build a diverse community of staff and students from a broad range of backgrounds, demographics and cultures, and create an inclusive, supportive and collaborative environment in which they can succeed and flourish.
Find out more about our Vision and Strategic Plan.
Our Story
115 years in the making, our story continues to evolve every day, defined not just by our achievements but by the unique character of our people and this remarkable city.
Our Values
We believe the best way to achieve our Vision and Strategic Plan is by fostering an ambitious, inclusive, collaborative community through our values.
We are, and will always be, guided by our values:
The Faculty of Engineering is one of the biggest and best engineering faculties in the UK and strives for excellence in its teaching and world-class research. Independent assessments of our research excellence confirm more than two thirds of our research to be either internationally excellent or world leading.
Our expertise is extensive – our seven academic departments and two interdisciplinary programme areas cover all the engineering disciplines.
They are leaders in their fields and outstanding contributors to the development of new knowledge, linking their research to the teaching of the engineers of the future and developing the skills of existing engineers. Our vision is to compete to be the best engineering faculty in the UK, and to be amongst the best in the world. Indeed, we were ranked 110th globally by the recent Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
We aim to work across the full spectrum of engineering activity, from fundamental science to professional practice, and we will contribute fully to ensuring a sustainable future both locally and globally.
The Faculty has close links with the Advanced Manufacturing Group (AMG). The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), AMRC Training Centre and Nuclear AMRC form a world-leading cluster for research, innovation and training, and work with advanced manufacturing companies around the globe. The AMG was created in 2011 in response to the continued success and growth of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). It includes: AMRC with Boeing, Nuclear AMRC, Knowledge Transfer Centre and the AMRC Training Centre.
For further details about the Faculty of Engineering, please see our website.
Sheffield is a leading global university. Our research in the arts and humanities, engineering, medicine, science and social sciences, changes lives for the better and advances our understanding of what it means to be human.
We work with other leading universities, governments and multinational companies to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today, from sustainable energy and food production to the global economy.
The Faculty of Engineering has a long-established reputation for producing world-leading research, and we are proud to have come 8th in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 in terms of the quality of our research. We are also rated as top nationally for the quality of our research environment, showing that the faculty is a vibrant, innovative and supportive place to undertake research.
As engineers, we aim to make the world a better place. Our excellent fundamental research, fostered by a diverse environment, drives discoveries and innovations. Our four challenge-driven research themes, shaped by societal grand challenges, connect our partners and translational centres, these are:
Our research is routinely interdisciplinary, and we have a broad range of strong collaborations with higher education and industrial partners nationally and internationally. Our ethos of collaboration is reflected in our leadership of the University of Sheffield Flagship Energy Institute and by the range and depth of research centres and institutes led from within the Faculty. Our partnerships include effective cross-faculty partnerships, such as with colleagues in Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health and the Faculty of Science on insilico medicine (INSIGNEO).
Over the next five years, our plans will be aimed at growing capacity for excellent, world-leading, ambitious and interdisciplinary research. This will be achieved through maximising grant funding, fostering international collaboration in research and building a sector-leading research culture.
We share the institutional ambition to achieve world-leading impacts for our research beneficiaries across the public, private, third and community sectors. We shall achieve this from the foundation of a portfolio of excellent funded research, strong engagement with and further development of broad-based partnerships. You can also read more about how we are addressing social and cultural challenges in our REF impact case studies.
Excellence in research-led learning is one of our core values. We teach in creative and innovative ways to provide a stimulating and inspiring learning environment for our students. This is reflected by our repeated excellent performance in the National Student Survey and other league tables, showing us to be highly committed to the delivery of excellent teaching.
Our teaching is research-led and our staff are some of the leading researchers in their field. The University was rated in the top 10 in the UK for ‘research power’. This gives our students the opportunity to study with top-flight researchers to gain the most up-to-date knowledge and skills.
Sheffield graduates not only have an excellent grounding in their subject area but also in the personal and intellectual qualities needed for rewarding employment and a fulfilling life beyond university. Sheffield graduates are highly regarded by employers and enjoy excellent career prospects.
Our commitment to continuous improvement includes further work to enhance the quality of our digitally enhanced teaching and student experience and to embed the Sheffield Graduate Attributes in all of our UG and PG programmes in ways that will improve the employability outcomes for all our graduates.
As FDO, you would take a lead on student recruitment for the Faculty, working closely with the University’s shared Student Recruitment, Marketing and Admissions service, Directors of Recruitment and admissions tutors. This would include taking the lead on an ongoing process of portfolio review to ensure that departments offer a balanced and innovative range of relevant, attractive and sustainable programmes.
Our staff and their collective talent is the first and foremost priority for an organisation that wishes to change the world for the better through the power and application of ideas and knowledge.
We are creating a remarkable place to work. We want our staff to be healthy, happy and engaged.
We encourage our staff to pursue the extraordinary. We reward and recognise generously the contributions, values and behaviours that align with those of the University. We want staff to be themselves and feel that they belong.
We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience.
Our aim is to bring together diverse teams with the relative skills, strengths and identities to make a positive impact on the
University and the world. We want to hear from people who are as committed as we are to putting diversity, inclusion and belonging into practice to make the most significant contribution we can to rising to the great challenges of the century.
This is a vibrant, friendly, safe city surrounded by some of the most breath-taking countryside in the UK. It offers an excellent quality of life and proudly has the highest retention of students of any UK city – many students and staff come here and never leave.
Sheffield has been called the UK’s greenest city; there are 50 public parks and 170 woodlands within the city boundary. England’s fourth-largest city, it has the wealth of facilities you’d expect to find in a major city, yet more than a third of the city lies inside the Peak District National Park. It is the UK’s only city with a National Park within its boundary, but it offers much more than beautiful countryside.
Sheffield is geographically diverse, nestled in a natural amphitheatre created by seven hills, and fed by five rivers. This diversity has given rise to an exceptional range of activities available, from walking or climbing in the Peak District, to exploring one of the cafes and restaurants on Kelham Island, or exploring independent shops in the antique’s quarter.
The city of Sheffield contains an abundance of entertainment and cultural activities including award- winning theatres, museums and galleries, a variety of clubs and live music venues, and a range of spectator and participation sports. With a thriving cultural industries quarter and a range of city-wide events throughout the year, there is something on offer to suit everyone’s taste and interests.
Located in the centre of the UK, at the heart of an excellent transport network, the M1 and M62 are within easy reach, there are six international airports within 65 miles and a rail links to every corner of the UK, and beyond. The main University campus lies on the western edge of the city centre and is easy to get to by car, bus and tram.
To find out more about how we work with partners and friends in Sheffield to help shape a culturally and economically vibrant city visit here.
JOB DESCRIPTION
As Faculty Director of Operations, you will work alongside the Faculty Vice-President and Deputy Chief Operating Officer (Faculty Operations) to ensure the successful performance of the Faculty of Engineering and support the effective implementation of the University Vision and Strategy within the Faculty, using a One University approach.
This is a significant leadership role with the opportunity to positively impact on the performance of the faculty in areas including; student recruitment, student experience, research income, financial sustainability, workforce planning, development and change, and process improvement.
Within the University, our faculties and their leadership are responsible for:
We are seeking an individual with a wide range of skills who can support the Vice-President of Engineering in a number of ways, from the provision of high-quality professional advice to leading large projects and assuming areas of significant responsibility within the Faculty. The ability to shape and influence strategy, contribute across the full range of Faculty operations, and ensure continual performance enhancement are critical. The ability to operate with confidence and agility in a complex organisation is important, as are the core skills of leadership and influencing. The ability to work collaboratively across faculty and wider university boundaries using One University values is essential.
Main duties and responsibilities
Key Relationships
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Candidates will be able to evidence that they meet the following criteria. We will use a range of selection methods to measure candidates’ abilities in these areas including reviewing your online application, seeking references, inviting shortlisted candidates to interview and other forms of assessment relevant to the post.
We are seeking someone who is:
We build teams of people whose skills, contributions and identities complement each other to the greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms has a positive impact on the University and the world. We are keen to hear from candidates from a wider range of backgrounds with an empathy for the benefits of equality, diversity and inclusion, and widening participation.
This is a significant and strategic appointment with high expectations, and so the successful candidate will be offered an enhanced package to enable them to become established quickly. We offer an excellent reward and benefits package including:
Salary
This is a Professorial Equivalent role, with a salary range of £66,857 – £87,173 per annum.
Holidays
30 days, plus 3 closure days, plus 8 bank holidays per year. There is also the opportunity to purchase up to an additional 10 days of annual leave.
Pension
The postholder is eligible to join the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), a highly regarded contributory pension scheme.
Hybrid working
Provision of appropriate personal IT equipment to enable flexible/hybrid working across and beyond the campus. Please note that the successful postholder would typically be expected to be campus based at least 3 days per week, but exact arrangements could be discussed. We are happy to explore flexible delivery of the role, as long as we are able to meet business needs.
Additional benefits
For further information, please see our Staff Benefits page.
Health assessment
All new employees will undertake a Health Assessment Questionnaire. The questionnaire is to assess the individual’s fitness for the job role that they have been offered and ensures appropriate health advice and guidance can be provided.
Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to the University, an executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.
The closing date for applications is noon on Monday, 14th August 2023.
Panel Interviews will take place on 14th and 15th September (TBC).
Applications should consist of:
Should you wish to discuss the role in strict confidence, please contact Samantha Bryan-Ross on +44 (0)7510 384 713, samantha.bryan-ross@andersonquigley.com or Kiersten Avery on +44 (0)7510 384 735 or kiersten.avery@andersonquigley.com.