Website:
york.ac.uk
Job details:
Department
Chief Financial Operating Officer's Office
Salary
£58,225 - £67,468 per year (12 months)
Grade
Grade 8
Contract status
Fixed term
Hours of work
Full-time
Based at
University of York campus (with some remote working options available)
Interview date
To be confirmed
Posted Date
12/08/2026
Apply by
26/08/2026
Job Reference
15267
Documents
- 15267 - Job Description.pdf (PDF, 409.83kb)
Role Description
Department
We are looking for an experienced Programme Manager to join our team to lead the crucial initial scoping phase of an ambitious Student Services Transformation Project. The initiative aims to fundamentally reshape all aspects of the student support lifecycle; creating a consistent and integrated ecosystem that puts students at the heart of what we do. Grounded in co-creation with students and staff, the project spans academic, social, campus, and administrative student experiences and will deliver joined-up digital and physical infrastructure and proactive interventions across the University.
This post is based in the Strategic Projects Office team within the Chief Financial & Operating Officer’s area, a newly created central capability supporting the University with strategic portfolio management, project delivery and business analysis services. As Programme Manager, you will provide strategic day-to-day leadership to drive this high-profile business change programme. Accountable to the Project Sponsor (the Chief Academic Services Officer) and Programme Board, you will establish robust governance, scoping, financial management, risk controls, and delivery plans during this initial phase.
As a department, we are passionate about the fact that delivering value is the main measure of our success, and balancing agility in our ways of working with appropriate levels of project control is key to that. If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to work in a fast-paced and complex environment, supported by a friendly and close-knit team of passionate and committed colleagues, we would love to hear from you
Role
We are looking for someone who enjoys working in a highly collaborative manner and is adept at forming and leading multidisciplinary teams; working in partnership with business experts, academic staff, students, suppliers and system/service owners across all areas of the University and beyond. Crucially, you will lead change communications and engagement strategies and establish frameworks to ensure that the project is delivered on time, within budget and delivers the anticipated benefits in the future.
You will have an enthusiasm and interest in improving services and delivering complex change for our staff and students, challenging the status quo and implementing significant organisational initiatives that transform the way the University operates and our students learn. You will have excellent written and oral presentation skills, the ability to engage, liaise and negotiate effectively, as well as a commitment to delivering high-quality customer service. Inspiring project leadership and the ability to bring together and create high-performing teams across the University will be core to your success.
- Proven experience of initiating and establishing large-scale programmes, implementing governance frameworks, and managing complex budgets.
- Operating at a strategic level and interacting effectively with specialists and decision-makers
- Experience delivering significant business change within Higher Education is essential.
- Able to manage conflicting priorities and take ownership of risk and issue management in a complex, business-critical service environment
- Exceptional communication skills to engage, influence, and align a wide variety of stakeholders and diverse teams and gain the confidence of senior stakeholders.
- Pragmatic, results-driven, highly collaborative; also able to work independently with considerable initiative and self-motivation
- A strong commitment to championing equality, diversity, and continuous improvement
Interview date: To be confirmed
For informal enquiries: please contact Vikki Goddard by email on: chief-academic-services-officer@york.ac.uk
The University strives to be diverse and inclusive – a place where we can ALL be ourselves.
We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented at the University.
We also encourage applications from women for senior roles.
We offer family friendly, flexible working arrangements, with forums and inclusive facilities to support our staff. #EqualityatYork
As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum (essential) criteria for each position will be offered an interview. Read more about the University of York’s commitments under the Disability Confident scheme.
Click on Apply to know more.
