Executive Career Opportunity with Lancaster University

The Opportunity

Director of Human Resources

Reporting to: Chief Operating Officer

Salary / Package: In the region of £85,000 plus up to 10% performance related bonus and contributory final salary pension scheme

Currently, the University is ranked first by two national newspapers as the North West’s leading University and is placed 10th and 12th nationally by The Guardian and Independent newspapers. 

There has been visible and significant investment in the University’s estate and its infrastructure, which continues to attract applications from more than 26,000 students annually, providing learning for around 11,000 students.  In order to achieve its ambitions they will have to continue to attract the very best students.

In March 2009, the University began to implement its restructuring plans.  Through creating seven new divisions and centralising these under the leadership of the Chief Operating Officer, the University seeks to be more responsive to changing market conditions and enhance its national and international reputation to become a “top 100 University” globally.  The University employs 2300 and has revenue of £162million (2008).

The Human Resources Division has a range of challenges.

Firstly, you will work with an invigorated team to review the University’s existing human resource & OD policies, practices and strategies on employment, staff engagement, people development and talent management.  You will ensure these are aligned to the vision, values and requirements of the University and reflect sector leading best practice.  Work has already begun to embed the HR Business Partner model and so you have a platform from which to become a highly visible and integral business support service throughout the organisation.  In this post, you will have a crucial part to play in building and managing relationships with the Faculty Deans and the University leadership team, to understand their requirements, advise and mobilise plans that will build a performance culture and provide solutions to individual faculty needs.

Secondly, the higher education sector has become increasingly more competitive; alongside this, the Government has mooted potential changes to student tuition fees and the widening participation agenda.  Since the Lancaster is a research-based university, the economic environment may also affect potentially on revenue streams.  This means you will play an important working with other divisional leaders to ensure that the University is positioned not only as the first choice for students, but also as an employer of choice.  This will require you to develop and implement a comprehensive and inclusive organisational design and development strategies.  You will play an important role in identifying and supporting the needs of academic staff and Deans, to raise teaching standards and performance.

Third, arising from the recent restructuring you will need to integrate Health and Safety and teaching development within the Human Resources Division.

To be successful, you will need to develop highly effective working relationships across the institution at strategic and operational levels and demonstrate strategic influencing and stakeholder management prowess.   

In addition to the above priorities, you will be a member of a team of Divisional Directors and work with your colleagues on university wide projects, advising on the impact of work streams on your core areas of responsibility including health and safety matters. 

You will inherit a team of staff already working closely with Faculties and Divisions to embed an HR Business partner model. 

In this role, you will have an enviable mix of strategic leadership, commercial and technical business challenges.  To be successful, you will need to demonstrate a clear record of accomplishment in leading large-scale change programmes coupled with a broad generalist HR background.  You will have worked at board level or equivalent in a large complex organisation, either in the private or wider public service sectors.  Previous experience of working within the education sector is NOT AN ESSENTIAL CRITERIA.

For more information or a confidential career discussion, please contact Simon Potts on T 01925 654312 M 07770 786 933 E simon.potts@hays.com

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