Head Of School Operations

Salary: £59,390 to £62,994 with progression to £68,817 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 2 November 2026

Are you a strategic and collaborative leader who thrives in a complex environment and is passionate about supporting both colleagues and students to succeed?

The Faculty of Science, Agriculture & Engineering (SAgE) at Newcastle University is seeking an exceptional individual to take on the role of Head of School Operations to work in partnership with the Head of School to deliver excellence across education, research and innovation. Leading professional services within the School of Engineering, you will drive operational performance, champion continuous improvement and help create an outstanding experience for students, staff and external partners.

You will lead and develop high-performing teams within a matrix management model, working closely with professional service business partners and academic colleagues to deliver strategic priorities and outstanding service. You will play a key role in shaping the School's future, leading change, building effective partnerships and ensuring the smooth operation of a large and complex School.

This is an exciting opportunity for an influential leader with experience of managing people, delivering through collaboration and inspiring others to achieve their best.

For informal enquiries about the role please contact Kate McGill, Director of Faculty Operations at

We would welcome requests for flexible working and depending on the needs of the role, blended working opportunities to work remotely as well as on campus may be considered. The hiring manager will discuss the requirements of the role, should you be invited to interview.

A Head of School Operations at this level would typically support a complex unit comprising of a significant number of administrative, academic and research colleagues located over several sites, which includes several different academic discipline areas and both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including lab-based programmes. Please see the School website to understand the size and scope of this particular unit.

The Head of School Operations will work in partnership with the Head of School to set the strategic agenda for the School and ensure effective implementation and delivery of school wide plans, coordinating both administrative and academic effort to achieve this success.

The post holder will be expected to deliver the following:

• Ensure the effective and efficient operation of the School by directing and actively leading the day-to-day running of the school including supporting, reacting and responding to queries effectively and in a timely manner, delivering an exceptional operational environment.
• Drive the successful delivery of the School's strategic and operational objectives by shaping, contributing and participating in the School's strategic and operational planning processes,
• supporting the strategic direction of the School, Faculty and University, including responding to opportunities and challenges that might affect these strategic and operational plans and to forward-plan the business cycle of the School.
• Build, develop and lead a high-performing professional services team. Manage and develop a team of administrative colleagues supporting and facilitating the School's activities, ensuring that they are deployed efficiently to deliver a customer-orientated service to all colleagues, students and visitors. This includes the coordination and leadership of…