Are you ready to shape the future of career readiness in one of the UK’s most vibrant and inclusive universities?
At the University of East London, we are proud of our legacy and excited about our future. With our 10-year Vision 2028 strategy in full swing, we’re building the careers-first university of the future – driving diversity in the talent pipeline and creating an inclusive, sustainable, and industry-aligned educational experience. We are bold, curious, ambitious – and we’re never not moving forward.
We are now seeking a dynamic Career Zone Operations Manager to join our Careers and Student Enterprise team – someone who thrives on collaboration, enjoys problem-solving, and has a passion for delivering operational excellence that directly supports student success.

FURTHER DETAILS

Job Description & Person Specification

As the Career Zone Operations Manager, you will play a key role in the development and smooth running of our award-winning Career Zones across our three campuses. These are dynamic physical and virtual spaces where students, employers, start-ups, and staff come together to collaborate, innovate, and prepare for the future world of work.
You’ll lead a frontline team of Career Zone Advisors and an Operations Officer, ensuring consistently high standards of service, and you’ll work with the Director, Associate Directors and wider team to implement strategic goals. You’ll also be responsible for managing resources, budgets, systems and processes that underpin the service, and for ensuring our activities are efficient, inclusive, and impactful.
This is a role for someone who combines strong operational management with strategic insight, people leadership, and a commitment to service excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the operational delivery of the Career Zones across three campuses.
• Line manage the Operations Team and ensure a high-performing, customer-focused culture.
• Work closely with senior leadership to support HR, financial and project delivery needs across the service.
• Drive the use and development of our physical spaces to increase engagement from students, employers, and local communities.
• Provide data, reports and analysis to support planning, improvement and accountability.
• Support the delivery of projects and campaigns including events, mentoring, enterprise support and student outreach.
• Lead on health and safety, risk management and continuous improvement initiatives.