Interim Head of Administration and Finance (Maternity Cover)

at  University of Oxford

This is an exciting 12-15 month maternity cover opportunity for someone interested in working as a Head of Administration and Finance in our world-leading Department of Earth Sciences, from 1 October 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter. The post is fixed term to cover a period of maternity leave. The department has a national and international reputation for research excellence. It ranked highly in the UK for Earth and Environmental Sciences during the 2021 REF exercise.
As the Head of Administration and Finance, you will play a crucial role supporting the Research and Teaching undertaken by the Department of Earth Sciences. Working closely with the Head of Department and other senior academic colleagues, you will act as the Department’s chief operating officer, taking responsibility for the delivery of outstanding operational and business support to academic staff, researchers and students. Sitting within the wider divisional framework, departments are nevertheless highly autonomous units, with management responsibilities devolved to a very high degree, including financial management. Supported by the functional teams, you will have oversight for the effective and efficient day-to-day operational management of the Department in support of its academic mission.
You will be an energetic, highly experienced, and innovative leader, with significant senior management experience in complex environments. You would have a high level of integrity, must have sound judgement under pressure, be able to think laterally and creatively and have the intellectual capacity and strength of character to make and implement important, complex and difficult decisions. The position is one of a small cohort of senior administrators in the Mathematical Physical and Life Sciences Division, and as such plays an important and respected role in both the Department and the wider University.

The full job description is attached but, for the period of the secondment, key priorities are likely to include:

• Supporting the current HOD and academic faculty in respect of the delivery of core research and teaching priorities, including labs and fieldwork
• Working with the divisional office and the department on the appointment process for the next HOD, who is due to start in post in October 2025
• Working with the divisional office and the department on strategic next steps for the department, including in the light of the 2024 ‘departmental review’
• Enabling the ongoing delivery of the department’s ‘five-year plan’, which contributes to MPLS’ ambition to achieve a collective break-even (or better) overall finance position by the end of the five-year planning period
• Leading and supporting the department’s professional services team and working with the divisional office and other MPLS departments to deliver some cross-cutting work to help build greater professional services resilience and capability
• Being an active member of the MPLS all-HAFs leadership group, working collectively and collaboratively within that community and providing support for the delivery of effective governance more broadly across MPLS

Expressions of interest (max 2 pages) showing how you will approach these key priorities plus a copy of your CV are invited by close on 28 June 2024. Please send these to Emma Smith (emma.smith@earth.ox.ac.uk).
Interviews will take place on 10 July 2024. The successful candidate will ideally take up post on or around 1 October 2024 for a minimum of 12 months.
Further information about the role is available from the current HAF, Louisa Bailey (louisa.bailey@earth.ox.ac.uk) or the MPLS Divisional Registrar, Tracy Gale (tracy.gale@mpls.ox.ac.uk)
The Department of Earth Sciences is a member of the Athena SWAN Charter and holds a departmental Bronze Athena SWAN award. Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Oxford. The University of Oxford is an Equal Opportunities Employer

Please refer the Job description for details