King's College London

About us

The Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London is one of the oldest law schools in England and recognised as one of the best law schools in the world. 

 We are based in the East Wing of Somerset House, a Grade One listed building, on our Strand Campus, a short walk from the Royal Courts of Justice and Inns of Court in the heart of legal London. Our location enables us to have excellent contacts with practitioners and policymakers, and we have a strong tradition of engagement with the legal profession.​ ​

About the role

 The Senior Business Operations Manager (SBOM) provides operational leadership and management across the Faculty’s business operations and leads a portfolio of strategic projects that strengthen staff experience, engagement and organisational culture. Working within The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London, the post holder will play an important role in delivering priorities across EDI, learning and development and organisational change, aligned with King’s Strategy 2030.

The SBOM will provide management oversight of Law’s business operations including HR, departmental support, estate, health and safety compliance and staff engagement activity. The SBOM will lead and manage the Business Operations team, setting professional standards, manage workforce planning and ensuring the team is well supported to deliver high quality, consistent and solutions focused service.

Working in partnership with the Vice Dean for People and Culture, the SBOM will lead the development and delivery of strategic initiatives supporting the implementation of new academic governance structure, processes and procedures, ensuring theses are embedded effectively and sustainably. The role works in close partnership with central teams and Professional Services colleagues to deliver joined up and evidence informed improvements initiatives.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract. This is a hybrid working role where the role-holder will be on-campus for a minimum of 2 days a week, in line with King’s hybrid working policy.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria 

1.      Substantial experience of leading business operations in a complex organisation, including responsibility for areas such as HR processes, finance, health and safety, compliance, estate or space, business support services, and workforce or resource planning

2.      Experience of leading and implementing strategic projects, service improvements or organisational change, taking work from concept through to delivery and evaluation

3.      Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly, build credibility, and handle sensitive matters with tact, diplomacy and confidentiality.

4.      Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, solve complex problems proactively and maintain a high-quality service in a fast-paced environment.

5.      Experience of building effective relationships and working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, with the ability to influence and advise senior leaders.

6.      Experience of managing and developing staff, including setting objectives, supporting performance, fostering a collaborative team culture and promoting professional standards.

7.      Ability to use data, reporting and insight to inform planning, monitor performance, evaluate initiatives and support evidence-based decision making.

8.      Experience of working effectively in a complex or matrix environment, including supporting senior leaders. 

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience of working in higher education or another similarly complex public sector or professional services environment. 

2.      A recognised project, programme or change management qualification, for example PRINCE2, MSP or Prosci 

3.      Experience of using digital tools, systems or reporting platforms to improve services, streamline processes or support management information. 

Downloading a copy of our Job Description 

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university. 

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant’s own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found here.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.