Head of Operations - Unit M at The University of Manchester

The opportunity

As Head of Operations, you’ll be the operational heartbeat of Unit M — leading and evolving our strategy, systems, and processes to ensure we deliver with impact, efficiency, and pace.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, you’ll oversee the core operational functions that make our ambitious mission possible: finance, people, governance, risk, planning, and delivery. You’ll design and implement scalable systems, build an inclusive and high-performing culture, and ensure Unit M operates with the agility of a start-up and the excellence of a world-class university.

You’ll also lead the establishment of William Kay House, our new home and a dynamic hub for Manchester’s innovation community — shaping a space where collaboration and creativity thrive.

About you

• You’ll be a strategic and pragmatic operational leader who can combine big-picture thinking with hands-on delivery. You’ll bring experience of driving operational excellence in complex, fast-moving environments — ideally spanning both large institutions and innovation-led ventures.
• You’ll understand governance, compliance, and risk — but you’ll also know when to challenge convention, simplify, and move fast. You’ll be deeply motivated by impact, inclusion, and purpose — and you’ll have the interpersonal skills to inspire, influence, and unite others around a shared mission.
• Above all, you’ll be future positive, fierce in your commitment to collaboration, and ready to make things happen.