Head of Academic Planning and Operational Excellence

Job Purpose
The Head of Academic Planning and Operational Excellence is responsible for supporting academic planning and operational improvements across the Provost Office, which manages academic programming, student affairs, and faculty affairs. The role ensures that strategic plans are effectively captured, coordinated, and executed in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. This position will also drive process improvements, implement system solutions, and lead data-driven decision-making initiatives.
The role partners with academic leadership, Corporate Services and HR to ensure operational alignment with institutional growth plans. The position will play a crucial role in enabling efficient academic planning and promoting operational excellence within the Provost Office.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Academic Planning:
   1. Strategic Planning Support: Work closely with the provost leadership team to capture and execute strategic plans developed by the academic leadership team, ensuring alignment with the institution's growth drivers (student numbers, faculty numbers, new programs).
   2. Planning Review and Approval: Oversee the review and approval process for academic plans with senior leadership.
   3. Faculty and Researcher Hiring Plan: Collaborate with both the Provost Office and Research Office to understand faculty and researcher hiring needs, ensuring the Provost Office can support their hiring and onboarding processes effectively.
   4. Planning and Forecasting: Provide data-driven analysis to forecast resource requirements aligned with academic plans, ensuring that institutional growth is well-supported operationally.
   5. Coordination with Stakeholders: Act as a liaison between the Provost Office, Corporate Services and HR. Ensure that strategic priorities from academic, faculty, and student affairs are communicated and supported by the required infrastructure and resources.
   6. Collaboration with Strategy Team: Partner closely with the Strategy Team to inform multi-year plans, communicate key initiatives and priorities, and track progress on institutional goals. Deliver regular reports on progress, identifying risks and opportunities for improvement.
2. Operational Excellence:
   1. Process Automation and Innovation: Identify opportunities for process automation within the Provost Office, streamlining academic and administrative workflows. This includes unifying data from different departments and developing dashboards for transparent reporting.
   2. Business Process Improvement: Lead efforts to optimize academic and operational processes by identifying inefficiencies and implementing innovative solutions. Ensure that all process improvements contribute to measurable impacts on performance and resource allocation.
   3. Impact-Focused Business Improvements: Ensure that business improvements lead to measurable impacts on institutional performance. Challenge the status quo and promote a culture of continuous improvement, using data-driven decision-making to implement changes that enhance both planning and operational processes.
   4. Change Management: Lead change management initiatives to ensure the successful implementation of new systems and processes. Engage with stakeholders to build a culture of adaptability and ensure that transitions are smooth and well-communicated.
   5. Collaboration: Foster strong collaborative relationships with academic departments, Corporate Services, HR, and other institutional partners to enhance operational efficiency.
3. Data Analysis and Reporting:
   1. Data-Driven Insights: Develop systems to capture and analyze data on student, faculty and new programs. Leverage this data and key performance indicators (KPIs) to provide strategic insights, support academic planning, and drive operational improvements. Identify trends and opportunities for optimizing resources and automating processes across academic and support services.
   2. Dashboards, Reporting and Progress Tracking: Regularly provide reports on academic planning, key initiatives, and operational improvements, highlighting progress, challenges, and outcomes. Maintain dashboards to track progress and identify risks, opportunities, and areas for improvement, ensuring alignment with institutional goals.

Academic Qualification:
A Master’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Higher Education Administration, or a related field.

Professional Experience:
Proven experience in planning, business operations, or process improvement, with a preference for experience within higher education institutions.

Criteria:

• Strong analytical abilities, with experience in using data to drive decision-making and planning processes.
• Expertise in process improvement methodologies, automation, and system solutions.
• Experience leading change management initiatives, particularly in academic or research-intensive environments.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior leadership, academic departments, and external service partners.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to oversee multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Experience working in an academic setting with a focus on operational efficiency, or faculty affairs.
• Familiarity with strategic planning processes, business process automation, and institutional growth initiatives.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies and systems used to support academic and operational excellence in higher education.