CIS Department Manager

We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, neurodiversity and long-term health conditions, and we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process.

We will make adjustments to support the recruitment and interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system or would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to support you in the application process, please get in touch with us on e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk

Job Description - CIS Department Manager (24001121)

Job Description

Job Number:

CIS Department Manager (

Job Number:

Computing and Information Services

Grade 9 : - £57,696 to £64,914 per annum

Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time

Working Arrangements : 9am and 5pm

Closing Date

Closing Date

Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement : Not Applicable.

The University
At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here

The Role and Department

This is an exciting new role that will champion the adoption of best practice in the University’s Computing & Information Services (CIS) teams’ endeavours in the areas of governance and compliance. Providing leadership to the implementation and maintenance of policies, processes and standards, in addition to providing oversight and assurance to the CIS Senior Leadership Team, you will play a significant role in the delivery of the University’s ambitious digital strategy.

The role sits in our Computing & Information Services team, which comprises some 200 staff working in partnership with other University departments and stakeholders, to support and enhance the digital experience of staff and students.

Reporting to the Chief Information Officer, the CIS Department Manager is responsible for ensuring the organisation and delivery of efficient and effective operations and procedures, which span the areas of:

• Business Planning

• Governance & Quality Assurance

A member of the CIS extended leadership team, the post-holder will work collaboratively across CIS, to support the robust delivery of CIS’s portfolio of products and services, and to pro-actively identify opportunities for innovation, that enable continual service improvements and which strengthen department resilience from a financial, process and people perspective.

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:
• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.
• The University closes between Christmas and New Year 
• We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into this University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct, At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.

Your application should cover the following criteria:

Qualifications/Experience 

• Educated to degree le vel (or demonstrable equivalent experience) and professional recognition.
• Professional practitioner with specialist knowledge and expertise in IT provision and able to influence service delivery, events and activities within the organisation.
• Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.
• Experience of delivering and developing specialist services.
• Experience of leading projects involving multi-agency working.
• Experience of participating in internal or external networks to share and discuss good practice, develop strong and productive working relationships and positively influence the University’s reputation.
• Experience of implementing policies and procedures and supporting service improvements.
• Track record of cross-functional management and development experience and/or an enhanced management qualification applied across a large service team or teams.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

9. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.

10. Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps inc luding digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, business systems.

11. Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.

12. Extensive knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines (including health and safety).

13. Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.

14. Ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions.

• Qualified practitioner in an agile-related discipline

How to apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What you need to submit 

• A supporting statement which clearly outlines how you meet all of the Essential criteria within the Person Specification (above); when submitting evidence of each essential criteria, please ensure you use the essential criteria wording as the section heading;

Contact details
For a chat about the role or any further information please contac t James Crooks, Chief Information Officer at CIO@durham.ac.uk

Typical Role Requirements Service Delivery/Development

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.
• Oversee and manage professional and service standards (for example architecture and cyber security principles) and policies relating to activities carried out by teams in CIS.
• Lead the development and implementation of IT-specific policies and procedures in relevant areas such as administration, working practices, service performance, governance and management.
• Contribute to the development, implementation and maintenance of University IT policies and procedures, ensuring consistency and compliance, with each other and other University standards, policies and procedures.
• Support the CIO and senior leadership team in overseeing CIS financial management and administration for IT budgets, resources, and forecasts, working with colleagues in Finance to monitor and report on IT expenditure across the University.
• Implement and oversee an appropriate and effective approach to vendor management, including performance management, procurement and re-tendering activities.
• Play a key role in driving and supporting greater operational efficiency and productivity, through the adoption of modern, digitally enabled working practices using Microsoft 365, Teams, and other University platforms.
• Develop and maintain ways to monitor IT performance, compiling reports and assisting in the research of business intelligence, interpreting information, and offering recommendations.
• Produce committee reports on areas such as IT policy, performance, delivery, risk and assurance, presenting findings and attending committee meetings as required.
• Represent the service on working groups and project teams to promote and develop the presence of the service both within the University and to external partners, suppliers, and prospective students.
• Act as point-of-contact for all University IT audit activity, including fieldwork and information gathering, action plans and updates, working with colleagues across the service, the University and the wider network of stakeholders to contribute to the requirements of these visits and events.
• Use your leadership and management expertise to implement any significant changes in the optimal way, in collaboration with other senior managers and specialists.
• Lead on the development and implementation of new or improved policies, processes and standards, including scoping, planning and implementing any changes to achieve the outcomes expected by senior colleagues.
• Use your professional knowledge and experience as a operational manager to resolve problems, shape processes and activities, develop working practices and to provide subject matter expertise and advice
• Look for innovative ways to continually improve the services provided to your stakeholders.

Planning and Organisation

• Support the Senior Leadership Team with workforce planning, ensuring effective recruitment, monitoring of establishment reports and vacancy status, development and maintenance of accurate, accessible and relevant job descriptions, and ensuring IT recruitment plans are aligned with annual budgets and resourcing plans.
• Define what needs to be achieved so that other colleagues can scope, plan and implement large scale/University wide initiatives, such as the implementation of a University-wide policy on AI.
• Ensure your services are performing at the optimal level by setting clear standards, adapting the level of service provided when necessary and introducing measurable performance indicators.
• Use your leadership expertise to help project teams understand what needs to be achieved, solve any problems that are encountered and keep implementation plans on track.
• Allocate and monitor designated budgets, expenditure and resources.

Leadership and Team Development

• Set operational and strategic objectives and use your leadership and management skills, to develop the people in your team(s) and ensure high standards of performance.
• Help shape the skills and expertise needed to deliver a professional service by recruiting, inducting and training team members and structuring your team(s) in way that will best meet operational and strategic priorities.
• Ensure that your team can deliver the required services by delegating responsibilities to appropriate team members and considering succession plans.
• Carry out regular performance reviews with colleagues to provide feedback on objectives and identify any development needs.
• Handle most HR issues and support the welfare and wellbeing of your team, taking advice on more complex issues to specialist services or senior managers.
• To oversee the induction process for new team members, and work with others across CIS to promote and showcase CIS at University events.
• Lead internal and external meetings and committees to influence University policy, standards and governance.
• Build and lead an influential network of internal and external contacts to increase your knowledge and skills, swap information with peers and use that information to improve and develop CIS.
• Identify opportunities to build relationships with external organisations to support the delivery of strategic level objectives including capital infrastructure projects.
• Explore options to build the reputation and promote and increase engagement and adoption of policy, procedure and working practices within CIS.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Useful links

If you would like further information you may find the following will helpful:

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements.

We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, neurodiversity and long-term health conditions, and we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process.

We will make adjustments to support the recruitment and interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system or would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to support you in the application process, please get in touch with us on e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk