Post Title: Senior Executive Advisor
Division: Vice Chancellor’s Office
Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week. Requests for flexible working options will be considered (subject to business need).
Location: Brighton, United Kingdom
Contract: Permanent
Reference: 30182
Salary: starting at £45,585 to £54,395 per annum, pro rata if part time
Placed on: 29 January 2024
Closing date: 25 February 2024. Applications must be received by midnight of the closing date.
Expected Interview date: 14 March 2024
Expected start date: As soon as possible
Further Information about the role
The University is looking for an individual to join the Vice-Chancellor’s Office to work with the Chief of Staff and Vice-Chancellor and President to lead on the day-to-day management of the University’s executive governance. The role-holder will also be involved in multiple other high level activities with opportunities to support key University strategic and operational objectives. These will include working with Vice-Chancellor and President on her communications.
The University has three strands of governance: our overall corporate governance, which is the role of Council; our academic governance, which is the role of Senate; and our executive governance, which is role of the Vice-Chancellor and President, and is provided by the VCO. The executive governance leadership is the University Executive Team (UET).
Recently, the University made changes to our executive governance function, creating new Boards, and redesigning several existing Boards. This work remains in progress, there will be further changes, and you will have a key role in shaping and implementing those changes. The principal aim of the University’s executive governance is to support the Vice-Chancellor and President in the effective and efficient delivery of the University’s strategic and operational objectives in ways that are consistent with and supportive of the University’s corporate governance and academic governance functions and requirements.
The role-holder will provide the secretariat for the UET (which meets weekly); this involves supporting the Vice-Chancellor and President and the Chief of Staff in planning and producing the agendas for UET, minuting meetings, and ensuring prompt follow-up and tracking of actions. In addition, while you will not provide secretariat for all the other existing ‘UET+’ Boards (see here for an explanation of ‘UET+’), you will have an oversight role and work with the relevant secretariat to ensure those Boards work effectively and efficiently, and in mutually-consistent ways. You will also work with relevant secretariat to support the Vice-Chancellor and President and the Chief of Staff to ensure that the agendas of those Boards are focused on the right issues at the appropriate time. You will also work to support the planning and agendas for the recently created University Leadership Forum and Academic Leadership Forum, both of which are convened by the Vice-Chancellor and President.
The role will also involve multiple other high level activities and opportunities to support key University strategic and operational objectives. Over time, as the executive governance changes are embedded, this will create more time for other kinds of high level activities. From day one, though, you will work with the Chief of Staff and others to support the Vice-Chancellor and President with communications and correspondence. This will involve logistical activity – including coordinating the production of content by others across the University – but also producing content for communications and correspondence. You will work closely with the Chief of Staff, providing support as needed.
About you
This role will suit someone who has a keen interest in higher education, and a good understanding of the current policy environment and pressures on universities, as well as a personal commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and to academic freedom and freedom of speech.
You will have high standards, enjoy being involved in a range of different kinds of projects, and able to work effectively with people of different seniority and who have ways of working. You will be proactive, self-motivated, and comfortable working independently. You will have the ability to present complex messages to a wide range of audiences and will have highly developed analytical, oral and written communication skills. You will be able to quickly master complex briefs, paying close attention to detail whilst also retaining a focus on the bigger picture. You will enjoy providing high-quality advice, as well as effectively influencing, senior leaders, and often working on problems that, in the first instance, might not be clearly defined.
About our Vice-Chancellor’s Office (VCO)
The VCO consists of the Vice-Chancellor, the University’s other senior leaders (the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, four Pro-Vice-Chancellors, and the Chief Operating Officer), the Chief of Staff, another Senior Executive Advisor, the Office Manager and Vice-Chancellor’s Assistant, as well as five Executive Assistants. The Pro-Vice-Chancellors’ portfolios cover Education and Students, Research and Enterprise, Culture, Equality and Inclusion, and Global and Civic Engagement.
Why work here…
Our University is situated just off of the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are easily accessible by public transport; a 5-minute walk from the train station and bus stops within the campus. We have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to cycle to work with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.
Sussex is a renowned, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are Faculty, Student, or a member of a Professional Services Team, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.
The benefits that you will receive from day one:
• Generous pension scheme.
• Purchase additional Annual Leave though our Scheme for a great home and work life balance
• Discounts of public transport, Cycle to work Scheme, and special rates in hotels in Brighton and the Sussex region.
• Discounts on high-street shops through our Rewards partner, along with a Cash back Health Plan.
• Considerable discount on our on-site Gym Facilities because we care about our employees’ Health and Wellbeing.
Please contact Dean J. Machin d.j.machin@sussex.ac.uk for informal enquiries
For full details and how to apply see our vacancies page
The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
Please note: The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed from the UK.
Further Information about the role
Executive governance
The University has three strands of governance: our overall corporate governance, which is the role of Council; our academic governance, which is the role of Senate; and our executive governance, which is role of the Vice-Chancellor and President, and is provided by the VCO. The executive governance leadership is the University Executive Team (UET).
Recently, the University made changes to our executive governance function, creating new Boards, and redesigning several existing Boards. This work remains in progress, there will be further changes, and you will have a key role in shaping and implementing those changes. The principal aim of the University’s executive governance is to support the Vice-Chancellor and President in the effective and efficient delivery of the University’s strategic and operational objectives in ways that are consistent with and supportive of the University’s corporate governance and academic governance functions and requirements.
The role-holder will provide the secretariat for the UET (which meets weekly); this involves supporting the Vice-Chancellor and President and the Chief of Staff in planning and producing the agendas for UET, minuting meetings, and ensuring prompt follow-up and tracking of actions. In addition, while you will not provide secretariat for all the other existing ‘UET+’ Boards (see here for an explanation of ‘UET+’), you will have an oversight role and work with the relevant secretariat to ensure those Boards work effectively and efficiently, and in mutually-consistent ways. You will also work with relevant secretariat to support the Vice-Chancellor and President and the Chief of Staff to ensure that the agendas of those Boards are focused on the right issues at the appropriate time. You will also work to support the planning and agendas for the recently created University Leadership Forum and Academic Leadership Forum, both of which are convened by the Vice-Chancellor and President.
The role will also involve multiple other high level activities and opportunities to support key University strategic and operational objectives. Over time, as the executive governance changes are embedded, this will create more time for other kinds of high level activities. From day one, though, you will work with the Chief of Staff and others to support the Vice-Chancellor and President with communications and correspondence. This will involve logistical activity – including coordinating the production of content by others across the University – but also producing content for communications and correspondence. You will work closely with the Chief of Staff, providing support as needed.
About you
This role will suit someone who enjoys working with senior leaders in a fast-paced, demanding, and intellectually stimulating environment. A keen interest in higher education is important and you will have a personal commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion and to academic freedom and freedom of speech.
You will be committed to high-quality, purposeful governance, and to the highest standards of accountability, and you will be keen to think creatively and imaginatively about how to deliver effective and efficient executive governance for the University of Sussex.
You will have high standards, be adaptable and able to work effectively with a wide range of people. You will understand and be able to navigate the demands of both necessary confidentiality and openness within a university environment. You will be proactive, self-motivated, flexible, and both comfortable working independently and as part of a team. You will be good at building effective relationships across formal lines of accountability and with people at all levels of an organisation.
You will be motivated by the opportunities this role will give you to support the Vice-Chancellor and President, and the Chief of Staff and other senior leaders, to address the strategic challenges faced by the University.
You will have excellent written communication skills, and you will be familiar with a range of digital systems, and ready to learn to use new ones.
About the Vice-Chancellor’s Office (VCO)
The Vice-Chancellor and President took up her role in August 2022 and the VCO has experienced considerable change since then, including the appointment of a new Deputy-Vice-Chancellor and Provost, two new Pro-Vice-Chancellors, a Chief of Staff and Director of the VCO, as well as a Senior Executive Advisor. We are also currently recruiting to the post of Vice-Chancellor’s Assistant and Office Manager of the VCO.
The VCO provides a service function to the Vice-Chancellor and President, and the University’s other senior leaders (the Deputy-Vice-Chancellor and Provost, the four Pro-Vice-Chancellors, and the Chief Operating Officer). The Pro-Vice-Chancellors’ portfolios cover Education and Students, Research and Enterprise, Culture, Equality, and Inclusion, and Global and Civic Engagement.
The VCO is led by its Director (who is also the Chief of Staff), and includes two Senior Executive Advisors, the Vice-Chancellor’s Assistant and Office Manager of the VCO, and five Executive Assistants.
The senior leaders are ambitious for the University of Sussex and are aware that the University needs to address some key challenges. As a result, the VCO will be leading some major strategic transformation work over the coming years. The VCO moves at a fast-pace, and there is an expectation of high-quality work, sometimes produced to tight timescales.
Application URL:
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/jobs