About us
UCL is a radically different university. Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, we were the first university in England to welcome students of any religion, and the first to admit women to university education. Today, UCL has over 50,000 students and 17,000 staff, and is a world-leading, research-intensive university – consistently ranked among the top ten globally – with an annual turnover exceeding £1 billion. Our research and innovation continue to grow in scale and complexity, with record levels of research income and impact achieved in the past year.
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Global Engagement team, under the academic leadership of the Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement). UCL Global Engagement (GE) helps put UCL’s knowledge to work in the world, supporting Faculties to deliver impact for the greater good through global partnerships for change.
GE comprises a high-performing team of professionals with experience in supporting global research and education, and expertise in partnership development, geo-political analysis, strategic operations, and global communications. We form part of the Office of the Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) – RIGE – which brings together a range of services, functions and resources to support the UCL community and our global partners.
RIGE is dedicated to supporting people, crossing boundaries, and enabling responsible impact – locally, nationally, and internationally – for the greater good.
You can read more about UCL’s global activity here.
About the role
UCL is seeking to appoint an exceptional individual to the newly created role of Associate Director (Global Operations) on a two-year fixed-term contract. This senior position sits within the Global Engagement team, reporting to the Director of Global Engagement, and will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering UCL’s next phase of global partnership activity.
Since 2015, UCL has pursued its Global Engagement Strategy (GES) with a strong emphasis on impact through partnership. Having successfully established a robust network of academically driven collaborations worldwide, UCL is now focusing on a small number of strategic partnerships to develop large-scale, institution-level initiatives. These may include co-developing physical overseas presences with international partners, aimed at advancing shared academic ambitions in research, education, and innovation.
The Associate Director (Global Operations) will lead on the development and operational delivery of these complex and high-profile initiatives, initially focusing on projects in China and India. This will involve close collaboration with senior stakeholders across UCL and with partners overseas to develop and secure approval for business cases, establish governance frameworks, and oversee the operational setup of potential in-country presences.
The successful candidate will also be responsible for managing aspects such as legal frameworks, staffing and secondments, financial planning and compliance, and communications across teams. As such, the role requires a highly strategic thinker with excellent leadership, project management, and stakeholder engagement skills, and with a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges of international academic collaboration.
About you
You will be a strategic and collaborative leader with a strong track record of delivering complex international projects within large or matrix organisations. With a solid understanding of the global higher education landscape and how globalisation shapes institutional priorities, you will bring both insight and experience to the role.
You will have exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build credibility and trust at all levels, and to influence and engage diverse internal and external stakeholders. Your experience may include setting up overseas campuses, centres, or operational presences - ideally involving coordination across legal, financial, HR, and academic domains. While direct experience of establishing a satellite presence in a different national context is highly desirable, we welcome candidates with comparable expertise from both higher education and other sectors.
You will demonstrate sound judgement, a high level of emotional intelligence, and the ability to lead negotiations, manage risk, and write persuasive, commercially astute business cases. A natural facilitator and motivator, you will be confident in overseeing delivery across multiple workstreams, working in partnership with colleagues and external partners to achieve shared strategic goals.
What we offer
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
- 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
- Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
- Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
- On-Site nursery
- On-site gym
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
- Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
- Discounted medical insurance
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.
We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.
These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.
You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/
