Executive Director Program Operations, Business School

IE University; Madrid; Presencial; EUR 90.000 - 130.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

IE University is seeking an Executive Director, Program Operations to lead operational excellence for IE Business School's master’s and undergraduate programs in Madrid.

The role blends strategic leadership with digital transformation, aiming to redesign, digitize, automate, and optimize processes while driving scalable growth and high-quality student/faculty experiences.

Formación

• Experience in digital transformation and process optimization.
• Proven track record in continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Experience in operating model design and organizational effectiveness.
• Experience with digitalization, automation and AI.
• Strong data analysis and KPI definition.
• Project and program management skills.
• Strategic prioritization and transformation portfolio management.
• Benefits realization and value management.
• Strategic business planning and stakeholder engagement.
• Team leadership and cross-functional collaboration.
• Change management and digital adoption.
• Excellent strategic communication and problem solving.
• Innovation mindset.

Responsabilidades

• Lead IE Business School's Program Operations to ensure quality, scalability, and student/faculty satisfaction.
• Define and oversee policies, processes, and service standards for scalable delivery of programs.
• Drive the evolution of the Program Operations operating model to support growth and efficiency.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, digitalize, automate, and optimize workflows.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of process improvement and digital transformation initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Digital Transformation Team on discovery, design, implementation, and adoption.
• Provide business leadership for transformation initiatives and ensure redesigned processes precede tech.
• Define and monitor KPIs, baselines, and improvements in efficiency and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Track business impact and benefits realization of digital initiatives.
• Act as Lead IT Champion for Program Operations and translate needs into digital solutions.

Conocimientos

Digital Transformation

Process Optimization

Continuous Improvement

Operating Model

Process Analysis

Automation & AI

Data Analysis

Performance Management

Program Management

Strategic Prioritization

Transformation Portfolio

Change Management

Digital Adoption

Stakeholder Engagement

Team Leadership

Cross-functional Collaboration

Strategic Planning

Innovation Mindset

Consultative Problem Solving

Descripción del empleo

Overview

Are you interested in joining a dynamic and international team of professionals to transform education? IE University's Business School is looking for an Executive Director, Program Operations to join its team!

The Executive Director provides strategic and operational leadership for the function supporting all IE Business School master’s and undergraduate programs, driving operational performance, service excellence, and the continuous evolution and scalability of processes.

The role combines operational leadership with a strong digital transformation and continuous improvement mandate, working in close collaboration with the Digital

Transformation team.

The Executive Director is responsible for identifying, prioritizing, and leading opportunities to redesign, simplify, digitalize, automate, and optimize operational processes, ensuring that transformation initiatives deliver measurable business impact, improve scalability, and enhance the student and faculty experience.

The role also leads the continuous evolution of the Program Operations operating model, ensuring that processes, capabilities, technology, and ways of working evolve in line with IE Business School’s strategic priorities and future needs.

Why IE University?

Every story begins with a purpose, and ours has always been about people. Founded in 1973, IE University has continuously raised the bar to drive positive change through education. We believe education is more than a path to professional success; it is a catalyst for personal transformation and meaningful impact.

At IE University, we place people and their potential at the center of everything we do, empowering individuals to become extraordinary. We encourage bold thinking and foster a culture where innovation, curiosity, and courage lead to real-world impact. Together, we create an environment where talent thrives, and ideas shape the future.

Our mission

We support students in developing impact skills to live and lead with positive impact. This ignites a ripple effect: We transform people, who then transform others, systems, society, and, ultimately, our world.

Our Purpose

To foster positive change.

Values

• Cultivate the humanistic approach.
• Empower your entrepreneurial spirit
• Cherish the diversity of people, mind, and experience
• Drive innovation with a proactive mindset

We are looking for a person to join a full-time position in Madrid - María de Molina

Responsibilities

Your role as an Executive Director will involve:

• Lead a team responsible for delivering operational excellence across all IE Business School master’s and undergraduate programs, ensuring quality, consistency, scalability, and timely execution while maintaining a strong focus on the student and faculty experience.
• Define, implement, and oversee operational policies, processes, and service standards to support the successful and scalable delivery of academic programs.
• Lead the continuous evolution of Program Operations operating model, ensuring that processes, capabilities, technology, and ways of working are continuously adapted to support growth, scalability, and service excellence.
• Drive continuous improvement across Program Operations by systematically reviewing processes and identifying opportunities to simplify, standardize, digitalize, automate, and optimize ways of working.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of process improvement and digital transformation opportunities, assessing and prioritizing initiatives based on business impact, operational efficiency, scalability, complexity, feasibility, risk, and implementation effort.
• Work closely with the Digital Transformation Team to evaluate and shape digital solutions, contributing deep functional and operational expertise throughout the discovery, design, implementation, and adoption phases.
• Providebusiness leadership for transformation initiatives, ensuring that processes are appropriately redesigned before technology is implemented and that solutions effectively address the underlying operational needs.
• Define and monitorKPIs and success metrics for process improvement initiatives, establishing baselines and measuring improvements in efficiency, productivity, turnaround times, quality, error rates, service levels, capacity released, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Trackbusiness impact and benefits realizationof digital and process improvement initiatives, ensuring that implemented solutions deliver the expected value and identifying further opportunities for optimization.
• Act asLead IT Champion for Program Operations, translating business needs into digital solutions, coordinating with IT and Digital Transformation teams, prioritizing technology initiatives, and supporting successful implementation and adoption.
• Drive data-informed decision-making within Program Operations by leveraging operational data, dashboards, and performance indicators to identify trends, anticipate issues, and uncover further opportunities for improvement.
• Promote the adoption of new digital tools, automation, AI capabilities, and new ways of working within the operations team, ensuring effective change management and sustainable adoption.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with Academic Directors, Program Management, Admissions, the Registrar, Accreditations, Documentation, IT, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure strategic and transformation initiatives are effectively executed.
• Foster a culture ofinnovation, experimentation, and continuous improvement, encouraging the team to challenge existing ways of working and proactively identify opportunities to improve operational performance and stakeholder experience.

Qualifications

To thrive in this role, you should possess the following qualifications:

• Digital Transformation & Process Optimization
• Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
• Operating Model Design & Organizational Effectiveness
• Process Analysis & Business Case Development
• Digitalization, Automation & AI
• Data Analysis, KPI Definition & Performance Management
• Program & Project Management
• Strategic Prioritization & Transformation Portfolio Management
• Benefits Realization & Value Management
• Strategic Business Planning
• Strategic Stakeholder Engagement
• Team Leadership & Cross-functional Collaboration
• Change Management & Digital Adoption
• Strategic Communication
• Consultative Problem Solving
• Innovation Mindset

Unleash your full potential and make an impact. The next move is yours!

At IE University, we actively promote equal opportunities in recruitment processes and access to employment, always ensuring the absence of gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, ethnic origin, or disability bias throughout the entire selection process.