Associate Director (Service Engagement & Strategic Projects)

King's College London; City Of London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent university in London is seeking an Associate Director (Service Engagement & Strategic Projects) to provide strategic oversight and lead initiatives that enhance the student experience. Candidates should have extensive experience in leadership roles within careers and employability services, demonstrating capabilities in managing diverse teams and driving service improvements. This full-time role offers an indefinite contract.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to enhance engagement with digital learning resources.
• Experience in leading and managing diverse, multi-functional teams.
• Track record of driving continuous improvement in service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight of the Service Engagement & Strategic Projects function.
• Lead infrastructure and initiatives for student support services.
• Drive positive impact on the student experience across functions.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Operational management

Digital learning engagement

Communication skills

Stakeholder engagement

Continuous improvement

Education

Higher education in a related discipline

Job description

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About us:

The King's community is dedicated to the service of society. King's Strategic Vision 2029 sets out our vision for the future, shaped around five priority areas: educate to inspire and improve; research to inform and innovate; serve to shape and transform; a civic university at the heart of London; and an international community that services the world. Our ambitious Education Strategy sets out the actions that we must take to transform how we teach, how and where our students learn and how we support them during their time with us.

King's Careers & Employability (KC&E) empowers over 40,000 students, researchers, and alumni to succeed after university. As a dynamic, cross-institutional service, we deliver inclusive, innovative, and future-focused support through digital, campus-based, and global initiatives. By integrating employability across the student experience, and collaborating with internal and external partners, KC&E equips our community with the skills, confidence, and connections to shape meaningful futures and make a lasting impact.

We are part of the Students & Education Directorate, a collection of wide-ranging professional services in place to support King's students and their education. As a directorate we manage the student lifecycle from application to graduation and beyond, to ensure a coherent and seamless student experience and effective administrative processes, working closely with King's faculties to do so.

About the role:

The Associate Director (Service Engagement & Strategic Projects) is a key member of KC&E's senior leadership team, providing strategic oversight of the Service Engagement & Strategic Projects function. This role is instrumental in enabling the success of KC&E and its sibling functions, Careers Education & Faculty Partnerships and Employer Engagement & Work-Based Learning, by leading the infrastructure, support, and initiatives that underpin our collective work. This includes service operations, marketing and communications, digital education, student voice, and strategic programmes.

We are looking for an individual who shares our aspirations and our values, who is comfortable working strategically and operationally, who understands how to deliver support and services to students and other end-users, and who is equipped to work in a high volume, complex and fast‑paced environment.

Associate Directors have operational responsibility for a defined portfolio of education and student professional services, as:

• a divisional lead within the Students and Education Directorate;
• the professional services education and students lead within an academic faculty;
• the lead of defined function‑wide transformation initiatives.

The Associate Directors work within and across teams and functions, engaging with a wide‑range of colleagues across King's to drive a positive and transformative impact on the student experience. This includes ensuring:

• that services are delivered efficiently and consistently across King's;
• the mutual role of service users and those delivering services are understood so that the services deliver value and impact;
• the key measures of service effectiveness reflect the reality on the ground;
• the mutual dependencies of services across and within functions are managed to embed a culture of service, transparency and continuous improvement across King's.

Associate Directors will have an excellent understanding of the priorities, cultures, and pressures of a research‑led university, and of academic processes and the structure of the academic year.

We encourage applications from candidates who have experience from both within and outside of the Higher Education sector where they can demonstrate the skills needed to succeed in this role.

This is a full time (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Relevant work experience and/or education: We think a wide range of different work and educational experiences could support you to be successful in this role. Relevant work experience might include leadership role within Careers & Employability or related student‑facing functions. Relevant educational experiences might include higher education in a related discipline, professional qualifications or other training.
2. Demonstrates high-level strategic and operational leadership capabilities, with a proven track record of shaping and delivering impactful service‑wide initiatives within careers & employability, or a closely related professional domain.
3. Extensive experience in leading and managing diverse, multi‑functional teams. Able to set clear direction, foster team development, and drive performance aligned with institutional priorities.
4. Proven ability to enhance engagement with digital learning resources and platforms, including comprehensive career management systems such as TargetConnect. Demonstrates a forward‑thinking approach to digital service delivery and innovation.
5. Experience in developing and executing integrated marketing and communications strategies, as well as feedback and engagement mechanisms, to improve student experience and participation across services.
6. Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with a strong ability to build and sustain strategic relationships internally and externally. Demonstrated success in leading cross‑institutional programmes and influencing stakeholders at all levels.
7. Highly effective in managing multiple priorities and complex workstreams. Skilled in operational planning, resource allocation, and delivering strategic projects with measurable outcomes.
8. Track record of driving continuous improvement, efficiency, and innovation in service delivery through the use of robust evaluation frameworks and data‑informed decision‑making.

Desirable criteria

1. Proven experience in managing business operations, including oversight of Finance processes, to ensure strategic alignment, operational efficiency, and compliance.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information:

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our 'How we Recruit' pages.

Interviews are due to be held in person on the 10th December.