Head of Strategic Programmes, Education

Oxford University Press; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Flexible working patterns

Pension up to 12%

Salary Finance loans

Travel to work scheme

Private medical insurance

Management bonus

Job summary

Oxford University Press is seeking an exceptional strategy delivery leader to turn ambitious plans into tangible outcomes within the Education Division. You will lead a portfolio of strategic initiatives, establish governance, and deliver measurable business impact across senior stakeholders.

This hands-on role requires coordinating cross‑functional teams, guiding planning cycles, and producing executive papers.

Qualifications

• Significant programme management experience in a complex organisation.
• Experience supporting strategic transformation or business change initiatives.
• Experience working with senior leadership and executive stakeholders.
• Experience establishing and operating governance forums, steering groups and working groups.
• Experience coordinating delivery across multiple functions and teams.
• Strong facilitation, chairing and meeting leadership experience.
• Experience producing executive-level presentations, briefings and reporting.
• Experience in educational publishing, digital products or education is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of a portfolio of high-profile strategic initiatives within the Education Division.
• Coordinate governance, steering groups, and manage risks and dependencies.
• Develop compelling executive papers and presentations for leadership teams.

Skills

Program management

Strategic transformation

Executive stakeholder management

Governance facilitation

Cross‑functional delivery

Facilitation & chairing

Executive presentations

Education/ed publishing domain

Job description

Learning changes lives – and we’re here to drive that change.

We support people wherever and however they want to learn, so they can achieve their learning goals and uncover new possibilities.

Today, we reach more learners than ever, in more ways than ever.

About the Role

We're looking for an exceptional strategy delivery leader who can turn ambitious plans into tangible outcomes. Reporting at a senior level within the Education Division, you'll lead the delivery of a portfolio of high-profile strategic initiatives, ensuring priorities are translated into clear plans, effective governance and measurable business impact. This is a highly influential role that sits at the heart of divisional decision-making, partnering with leaders across Market, Product, Technology, Commercial, Operations, Data & Insights and AI to drive progress on some of our most important priorities.

This is not a traditional programme office leadership role - we're seeking someone who is hands‑on, delivery‑focused and comfortable operating within ambiguity, taking ownership of complex initiatives and driving them forward. You'll coordinate activity across multiple teams, establish governance and accountability, facilitate senior steering groups, manage risks and dependencies, and challenge assumptions where needed to keep programmes on track. You'll bring people together, create alignment around priorities and outcomes, and ensure decisions are made quickly and effectively.

Alongside leading strategic programmes, you'll play a critical role in shaping and delivering key planning and reporting cycles, including divisional strategy review process, five‑year planning, and divisional business planning and reporting activities. You'll be equally comfortable developing compelling executive papers and presentations as you are influencing stakeholders, facilitating discussions and driving actions through to completion. Success in this role will come from your ability to combine strategic thinking with practical execution, bringing clarity to complexity and ensuring the division's most important initiatives deliver lasting value.

We operate a hybrid working policy that requires a minimum of 2 days per week in the Oxford office.

About You

• Significant programme management experience in a complex organisation.
• Experience supporting strategic transformation or business change initiatives.
• Experience working with senior leadership and executive stakeholders.
• Experience establishing and operating governance forums, steering groups and working groups.
• Experience coordinating delivery across multiple functions and teams.
• Strong facilitation, chairing and meeting leadership experience.
• Experience producing executive‑level presentations, briefings and reporting.
• Experience in educational publishing, digital products or education is desirable.

Benefits

• We care about work/life balance here at OUP.
• With this in mind we offer 25 days’ holiday that rises with service, plus bank holidays and Christmas closure (3-days) and a 35‑hour working week.
• We are open to discussing flexibility in respect to working patterns, dependent on role.
• We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies.
• We help make your money go further by contributing to your pension up to 12%, offering loans and savings schemes through our partnership with Salary Finance, in addition to travel to work schemes and access to a wide range of local discounts.
• This role comes with the added benefit of private medical insurance and a management bonus.
• Please see our Rewards and Recognition page for more information.

We are committed to supporting diversity in our workforce, and ensuring an inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive. We seek to employ a workforce representative of the markets that we serve and encourage applications from all.