Head of Strategic Programmes, Education

Oup Uk - Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days' holiday

Private medical insurance

Pension up to 12%

Salary Finance loans & savings

Flexible working options

Employee networks

Job summary

OUP UK in Oxford seeks an exceptional strategy delivery leader to turn ambitious plans into tangible outcomes. Reporting seniorly within the Education Division, you will steer a portfolio of high-profile strategic initiatives, ensuring priorities translate into clear plans, governance, and measurable business impact.

You’ll work with leaders across Market, Product, Technology, Commercial, Operations, Data & Insights and AI to drive progress.

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 governance forums, steering groups and working groups.
• Experience coordinating delivery across multiple functions and teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of a portfolio of high-profile strategic initiatives.
• Translate priorities into clear plans, governance and measurable impact.
• Coordinate activity across multiple teams and governance bodies.
• Develop executive papers and presentations for divisional strategy reviews.
• Shape planning and reporting cycles, including five-year planning.

Skills

Programme management

Strategic transformation

Executive stakeholder management

Governance facilitation

Cross-functional coordination

Facilitation & chairing

Executive presentations

Educational publishing domain (desire)

Job description

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.

• 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.
• 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.