Operational Lead, Data Delivery & Portfolio (Flexible)

The University of Sheffield; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

41 days annual leave

Flexible working (hybrid possible)

Generous pension scheme

Staff discounts

Staff networks

Professional development

Job summary

The University of Sheffield is seeking a maternity cover for an Operational Lead in Data Connect. You will run day-to-day delivery of health data assets and lead a cross-disciplinary delivery team, in collaboration with researchers, data providers and regional partners.

You will manage portfolios, budgets and governance reporting, guiding agile delivery, planning future service provision, and developing staff capability in a complex, funded environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience of managing a complex portfolio of projects, tracking delivery, and reporting progress, risks, and blockers to senior leadership.
• Proven capability to manage significant budgets and financial forecasts.
• Practical experience leading multidisciplinary teams using agile principles to deliver health data assets or technical projects.
• Ability to plan future service provision, roadmap complex projects, and refine scoping processes for smooth delivery.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the complete Data Connect portfolio of work, tracking project progress and reporting milestones, risks and blockers.
• Lead the project management function, managing active projects, data pipelines, and delivery schedules.
• Run agile ceremonies (daily stand-ups, sprints, reviews, retrospectives) to translate research needs into outputs.
• Coordinate team workload and refine processes to improve user experience for researchers and delivery efficiency.
• Track KPIs and service performance for governance boards and senior stakeholders.
• Provide line management, development support, and recruitment across the service.

Skills

Portfolio management

Budget management

Agile & Jira

Team leadership

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Governance reporting

Health data governance

Tools

Jira

Job description

The University of Sheffield is seeking a maternity cover for an Operational Lead in Data Connect. You will run day-to-day delivery of health data assets and lead a cross-disciplinary delivery team, in collaboration with researchers, data providers and regional partners.

You will manage portfolios, budgets and governance reporting, guiding agile delivery, planning future service provision, and developing staff capability in a complex, funded environment.