Operations Manager - AI & Robotics

Ellison Institute of Technology; Oxford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institute in Oxford seeks an Operations Specialist in AI & Robotics to streamline processes and enhance team collaboration. The ideal candidate will manage multiple projects while fostering a supportive culture and ensuring operational excellence. The role offers competitive benefits including enhanced holiday pay and private medical insurance.

Benefits

Enhanced holiday pay

Pension

Life Assurance

Income Protection

Private Medical Insurance

Hospital Cash Plan

Therapy Services

Perk Box

Qualifications

• Experience in coordinating and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong operational experience across finance and legal workstreams.
• Ability to develop a culture of trust and creativity across a large community.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Define operational excellence with the VP of Operations.
• Coordinate and manage multiple projects, driving progress.
• Encourage collaboration and act as a point of contact for problem-solving.
• Communicate with stakeholders and external partners effectively.

Skills

Project Management

Operational Excellence

Stakeholder Management

Proactivity and Self‑directedness

Culture & Community

Job description

About EIT Oxford

The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) works to develop and deploy advanced technology in pursuit of solving some of humanity's most challenging and enduring problems. Guided by world-leading scientists and entrepreneurs, EIT seeks to accelerate innovation by driving scientific and technological advancements across four humane endeavours: health and medical science, food security and sustainable agriculture, climate change and clean energy, and government innovation and the era of artificial intelligence.

Please visit eit.org for more details.

Our Culture

At the Ellison Institute, we believe that an inclusive, collaborative team atmosphere is just as important to our mission as our scientific aims and methods.

We strive to build a supportive environment where everyone feels confident taking creative risks toward innovation. We value emotional intelligence and communicating with empathy and respect for others. We foster a team that is curious, has a deep sense of commitment, responsibility, and the resilience needed to achieve excellence.

About the AI & Robotics Team

We are a team of AI researchers, Applied AI scientists, data and software engineers within EIT. We work across all the humane endeavours, supported by world-class data platforms and large-scale compute.

AI is at the heart of how EIT tackles humanity's most pressing and enduring challenges. Our mission is to harness state-of-the-art statistical machine learning to 10x the impact of EIT's programmes and discover novel AI approaches that lead to 100x impact in the future.

Job Summary

You'll be at the heart of your team's business operations of the AI & Robotics of EIT. You'll be at the heart of the AI & Robotics team as a focal point for our central operations, and interfacing closely with the central EIT functions to drive progress, connect the dots and enable the team to operate smoothly. You have experience in building foundations of a quickly growing team, anticipate the procedural needs and can balance these with flexibility and space for innovation. You thrive in a changeable start‑up environment, creating clarity and providing structure to the people you work with.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Foundations: Working closely with the VP of Operations, and other leadership team members to define operational excellence and evolve our environment towards that; working closely with program managers to define and implement key processes across the team and leading the team budgeting process in close collaboration with the central finance function.
• Project Management: Coordinating and managing multiple projects simultaneously, driving progress and preparing decision templates for leadership decision making in an area where required, including e.g. property and lab planning.
• Team Collaboration: Working with individuals across the team to encourage collaboration and act as a flexible and reliable point of contact for operational problem‑solving, stepping in wherever needed to keep priorities moving.
• External Stakeholder Management: Communicating effectively with stakeholders and external partners, ensuring smooth delivery in collaboration with the VP or Research Alliances.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Project Management: experience in coordinating and managing multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring they stay on track and meet deadlines.
• Operational Excellence: Strong operational experience across finance and legal workstreams, ideally in a fast‑paced environment, coupled with excellent time management and planning skills, high attention to detail, and a passion for problem solving.
• Culture & Community: experience in developing a culture of trust and creativity across a large community of multi‑disciplinary collaborators.
• Stakeholder Management: strong interpersonal and communication skills to engage, influence and negotiate with stakeholders at all levels to balance competing team demands and organisational priorities.
• Proactivity and Self‑directedness: willingness to take ownership of problems and implement practical solutions.

Benefits

Why work for EIT: At the Ellison Institute, we believe a collaborative, inclusive team is key to our success. We are building a supportive environment where creative risks are encouraged, and everyone feels heard. Valuing emotional intelligence, empathy, respect, and resilience, we encourage people to be curious and to have a shared commitment to excellence. Join us and make an impact!

• Enhanced holiday pay
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box

Why work for EIT

We offer the following salary and benefits: ... (additional content if any)