Operations Manager - AI & Robotics

Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institute in Oxford is seeking an Operations Coordinator to streamline business operations within the AI & Robotics team. This role involves project management, stakeholder communication, and establishing operational excellence in a dynamic environment. Ideal candidates will have strong experience in managing projects and building team culture. Competitive benefits and a collaborative workspace are offered.

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 engage and negotiate with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Define operational excellence and work with program managers to implement key processes.
• Coordinate and manage multiple projects, preparing decision templates for leadership.
• Encourage collaboration and provide operational problem-solving support.

Skills

Project Management

Operational Excellence

Stakeholder Management

Culture & Community Development

Proactivity

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.

Requirements

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!

We offer the following salary and benefits:

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