Operations Manager, Student Recruitment & Fees

The Open University UK; Belfast City District; Hybrid; GBP 39,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

The Open University UK in Belfast is seeking an Operations Manager for Student Recruitment & Fees. You will lead a team delivering student-facing services to help decisions, progression and satisfaction.

You will work across Ireland and OU central teams to ensure integrated, timely support while driving continuous improvement and service quality.

Qualifications

• Relevant management qualification or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience delivering multi‑channel customer services.
• Strong leadership with recruitment, staff development and performance management.
• Commitment to excellent customer service and continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication, influence and presentation skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and locations.
• Strong problem solving and decision making.
• Able to interpret management information.
• Proficient IT skills and adaptability to new systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead student facing staff including Recruitment and Fees Supervisor and Advisers.
• Oversee information and fees service within SRSI in collaboration with other managers.
• Ensure integrated operational delivery aligned with curriculum recruitment and support.
• Provide guidance to the SRSI team to meet timescales and service levels.
• Develop staff expertise and knowledge across curriculum areas.
• Collaborate with OU Ireland and central teams to deliver excellent service.

Skills

Leadership

Multi‑channel service

Customer information delivery

Interpersonal skills

Collaboration

Problem solving

Organisation & time management

IT systems & MS Office

Equality & policy adherence

Education

Management qualification or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Databases

Job description

Operations Manager, Student Recruitment & Fees

• Working for the OU
• Vacancies
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Advert Reference Number: 1936

Job Location: Belfast

Department: Student Recruitment and Support

Salary: £38,784 to £46,049

Closing Date: 05 October 2026

Weekly Working Hours: 37.00

Contract Type: Permanent

Fixed Term Contract: End Date:

Welsh Language: Not Applicable

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK's largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education, combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education. Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).

About the Role

The role holder will work within the Student Recruitment and Support Ireland (SRSI) team and will manage the delivery of student facing operations to help students and prospective students make study choices leading to successful module completion, study progression, qualification completion, and customer satisfaction.

They key duties are:

To manage a team of student facing staff that includes the Student Recruitment and Fees Supervisor and Advisers effectively, ensuring that quality and service standards and Key Performance Indicators are met.

To deliver and develop the Information & Fees service within Student Recruitment and Support Ireland as part of the University’s Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) model, by collaboration with other managers/senior managers within SRSI and with a range of staff across the wider University.

To work with the SRSI management team and the wider University to ensure an integrated approach to operational delivery of curriculum appropriate recruitment and support for students.

Key Responsibilities

A summary of the main responsibilities is provided below. To view the full list of responsibilities, please refer to the job description available here [click].

Leadership and performance management of student facing staff including the Student Recruitment and Fees Supervisor and a team of Advisers.

To oversee the Student Recruitment and Fees Supervisor and team of Advisers as part of a flexible management team with a focus on providing study and fees information to students and potential students within agreed timescales, ensuring that all activity is dealt with promptly and effectively and within agreed service levels.

Develop SRSI, team and personal expertise and knowledge across all areas of the curriculum to provide an expert point of referral.

Liaise closely and collaboratively with relevant staff and managers/senior managers within The Open University in Ireland and within the Information, Advice and Guidance Service in other locations, and with staff and managers/senior managers in central teams to provide excellent service to students and prospective students to enable them to make good study choices and to adopt successful behaviours.

To proactively support the Senior Manager (Operations) in the development and continuous improvement of good internal and inter team working and service provision.

To continually develop skills and knowledge to maintain and improve personal performance, in the spirit of continuous improvement and to adopt correct and evolving business practices and procedures.

Leadership and management of a specific area of work/areas of work, such as work with Student Finance Northern Ireland, students in secure environments, proactive funding campaigns, complaints etc.

About You

Essential Criteria

• Relevant qualification in management and/or advice and guidance, or equivalent professional management experience
• Proven experience managing multi-channel customer‑focused services, including workload planning, workforce management, and operational performance delivery.
• Strong leadership experience including recruitment, staff development, performance management, operational performance planning, and maintaining quality standards.
• Skilled in managing the provision of information with a commitment to excellent customer service and continuous improvement.
• Highly developed interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence, build credibility, and adapt approach to different audiences and situations.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and teams to achieve organisational objectives and service targets.
• Strong problem‑solving and decision‑making abilities, resolving issues quickly, effectively, and with sensitivity.
• Excellent organiser, time‑management, and self‑motivation skills, with the ability to work independently within established systems and procedures.
• Numerically competent with the ability to interpret complex management information.
• Highly proficient in IT systems, including Microsoft Office applications and databases, with the ability to pick up new systems quickly and a commitment to continuous professional development.
• Ability to carry out the role in a way that is consistent with equality legislation and the University’s values and relevant policies.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working in an educational environment.
• Understanding of business continuity planning and management.
• Understanding of the higher education sector and the place of part‑time, distance learning within it.

Support with your application

If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on 01908 541111 or email [e-mail] quoting the advert reference number.

What's in it for you?

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

Flexible working

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

Working Location:It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where the successful candidate can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Belfast Office, it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs, occasionally at short notice. We’d expect this to be two days per week. Expenses associated with travel to our Belfast site are not reimbursable.

Next steps in the Recruitment process

We anticipate interviews to take place w/c 12 October 2026.

Early closing date notification

While most roles will remain open until the advertised closing date, applications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In some cases, vacancies may close earlier if a sufficient number of suitable applications have been received and equality impacts have been appropriately considered. All roles will remain advertised for a minimum of one week before any early closure is implemented.

If you have started an application or were in the process of applying when the advert closed, we encourage you to get in touch. We are committed to understanding individual circumstances and can offer further support where needed, including reasonable adjustments for applicants with protected characteristics.

Contact us

If you have any queries or questions about the recruitment process, or regarding your application,please contact: [e-mail] .

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.