Academic Operations Team Leader

The University of Auckland; Auckland; On-site; NZD 87,000 - 108,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Five weeks’ annual leave

Flexible employment practices

Job summary

The University of Auckland is seeking an experienced Academic Operations Team Leader to oversee a professional staff team providing operational and administrative support to academic leaders, staff and students within the School of Medicine. This pivotal role combines leadership, service excellence and collaborative stakeholder engagement to enable excellence in teaching, learning and research.

Reporting to the Academic Operations Manager, you will shape a customer-focused culture, drive

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience, including coaching, mentoring and development of staff.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship building skills across diverse groups.
• Experience working within a large, complex organisation.
• Excellent planning, prioritisation and workload management capabilities.
• Strong communication, influencing and problem-solving skills.
• Experience leading operational improvement initiatives and embedding best-practice.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a team delivering high-quality administrative and operational support services.
• Partner with Academic Heads and key stakeholders to ensure the effective delivery of day-to-day operational activities.
• Champion a culture of service excellence, continuous improvement and customer-centric practice.
• Lead workflow planning, workload allocation and capability development across the team.
• Act as a specialist lead within one or more operational portfolios and support the adoption of best practice.
• Contribute to strategic planning, operational improvements and faculty-wide initiatives.
• Support recruitment, financial administration and operational processes within the school.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategy execution

Planning & workload management

Communication & influencing

Problem solving

Job description

The University of AucklandThe University of Auckland is New Zealand’s pre-eminent research-led University. Established in 1883, it is an international centre of learning and academic excellence. With just over 5,200 staff and more than...

We are seeking an experienced and people-focused Academic Operations Team Leader to join the School of Medicine. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for leading a team of professional staff who provide operational and administrative support to academic leaders, staff and students, enabling excellence in teaching, learning and research.

This role will suit a confident and adaptable leader who enjoys building high-performing teams, fostering strong stakeholder relationships, and driving service excellence in a complex environment. As the University continues to evolve, you will bring a flexible and open-minded approach to portfolio leadership, embracing opportunities to support changing priorities and emerging needs across the school and wider faculty.

Working closely with Academic Heads and the Academic Operations Manager, you will play an important role in shaping a collaborative, customer-focused culture while ensuring the smooth delivery of operational services.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead, coach and develop a team delivering high-quality administrative and operational support services.
• Partner with Academic Heads and key stakeholders to ensure the effective delivery of day-to-day operational activities.
• Champion a culture of service excellence, continuous improvement and customer-centric practice.
• Lead workflow planning, workload allocation and capability development across the team.
• Act as a specialist lead within one or more operational portfolios and support the adoption of best practice.
• Contribute to strategic planning, operational improvements and faculty-wide initiatives.
• Support recruitment, financial administration and operational processes within the school

This is afull-time(37.5h per week), permanent position.

The salary for this position is $87,000 – $107,500, depending on skills and experience.

You are a capable leader who brings a strong track record of developing people, building positive team culture and delivering results through others. You are comfortable navigating complexity, influencing across stakeholder groups and balancing operational priorities in a fast-paced environment.

You are someone who can provide clear direction and bring people together around shared goals. You enjoy leading through change and are excited by the opportunity to contribute to a dynamic environment where portfolios and priorities may evolve over time.

You will bring:

• Proven leadership experience, including coaching, mentoring and development of staff
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship building skills across diverse groups
• Experience working within a large, complex organisation
• Excellent planning, prioritisation and workload management capabilities
• Strong communication, influencing and problem-solving skills
• Experience leading operational improvement initiatives and embedding best-practice

The University of Auckland is committed to providing an excellent working environment through:

• Flexible employment practices
• A competitive salary with five weeks’ annual leave

If you have any questions, reach out to Lesley Ruki-Willison – [e-mail].

Please note we are happy to answer your questions, but we do not accept applications via email.