Strategic Change Manager

Strategic Programmes & Change is a high-performing team with a critical role at the heart of the University. We work with senior leaders to align stakeholders, set strategic direction and deliver outcomes — helping the University achieve its ambitions as a Global Top 50 institution and long-term financial sustainability. Our portfolio is complex, fast-moving and varied; no two days are the same. Our work typically involves large-scale service areas, significant process change and cultural transformation.

Estates are delivering a programme of significant change to modernise and strengthen the University's estate services to meet the future needs of the University. This includes a substantial increase in Long Term Maintenance activity, alongside re-designing operations to be focused on the service user, and progressing the replacement of outdated underpinning systems. Together this work will enable future focussed and adaptive services, safeguarding the University's heritage and enabling more effective use of the University estate. The Strategic Change Manager will lead the organisational change activities required to ensure success, including coordinating change delivery, communications, stakeholder engagement, and embedding sustainable governance, working across professional services, Colleges and frontline operational teams.

Main Duties — Change management for individual initiatives:

To be personally responsible for leading and managing significant and complex University-wide initiatives in collaboration with Programme / Project Sponsors. This will involve:

- Managing the delivery of the Strategic Programme & Change portfolio of projects, from project initiation through to implementation and evaluation, ensuring that projects are enabling the University's Birmingham 2030 ambitions and delivering measurable benefits and improvements.
- Working closely with Programme / Project Sponsors (academic and Professional Services) to identify and plan the requirements for change and ensuring that change projects are delivered in accordance with the project charter and plan.
- Undertaking change impact and readiness assessments, identifying adoption risks and support requirements, and developing actions to support successful implementation.
- Utilising excellent negotiation, communication and creativity skills to gain agreement across a broad range of stakeholders to initiatives, including working with staff groups for whom the proposed programme may represent significant changes to ways of working.
- Managing and coordinating the different strands of the initiatives including ensuring effective communication flows to all stakeholders.
- Implementing change and process improvement methodologies to drive change initiatives, including key tools such as diagnostic exercises, process mapping, rapid improvement events and ensuring implementation.
- Development of benefits realisation plans.
- Development and execution of results-yielding engagement plans and strategies for a wide range of stakeholders and audiences, including academic colleagues, professional services staff, and students.
- Preparing and, where appropriate, presenting reports, proposals and papers for stakeholders, project sponsors, College Boards, RLG and other senior meetings.
- Working collaboratively with other teams responsible for delivering change, to ensure a coherent and consistent approach to change across the University, in line with our Portfolio and Programme Enabling Frameworks.

Main Duties — Delivering the work of the Strategic Programmes & Change function:

- Promotes equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
- Deploying our institutional Portfolio and Programme Enabling Frameworks, including change management methodologies and practices, to contribute to the development of the University's programme and change management capability.
- Identifying and, where appropriate, adopting best practice within and outside HE in programme development and change management.
- Developing and delivering training and other forms of support to staff developing and managing programmes and change within the University.
- Being a proactive member of the Strategic Programmes & Change function, contributing to its continued success and development and supporting other members of the team.

Examples of Work:

- Development and implementation of cross-functional strategic plans, aligning workstreams to institutional priorities and ensuring clear ownership of outcomes.
- Design and facilitate workshops with senior stakeholders to develop detailed strategies, drive process innovation and build shared commitment to change.
- Lead process mapping, redesign and implementation — taking end-to-end responsibility for ensuring implementation.
- Implement robust change management frameworks, including benefits realisation and risk management, to support the successful delivery of initiatives.
- Convene and facilitate relevant working groups, ensuring meetings are purposeful and drive meaningful progress.
- Produce high-quality documentation to enable decision-making and support project outcomes.
- Develop and deliver stakeholder communications strategies, using a range of channels to engage audiences sensitively and build support for change.
- Gather and analyse data to build the evidence base for change, track progress and develop credible, deliverable benefits plans.

Person Specification — Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience:

- Relevant degree or relevant equivalent professional qualification (change management, project management), plus substantial relevant experience.
- Relevant professional experience in a large and complex organisation.
- Experience of developing effective networks and strong relationships in a complex organisation, for example with academics, Professional Services and other partners.
- Experience of developing strategic and operational plans.
- Strong facilitation skills, including workshops and face-to-face settings.
- Outstanding writing skills, with the ability to prepare high quality papers, presentations, reports and briefings to Project Board and Executive Board level.
- Highly developed research skills and experience of producing and analysing complex source material, information and data and turning these into purposeful reports that influence policy and assist decision making.
- Experience of enabling cultural / ways of working change in situations where the proposed programme may represent significant changes.
- Demonstrable experience of managing a range of at-scale and complex projects.
- Excellent oral communication and presentation skills, with an ability to use a range of communication skills and strategies to gain commitment to action or change.
- Excellent IT, organisational and administrative skills.
- An ability to work simultaneously and effectively to progress several different tasks.

Personal Characteristics:

- Strong intellectual ability and the ability to apply this to management tasks.
- Knowledge of recognised change management or process improvement methodologies.
- A high degree of initiative, personal judgement, resourcefulness, flexibility and a self-motivating approach.
- Analysis of complex problems and formulation of innovative, simple and effective solutions.
- Enthusiasm and willingness to meet challenging demands, working to different people, deadlines and within budget.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including tact and diplomacy, and an ability to work at all levels of the organisation.
- Ability to work effectively as part of new and established teams with agility.
- Creativity in developing change programmes and responding to challenges.
- A flexible approach and willingness to respond to changing requirements of the team.
- Demonstrates collaborative working, builds open, trusting and effective partnerships.
- A firm but diplomatic attitude with the ability to prioritise, negotiate and use one's own judgement.
- A commitment to promote and adhere to the agreed values of the University and the Executive Division.
- Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area.

Benefits:

- 40 days paid holiday a year.
- One paid day a year for volunteering.
- Occupational sick pay.
- Pension scheme.
- Three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
- Access to Birmingham Professional development programme.
- State-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, art gallery, museum and botanical gardens on campus.
- Flexible working arrangements (currently working to a pattern of three or four days from campus).
- Access to staff networks including Rainbow Network, Parents and Carers' Network, Women's Network, Race Equality Network, and Enabling Staff Network.