Associate Director Strategic Planning, People & Culture

Fixed term 12-month contract

About the role:

We are recruiting an Associate Director, Strategic Planning, People & Culture to join the Estates & Facilities (E&F) Strategic Management Office (SMO) on a 12 month maternity cover.

This is a great opportunity to make a visible impact at a pivotal time, supporting the recalibration of E&F s flagship Fit for King s programme and embedding the Estates & Facilities Philosophy. Working with senior leaders, you will help shape the strategic direction of the directorate so that we can deliver a Fit for King s Estate for the King s community.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Strategy & Performance, you will lead the Strategic Planning, People & Culture team and be accountable for effective strategic planning, robust programme oversight, and directorate-level budget planning and risk management. You will take ownership of key strategic initiatives, ensuring appropriate governance, reporting, benefits realisation and change management arrangements are in place. You will work closely with the Senior Director of Strategy & Performance to establish and embed the structures, governance and reporting needed to provide assurance against delivery of the directorate s strategic plan (the Estates & Facilities Philosophy), with a particular focus on finance, people and internal processes.

As a key member of the SMO leadership team, you will build and maintain trusted relationships across Estates & Facilities and the wider university, bringing clarity to priorities, enabling effective collaboration, and supporting confident, evidence-based decision making.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term 12-month contract or until the return of the substantive post holder (maternity cover).

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Strong experience in strategic business planning, with the ability to develop and deliver strategy.
2. Expertise in programme and project management, including establishing governance, managing risks and dependencies, and leading change activity across complex, multi-year programmes.
3. Demonstrable leadership abilities, with experience managing teams and developing high-performing teams.
4. Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to collaborate across diverse stakeholder groups all levels of the organisation.
5. Proven experience of building and maintaining effective senior-level relationships with sophisticated influencing/negotiating skills
6. Experience of budget planning and financial oversight of large and complex, including building business cases and balancing risks.
7. Strong analytical skills, with experience in risk management and the use of data to inform strategic decision-making.
8. A collaborative, solutions-oriented mindset, with a commitment to high standards of service, innovation and continuous improvement.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience and/or knowledge of the challenges of UK higher education.
2. Change management qualifications and/or experience of implementing cultural change
3. Experience of working in EDI or knowledge of EDI including EDI legislation and issues that may impact workplaces and/or education

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Closing date: 10 May 2026.