INFORMATION PACK:CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Royal College of Art VEREDUS Page 2

CONTeNTs PAge

ROyAl COllege OF ART 3

JOB ROle 4

AReAs OF ResPONsIBIlITy 4 -5

PeRsON sPeCIFICATION 5 - 6

RelATIONshIP MAP 7

lOCATION OF eMPlOyMeNT 8

APPOINTMeNT PROCess AND hOW TO APPly 8

Royal College of Art VEREDUS Page 3

The ROyAl COllege OF ARTThe Royal College of Art (RCA) is a postgraduate-only university devoted to research, knowledge exchange, teaching and practice in art, design, communication and humanities. The College has some 1,550 students registered for MA, MPhil and PhD degrees, and there are over 400 permanent academic, technical and administrative staff, with around 800 visiting lecturers.

The College is located on two sites in Central London, in South Kensington and Battersea. The main campus in South Kensington is situated alongside Imperial College London and the Victoria and Albert Museum; the RCA runs joint Masters level programmes with both of these institutions.

The Battersea Campus comprises the Dyson Building, which hosts the School of Fine Art, as well as InnovationRCA, the entrepreneurship and commercialisation centre of the RCA. Battersea expanded further in 2015 with the opening of the Woo Building, which hosts two of the four programmes of the School of Material – Ceramics & Glass and Jewellery & Metal.

The College has an august history in art and design education, a roster of eminent graduates stretching back over three centuries, and a remarkable record of graduate employment. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) recognises the small, specialist institution status of the College through its ‘exceptional funding’ stream. The highly regarded QS World University Rankings survey 2015 ranked the RCA as the world’s number one art and design university. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 results cemented the RCA’s position as the UK’s leading university of art and design, with its research gaining more 4* ratings than any of its competitors. Crucially the College was rated 100% 4*and 3* in both impact and environment.

The College is now seeking to recruit a new Chief Operating Officer to orchestrate the day-to-day operation of the RCA. Candidates will be proven professionals who can demonstrate effective leadership at all levels, particularly divisional directors. This role is vital to the College as it will both operationalise the Strategic Plan (a copy of which is available on request) and enable the Rector to assume a more external focus, as the College plans a major, comprehensive capital campaign.

Royal College of Art VEREDUS Page 4

The ROle

ROle DesCRIPTION

BACKgROuND

Following the resignation of Jane Alexander, Pro-Rector (Operations), the Royal College of Art has created the new post of Chief Operating Officer (COO) to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of its ambitious strategic plan 2016–2021.

This role will provide the leadership needed to ensure the seamless integration of systems and processes across professional services and academic Schools. It will also assume the lead governance role as Clerk to Council, the governing body of the RCA.

Key OBJeCTIves:• To ‘operationalise’ the strategic plan 2016–2021 with smart goals and milestones.

• To modernise the ITC architecture of the RCA through the ambitious multi-year ’InfoRCA‘ project, which will integrate Finance, Registry, Student Records, Human Resources, and intranet systems of the university to improve transparency and efficiency.

• To synchronise Buildings & Estates, Finance, and Development on the successful delivery of major campus developments at both the Kensington and Battersea sites.

• To lead a comprehensive efficiency and effectiveness programme in order to create a ‘smarter’, more agile and resilient RCA.

• To champion change and continuous improvement across the university in pursuit of the RCA’s strategic goals and values.

• To ensure the RCA is on track to deliver its goal of 5% surplus by 2021.

The Chief Operating Officer will work closely with the Pro-Rector (Academic) to ensure all professional services are aligned to the academic vision of the institution and deliver a world-class student experience.

Responsible to: Rector

Responsible foR: Director of Building & Estates Director of Finance Director of Human Resources Health and safety officer

AReAs OF ResPONsIBIlITy

Buildings & Estates, Compliance, Governance, Legal, Finance, Human Resources, Health & Safety.

sTRATegy• Provide leadership and direction as part of Rectorate, developing and delivering a pan-institutional approach to planning and decision making.

• Drive the execution of the College’s Strategic Plan, setting smart goals and milestones.

• Maintain and develop strong and constructive relationships with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), other funding bodies and relevant stakeholders and regulatory bodies on a local, regional and national basis.

• Lead negotiations and serve as the principal point of contact with HEFCE on the RCA’s grants.

• Lead an ongoing programme of efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring value for money, with a particular focus on the development of income generation across the College, maintaining staff productivity and monitoring the full economic costs of delivering both taught and research programmes.

• Represent the RCA at a senior level through contacts with other academic institutions, public bodies, senior visitors, and organisations in the private and commercial sectors including BIS, HEFCE and UUK, providing a strong and visible presence on behalf of the RCA

Royal College of Art VEREDUS Page 5

leADeRshIP• Develop, recommend and implement comprehensive policies and programmes to manage the College’s business and administrative activities in line with its strategic goals

• Provide vision and strategic leadership to the reporting directors in the development and delivery of their strategies and key College priorities.

• Ensure that all reporting services maintain a close relationship with academic Schools and other services, to ensure the smooth operation of the RCA and the highest levels of student experience.

• Ensure that all reporting services achieve their key performance indicators and meet the RCA’s overarching key performance indicators, including financial targets.

• Ensure that all reporting services are flexible, responsive to change and resilient to unforeseen risk, enhancing and modernising systems to meet the changing need.

• Lead change programmes, in particular, InfoRCA and campus expansion.

• Develop and lead implementation of a culture of innovation and performance management.

gOveRNANCe• As Clerk to Council (the governing body of the RCA), advise the Council, and in particular its Chair, Treasurer and the Rector, on governance, compliance and legal issues and ensure that the Council and other key committees are appropriately supported and serviced. The RCA Council is currently led by Provost Sir James Dyson and Chair & Vice Provost, Baroness Gail Rebuck of Bloomsbury DBE.

RIsK• Manage the RCA’s risk register, interrogating, assessing and managing the response to risk at an institutional level with quarterly SMT input.

• Interpret and optimise policy, regulations and procedures to determine the most effective impact on the College and formulate compliance and reporting strategies.

• Ensure the College is compliant with statutes and regulations.

• Assume responsibility as the College’s Data Controller, under the Data Protection Act.

• Assume ultimate Responsible for safety at all College sites.

OTheR• Provide input into the delivery of services under the remit of the Pro-Rector (Academic), in particular information and communications technology as it relates to administrative requirements, campus development, and the recruitment and retention of world-class faculty.

• Be a visible ambassador of the College, communicating effectively with students, staff and external stakeholders.

PeRsON sPeCIFICATION

QuAlIFICATIONs• Educated to degree level.

• Membership of an appropriate professional body.

KNOWleDge• Understanding of the current higher education landscape, and the revenue and funding environment in which the RCA operates.

• Understanding of higher education in the UK and internationally of a sufficient depth to be able to interact effectively with staff at all levels within collaborating institutions.

• Have an affinity and an appreciation for the creative arts and design, and a desire to create the perfect environment in which creativity thrives.

Royal College of Art VEREDUS Page 6

exPeRIeNCe• Proven track record of successful strategic and operational leadership in a complex organisation with multiple stakeholders.

• Experience of policy development and analysis in higher education or governance.

• An understanding of change-management techniques and a track record of implementing change to drive improvements

• Experience of building consensus, often working through committee structures, including Senate and Council.

• Proven experience of implementing strategic and operational plans.

• Proven leader with a track record of successfully leading, managing and motivating staff at all levels to achieve high performance in changing environments.

• Experience of working with non-executive directors and trustees in order to maximise their value in shaping and delivering strategy.

• Demonstrable ability to manage resources including large and complex budgets.

• Demonstrable experience of successfully managing risk.

• A proven ability to delegate effectively, motivate others and exercise highly effective leadership skills.

• A familiarity with resourcing issues within a complex organisation.

• Familiarity with safety legislation and issues.

sKIlls• Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate and network at a senior level, including members of faculty.

• Ability to work with a wide range of people across the College community, including student representatives.

• Strong leadership, management ethics and interpersonal skills.

• Discipline to work to tight deadlines in a high- pressure environment.

• Confidence to develop and maintain strong networks, partnerships and collaborations.

• Independent judgement to develop recommendations based on an understanding of policy and priorities, analysis of available information and an awareness of current issues within the College and externally.

• Organisational skills to complete projects with competing deadlines, and establish goals and workload priorities, alongside the flexibility to address completing demands pre-empting and foreseeing potential road blocks or impediments to success.

• Skills to engage stakeholders in the development of priorities and directions.

• Skills to manage multiple stakeholders and multiple projects.

• A strong eye for detail and accuracy, to ensure institutional compliance.

• Strong numerical and IT skills.

• Proven ability to build multi-disciplinary teams

• Ability to perform critical and complex senior management tasks independently, effectively and efficiently.

• Ability to ‘see around corners’ and plan pre-emptively.

• Experience of promoting innovation and managing change, to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of a complex organisation.

• Experience of working in a senior management team, stewarding resources collaboratively with integrity and efficiency.

• A value system aligned to the mission of the College.

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RelATIONshIP MAPschool structure

sChOOls

ReseARCh, KNOWleDge exChANge & INNOvATION

INFORMATION, leARNINg &

TeChNICAl seRvICes

RegIsTRy

FINANCe

BuIlDINgs & esTATes

huMAN ResOuRCes

heAlTh & sAFeTy

DevelOPMeNT & AluMNI RelATIONs

COMMuNICATIONs & MARKeTINg

ReCTOR

PRO-ReCTOR (ACADeMIC)

ChIeF OPeRATINg

OFFICeR

Royal College of Art VEREDUS Page 8

lOCATION OF eMPlOyMeNT

Kensington, london

sAlARy

The RCA offers a competitive salary.

The appointment is permanent subject to a one-year probationary period. A contributory, defined-benefits pension scheme and interest-free season ticket loan are available.

hOlIDAy eNTITleMeNT

This role is entitled to 30 days’ annual leave plus extended breaks at Christmas and Easter

APPOINTMeNT PROCess / hOW TO APPly

APPOINTMeNT PROCess

The appointment of Chief Operating Officer is through a selection panel comprising lay members of Council, chaired by the Rector.

An executive search exercise is being undertaken by Veredus in parallel with the public advertisement of the post. Veredus will assist the selection panel in the discharge of its duties, both to assist in the assessment of candidates against the requirements of the role and to identify the widest possible field of candidates.

A shortlist will be selected in early December 2015, and the selection panel will invite shortlisted candidates to attend interviews in mid-December 2015.

Final appointment is subject to receipt of references satisfactory to the College.

hOW TO APPly

Applications should consist of a CV and a covering letter describing how you meet the person specification, focusing particularly on your ability to ‘operationalise’ strategic plans and prioritise conflicting demands on your time.

You should also provide the names, positions, organisations and telephone contact numbers of three referees.

Veredus will need to take two verbal telephone references for shortlisted candidates, but please note that we will not approach any of your referees without obtaining your prior consent.

Please ensure that you have included mobile, work and home telephone numbers on your CV, as well as any dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the indicative timetable.

The deadline for applications for this post is midday on Monday 23 November 2015, and you should email your application to education@veredus.co.uk quoting reference 927164.

You are invited and encouraged to complete the Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form, which can be found at: http://jotformpro.com/form/32674095029963.

Veredus is accredited by Investors in Diversity, and the information collected is important to us as a means to ensuring continued best practice in the promotion of diversity.

The information on this form will be treated as confidential and used for statistical purposes only. This form will not be treated as part of your application, and will not be seen by anyone involved in the selection process.

eNQuIRIes

If you have any questions relating to the role or process please call Julia Roberts or Asher Dinnen on 020 7932 4240.