"Chief Operating Officer"

About the Blavatnik School of Government

Our vision is of a world better led, a world better served and a world better governed. We are a global school committed to improving the quality of government and public policymaking worldwide, through three routes: teaching current and future leaders; generating research with impact; and engaging with governments and practitioners.

What we offer

The School is a collaborative, friendly, and dynamic department based in an award-winning building in Oxford. We host regular events and talks with well-known guest speakers – all of which are open to staff. On the social side, we have regular coffee/cake mornings for staff, a family-friendly Halloween event, and Christmas and summer parties. As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:

• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days’ annual leave
• Family leave schemes and a comprehensive range of childcare services
• Cycle loan scheme and discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans
• Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs
• Opportunities for hybrid working (typically 60% of working hours on-site and 40% remotely)

More information about working at the School can be found on our jobs page.

About the role

This is a senior leadership role at the heart of the School, working in close partnership with the Dean to shape and deliver its mid- to long-term strategy. The postholder will help articulate and embed the School’s mission and future vision, translating strategic priorities into effective operational systems and day-to-day practice. Acting as a trusted adviser to the Dean and senior faculty, the role plays a central part in ensuring the School’s ambitions are clearly understood, well-resourced, and sustainably delivered.

The role has overarching responsibility for the leadership and development of the School’s professional services, spanning teaching programmes, finance, research administration, development and external relations, facilities, IT/AV, and HR. Leading a large and diverse team, including direct line management of senior professional staff, the postholder will foster a high-performing, inclusive culture and ensure staff receive responsive, high-quality support and opportunities for development. As a senior leader within the wider University, the role also represents the School internally and externally, building strong relationships with central services, Colleges, government, donors, and other strategic partners.

With stewardship of the School’s resources at its core, the role oversees financial planning, business cases, space and facilities management, and major projects, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities. It also contributes to good governance, effective decision-making, and robust information systems, while supporting research, executive and online programmes, and new initiatives. The postholder is expected to make a personal contribution to the School’s growth, drawing on their professional experience, networks, and expertise to advance the School’s mission and impact.

About you

You are a strategic and intellectually curious leader with the ability to think creatively, exercise sound judgement, and navigate complexity with confidence. You bring strong influencing and communication skills, are comfortable solving challenging problems, and can build trusted relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. Financially fluent and analytically minded, you are able to translate data into insight and understand the wider operational and structural implications of decisions.

You are an experienced people manager who leads with empathy and authority, inspiring confidence, promoting shared values, and fostering a collaborative, high-performing culture. Naturally outcomes-focused, you enjoy finding smarter and more effective ways of working, thrive in fast-changing environments, and have a strong track record of delivering complex projects and implementing strategy. Above all, you bring a genuine commitment to the mission and impact of the Blavatnik School of Government and the resilience and judgement required to take and implement difficult decisions.

Application process

Please upload a supporting statement that outlines how you meet the selection criteria in your own words, along with your CV and the details of two referees as part of your online application.

The closing date for applications is at 12 noon (UK time) on Monday 9 February 2026

Interviews will take place during week commencing 23 February 2026 and will be face to face.