The University of East London (UEL) is seeking an exceptional Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to help shape the next phase of its development as it looks beyond the conventional boundaries of a single university towards a more global, connected and entrepreneurial education group.
UEL is a modern, inclusive university with a distinctive careers-first mission: creating opportunity, connecting education to employment and ensuring that talent, rather than background, determines what comes next. Under Vision 2028, the University has transformed its student experience, graduate outcomes, enterprise activity and financial resilience, providing a strong platform for its next phase of growth.
Forward to 2040 sets out an ambitious next horizon. UEL intends to evolve into a global, multi-entity education group, with a long-term ambition for turnover exceeding £1bn. Its emerging model will encompass international hubs in India, Egypt and the United States, new routes to market, technology-enabled propositions and commercial partnerships, while retaining the public purpose and inclusive mission at the heart of UEL.
The CFO will be one of the principal architects of this next phase. Reporting to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Group Chief Executive, and working closely with the Vice-Chancellor & President, Board and Executive Leadership Team, they will help build the financial architecture required to support UEL's ambitions: group-wide financial governance, consolidated reporting, investment discipline, capital allocation, commercial insight and scalable systems across an increasingly diverse portfolio.
This is an opportunity to build rather than simply inherit a group finance model. The CFO will combine rigorous financial stewardship with commercial and strategic leadership, protecting UEL's financial resilience while helping to evaluate new markets, investments and partnerships, understand returns and unit economics, and create a finance function capable of supporting sustainable, entrepreneurial growth.
UEL is deliberately looking beyond conventional higher education profiles. Candidates are likely to have operated at CFO or senior Finance Director level in a complex organisation and will bring strong commercial judgement alongside experience of growth, transformation or organisational build. International and/or multi-entity experience will be particularly relevant, as will experience of scaling financial systems and processes and exposure to areas such as corporate development, M&A, partnerships or expansion into new markets.
Cultural contribution will matter as much as technical capability. UEL is collaborative, ambitious and prepared to launch, test, learn and improve. The successful candidate will combine pace and entrepreneurial instinct with financial discipline, constructive challenge and sound judgement, and will be motivated by the opportunity to apply their experience in an institution where commercial ambition sits firmly alongside public purpose.
How to apply
Russell Reynolds Associates is advising the University of East London on this appointment. The closing date for applications is 23:59 GMT on 25 October 2026. To apply, please submit your application through the Russell Reynolds Associates online application portal, quoting reference 2609-063L.
Your application should include:
- a CV setting out your career history, key responsibilities and achievements, including reasons for any gaps within the last two years; and
- a Statement of Suitability of no more than two pages, explaining how your skills, qualities and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role.
Due diligence will be carried out on shortlisted candidates and may include searches of publicly available information, including previous public statements and social media. For an informal and confidential discussion about the role, or if you experience difficulty accessing the online application platform, please contact [contact details available in the full listing], quoting reference 2609-063L.
