About usUniversity College London (UCL) is a world-leading, global top 10 university. It comprises 11 faculties and multiple central professional service divisions, employing over 17,000 staff to deliver research and teaching excellence. The Student Recruitment and Admissions (SRA) division plays a critical role in UCL’s strategic plan by attracting the brightest students worldwide and managing the end-to-end recruitment and admissions process. This central division serves a vast customer base each year – handling hundreds of thousands of applications from prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students, collaborating with all faculties and other central services to enrol over 50,000 students at UCL each year.The SRA division encompasses several functional teams, including domestic and international Student Recruitment, Undergraduate and Postgraduate Admissions, and Enquiry & Applicant Support. It works closely with academic departments and external partners such as UCAS, schools and colleges, scholarship bodies, and immigration authorities to ensure UCL meets its student intake targets while adhering to all regulatory requirements. The division’s activities align with UCL’s strategic priorities of broadening student diversity, enhancing the applicant experience, and upholding fair, transparent admissions practices.About the roleThe Head of Business Operations – Student Recruitment and Admissions is responsible for ensuring the SRA division is run efficiently and meets its strategic and operational objectives. This is an enabling and operational role designed to support and deliver on the strategic priorities set by the Executive Director, in collaboration with the senior leadership team. The postholder will act as the principal business operational lead, supporting the Executive Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions, as well as the wider SRA Senior Leadership Team (SLT) in the planning, delivery, and continuous improvement of all division business services. They will develop and oversee robust business operations – from performance monitoring and process optimization to resource management – to support the division to achieve UCL’s student recruitment targets and provide an outstanding applicant experience.If you have an enquiry about the role or the application process please contact Passant Khalifa - Senior Recruiter - at p.khalifa@ucl.ac.ukAbout youThe postholder will be educated to degree level or possess equivalent professional experience, bringing significant and demonstrable operational management experience within a large, complex organization—ideally one with a matrix structure and multiple stakeholder groups. They will have a proven ability to manage diverse operational demands and deliver effective outcomes across various teams or departments. With strong leadership skills, the postholder will be adept at guiding, motivating, and influencing high-performing teams, while fostering a collaborative and positive working environment. They will demonstrate the ability to make confident decisions and hold team members accountable. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential, including the capacity to present complex information persuasively, build effective relationships, and negotiate diplomatically to align differing viewpoints. The role also requires a strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, capable of using data to inform decisions and identify innovative solutions to both operational and strategic challenges. High proficiency in standard office software (such as MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) is expected, along with the ability and willingness to quickly learn and implement new technologies. The postholder will work proactively across teams, partners, and functions in alignment with UCL’s Ways of Working, contributing to the wider success of the institution.What we offerAs well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
Immigration loan
Relocation scheme for certain posts
On-Site nursery
On-site gym
Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
Discounted medical insurance
Visit to find out moreOur commitment to Equality, Diversity and InclusionAs London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/Available documents
