Head of Operations – Academic – Dublin – Hybrid
My client, a well-established and growing higher education provider, is seeking to appoint a Head of Operations – Academic to lead academic, quality, and institutional operations during a period of strategic growth. This is a senior leadership role with a clearly defined pathway to Director level, based on performance and impact.
The successful Head of Operations – Academic will be responsible for:
- Providing values-led leadership across academic, quality, and institutional operations teams, driving accountability, clarity, and high performance
- Leading programme development, validation, and expansion, with a particular focus on Allied Health and postgraduate provision aligned to market demand
- Overseeing academic governance and quality assurance, ensuring full compliance with regulatory and awarding body requirements
- Strengthening institutional operations and student-facing processes to deliver a consistent, high-quality learner experience
- Using academic data, learner outcomes, and performance metrics to inform decision-making and identify opportunities and risks
- Working cross-functionally with Finance, Admissions, Marketing, and Student Services to ensure alignment and shared ownership of academic direction
- Championing digital transformation across academic and operational systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness
- Representing the organisation externally at sector forums, conferences, and partner meetings
- Embedding and modelling behaviours that support a collaborative, student-centred culture
The successful candidate will be:
- An experienced academic leader with a strong belief in the transformative power of education
- Strategically minded with the operational capability to translate vision into delivery
- Confident navigating the Irish higher education landscape, including regulatory and awarding body frameworks
- A strong communicator with the ability to build trust and credibility across teams and stakeholders
- A mentor and people leader who supports teams to achieve high standards and continuous improvement
- Ambitious, with a clear desire and readiness to progress into a Director-level role
You will bring:
- A Master’s degree (essential); Doctorate or senior leadership qualification (desirable)
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in academic leadership, including programme development and quality assurance
- Strong knowledge of the Irish higher education system and compliance environment
- Experience within private higher education (desirable)
- Financial awareness and operational capability
- A proven track record of improving quality, performance, or learner outcomes
- A structured, values-led leadership style
What’s on offer:
- A senior leadership role with a defined progression route to Director level
- Opportunity to shape academic strategy and institutional operations during a period of growth
- High levels of influence and autonomy
- A collaborative, values-driven culture with a strong focus on learner impact
- Hybrid working
For a confidential discussion and more information on the role, please contact Sarra Hadi
sarra.hadi@collinsmcnicholas.ie
090-6478104
