Queen Margaret University
Senior Transformation Programme Director (Fixed-Term, 2 Years)
Salary: £85,000
About Queen Margaret University
Queen Margaret University (QMU) is a purpose-driven institution committed to shaping a better world through education, research and innovation, enabling individuals and communities to flourish. Distinctive in its person-centred approach to learning and strong focus on social impact, the University specialises in areas where it can make a meaningful difference, including healthcare, social sciences, creative arts, business, management and enterprise, and primary and secondary teaching.
Outward-looking by nature, QMU is built on a strong ethos of partnership and collaboration, supported by a modern campus located close to the heart of Edinburgh. As a pioneer of inclusiveness, QMU warmly embraces people from all backgrounds, with social justice at the core of its values and ambitions.
About the Opportunity
QMU is entering a focused period of change designed to strengthen sustainability, improve operational efficiency, and accelerate digital capability across the organisation. This is a pivotal, senior leadership role at the heart of that agenda — leading the delivery of QMU’s institution-wide transformation programme over a two-year period.
Reporting directly to the Principal & Vice-Chancellor, the Senior Transformation Programme Director will lead two interconnected workstreams: redesign of the University’s operating model, and delivery of an enhanced, digitally enabled institution. You will work with senior leaders to bring structure, pace and rigour to a complex, multi-workstream programme, maintaining a clear golden thread from strategy to delivery and outcomes.
What You’ll Be Doing
Key responsibilities include:
• Translating the University’s financial recovery plan and change programme into a clear, sequenced implementation plan with defined milestones aligned to institutional strategy
• Establishing and leading a Transformation Office/PMO to ensure integrated planning, governance, RAID management and benefits tracking
• Coordinating delivery across multiple workstreams in academic and professional services, supporting accountable workstream leads as required
• Working with the Head of HR to support leaders in delivering complex organisational change
• Delivering a revised operating model through service redesign and process optimisation, reducing administrative burden and embedding service standards and cost envelopes
• Providing leadership for delivery of the University’s digital spine, enabling automation and enhancing data quality and decision-making
• Advising on the integration of people, processes and technology, and exploring opportunities in AI, advanced analytics and emerging technologies
• Acting as principal adviser to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) in its capacity as oversight group for the change programme, designing and operating governance including decision forums, escalation routes and reporting cycles
• Identifying and mitigating regulatory, statutory and institutional risks, and operating within appropriate Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) accountabilities
• Driving early return on investment through automation, analytics and operational improvements
What Success Looks Like
• A fully sequenced transformation implementation plan, with clear delivery against project milestones and identified outcomes
• A functioning PMO providing oversight, coordination and transparency across all workstreams
• A revised operating model with improved processes, embedded service standards and reduced administrative complexity
• A delivered digital spine enabling automation, analytics and improved institutional performance
• Evidential transformation capability and a culture of continuous improvement embedded across the University
• Strong governance and reporting structures in place, with SLT maintaining clear oversight throughout
About You
You are an experienced transformation or programme leader with a strong record of delivering complex, institution-wide change in structured environments.
Essential:
• Proven experience leading large-scale, institution-wide transformation or change programmes, ideally within Higher Education
• Strong track record in organisational design, strategic planning and programme delivery, including PMO leadership (planning, governance, RAID, benefits tracking)
• Commercial acumen and a clear understanding of the financial drivers in Higher Education
• Ability to translate strategy into executable plans at pace, maintaining a golden thread from strategy to outcomes
• Demonstrable understanding of digital platforms and their application in transforming institutional effectiveness, including experience of data-led and AI-enabled transformation
• Experience operating at senior leadership level, including advising executives and managing complex stakeholder environments
Desirable:
• Experience in financial recovery or organisational turnaround environments
• Experience with shared services or multi-institutional collaboration
• Familiarity with enterprise architecture, CRM and student information systems
About You
You are an experienced transformation or programme leader with a strong record of delivering complex, institution-wide change in structured environments.
Essential:
• Proven experience leading large-scale, institution-wide transformation or change programmes, ideally within Higher Education
• Strong track record in organisational design, strategic planning and programme delivery, including PMO leadership (planning, governance, RAID, benefits tracking)
• Commercial acumen and a clear understanding of the financial drivers in Higher Education
• Ability to translate strategy into executable plans at pace, maintaining a golden thread from strategy to outcomes
• Demonstrable understanding of digital platforms and their application in transforming institutional effectiveness, including experience of data-led and AI-enabled transformation
• Experience operating at senior leadership level, including advising executives and managing complex stakeholder environments
Desirable:
• Experience in financial recovery or organisational turnaround environments
• Experience with shared services or multi-institutional collaboration
• Familiarity with enterprise architecture, CRM and student information systems
How to Apply
For further information or an informal discussion about the role, please contact Aspen People: Katharine Price 07899 791 508, Gillian Blackadder 07475 035 621 or Donogh O’Brien 07795 812 574. The Office number is: 0141 212 7555
To apply, please visit the microsite at: www.aspenpeople.co.uk/qmu
Closing date: Midnight, Monday 8 June 2026
First stage interviews (virtual): Friday 19 June 2026
Final stage interviews (in person): Monday 29 June 2026