Job Description

Head of Strategy

Salary: £85,000 - £92,000 depending on skills and experience

Location: Cambridge with hybrid working

Contract: 1 year fixed term contract, 35 hours per week

We are looking for a Head of Strategy, to frame and deliver the strategic initiatives we need to deliver our goals. You will have excellent stakeholder management and engagement skills as you will be working with senior leaders across our product groups and shared services. Your recommendations and analysis will inform our Executive Board decisions and have a direct impact on the future direction of our organisation.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

About the role

The Head of Strategy supports the Director of Strategy and Integration (who is an Executive Board member) to articulate and deliver the long-term vision and strategic plan for CUP&A and to lead significant cross-Business Unit collaborations to deliver growth, innovation and efficiencies. You will ensure that we incorporate external perspectives and market trends into our thinking and develop strategic roadmaps for business opportunities.

You will play a leading role in the Strategy and Integration Team both leading projects across the organisation and working with colleagues in the Strategy and Integration team to address our most significant strategic issues.

This role proactively identifies, investigates and leads the analysis of strategic opportunities. It looks at implementation challenges and is central to implementation planning to ensure that projected benefits and efficiencies can be delivered. It works with our Chief People Officer, Chief Finance Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Operations Officer and General Counsel, alongside the Product Group Managing Directors to create the Strategic Vision and Plan for our Shared Services. You will provide the subject matter expertise for design and management of all aspects of the strategic planning process for the Shared Service areas.

You would lead a wide range of projects which might include for example:

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With our Product Groups developing our strategy to address diverse geographical markets

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Working with cross-organisational teams on developing our Generative AI strategy

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Working with our brand team, product groups and Technology to develop our web strategy

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Identifying potential capability gaps and analysing how best we can address them

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Overseeing the development of Key Performance Indicators for the organisation

About you

This role leads strategic thinking and provides challenge to orthodoxies through formal research, analysis and drawing insights from data. You will be intellectually curious, highly motivated, with very strong interpersonal skills and able to work independently.

You will have:

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Significant experience of working in strategy consultancy, private equity or the strategy function within a corporate

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Excellent financial modelling skills including valuations and development of business cases

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Ability to shape a project and manage teams of consultants, secondees from business areas or analysts

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Ability to shape a narrative and structure communications

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Workshop design and facilitation skills

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Demonstrated partnership approach, working with and coaching senior stakeholders

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Experience of transactions: due diligence, negotiation and deal execution

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A 2:1 degree, desirably with an MBA, or equivalent experience

Rewards and benefits

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package, featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including:

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Group personal pension scheme

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Discretionary annual bonus

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Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary

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Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance

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Green travel schemes

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28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

We also offer flexible and hybrid working options from day one. We will consider any work arrangements if you wish to work flexibly or require adjustments due to a disability.

Ready to pursue potential? Apply now.

We review applications on an ongoing basis, with a closing date for all applications being 17 November 2024 and 1st stage interviews are scheduled to take place on 27 and 28 November 2024.

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.

Why join us

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You'll belong to a collaborative team that's exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where everyone has a voice, and where we learn continuously to improve together. Ensuring that everyone feels they belong is essential to who we are, and to the contribution we make to society and our planet.

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.

Head of Strategy