Student Operations Manager

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and cultivate a high-performing student operations team
• Drive a student-first, values-based culture across the function
• Build capability across academic administration, student support and funding processes
• Promote accountability, engagement and continuous improvement
• Develop future leaders within the team
• Oversee all aspects of Student Operations across the partner and programmes
• Ensure service delivery meets agreed SLAs and compliance standards
• Lead lifecycle planning including enrolment, census, progression and completion
• Monitor operational performance and implement improvements
• Oversee development and reporting of metrics across enrolment, retention, funding and operational efficiency
• Ensure compliance with government funding and regulatory requirements
• Monitor and mitigate financial risk including bad debt exposure
• Ensure clear, timely and transparent communication of fee and funding information to students
• Identify opportunities to support retention through proactive financial engagement
• Contribute to operational strategy in partnership with the Director of Academic and Operations
• Identify industry trends and regulatory changes impacting student services and funding
• Lead operational readiness for new partner onboarding
• Drive process innovation to enhance the student online experience
• Support growth strategies through scalable operational models
• Act as key operational contact for the partner university
• Provide performance reporting and insights to partners and the UK Senior Leadership Team
• Collaborate closely with OES Academic, Admissions and IT teams
• Collaborate closely with university partner teams to ensure aligned delivery
• Contribute to annual budget planning for Student Operations
• Deliver financial, operational and student experience KPIs
• Monitor cost of delivery and recommend efficiencies

• Demonstrated experience leading or managing a student-facing operations or services function
• Strong working knowledge of student lifecycle processes - enrolment, progression, retention and funding
• A thorough understanding of compliance requirements in higher education or student funding environments
• The ability to lead, motivate and develop a high-performing team through periods of cyclical pressure and change
• Strong analytical skills, with experience using data and metrics to drive performance and continuous improvement
• Excellent communication skills, with the confidence to engage effectively with students, partners and senior stakeholders
• Commercial awareness, with experience contributing to budget planning and identifying operational efficiencies
• A genuine commitment to student success and an instinct for balancing student advocacy with financial governance
• Experience of working cross-functionally with academic, IT, admissions or commercial teams is a distinct advantage