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University Data Programme Manager
This university is a diverse institution in the heart of the midlands with over 30,000 students from around 100 countries. The university was in the process of undergoing a ten-year transformation programme and in 2023, was currently in year 3 of that transformation. One area of the transformation programme focussed upon data, implementing a new data strategy and data warehouse across the institution. With the business case approved for the new data warehouse, the university lacked the internal skills to implement it and drive its ambitions forward. It required a Programme Manager to kick-start the programme, improve project efficiency and processes and manage stakeholders at all seniority levels.
As part of a wider transformation programme, successfully implementing the data programme would mean the university could begin implementing other inter-dependent projects. This placed some urgency on sourcing a new Programme Manager on a fixed term basis so that the university could benefit from the change improvements afforded by several projects and programmes across the institution.
As a Higher Education organisation, it was important to secure a candidate that not only had broad expertise in programme management and data but also had relevant Higher Education experience. Someone who understood the nuances of the sector and had the knowledge and experience to manage stakeholders in this unique environment to drive forward the programme.
Practicus deployed a dedicated team of Consultants that were chosen for their experience of working with Higher Education clients and had relevant understanding of how the sector operated and its budgets. We approached the sourcing of candidates by leveraging our existing network of Programme and Project Management specialists, reaching out to candidates to brief them on the specific scope of the role and to gauge interest across the market.
We started the process by working collaboratively with the university’s stakeholder to gain an in-depth brief of the requirements of the role and the objectives they wished to deliver. We ensured we captured the full picture including the cultural fit and expertise required from the successful candidate.
An important element of the search was to position the university as an employer of choice. To convey the university’s brand, its reputation within the sector and to bring its culture to life for the candidates so they could identify with the institution and understand where they could make a real impact.
Our shortlisting stage involved fully vetting candidates prior to sending them to the university for consideration. We did this by spending at least 2 hours with each candidate to understand their motivations, experience, qualifications and reasons for wanting to work within Higher Education. This ensured we found the right candidates that were culturally aligned and shared the university’s vision for the programme. It also ensured we managed candidate expectations particularly around remuneration. In a challenging and competitive climate, we needed to convey the university’s employer proposition to secure skilled candidates that had a passion for working within Higher Education.
As a result, Practicus provided a successful placement within six weeks of receipt of the request. We provided a short list of three suitable candidates where all three were taken to interview, two taken to the final stage and one candidate offered the role.
The success of the candidate lay in their lengthy Higher Education and data experience where they had recently completed a similar data transformation programme for another Midlands-based university within the last 12 months.
The contract was measured by the time-to-hire from receipt of the request where the university noted the benefit afforded by Practicus’ ability to secure a candidate within a tight timeframe.
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