Head of consultancy – HE consultancy

Job Title: Head of Consultancy

Jisc grade: PRS4

Salary: circa £62,000 per annum (negotiable based on experience) + comprehensive benefits package

Job Type: Permanent – Full time or part time considered

Hours: 35 hours

Reports into: Director of Consultancy

Working style: Hybrid – A blend of working from home and your nominated hub office. We have hubs located in London, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford.

About Jisc:

For 30 years Jisc has pioneered digital solutions for UK education and research, transforming how knowledge is created, shared and used.

We are uniquely positioned to protect, promote and lead the sector in digital and data transformation, making a difference to students, communities and society. Together, we are

working to build a better digital future for education and research.

Raise your potential through our culture of lifelong learning. At Jisc, we’re all about growth, so embrace new challenges, sharpen your skills and shape a career that excites you.

The Directorate and team:

This role sits within the Higher Education and Research Directorate, which leads Jisc’s relationship with, and representation of, the higher education and research sector in line with the Jisc operating model.

The directorate is responsible for shaping and delivering sector strategies across higher education, research, and international engagement. This includes working closely with senior stakeholders, supporting our members’ global ambitions, providing thought leadership, and collaborating with product teams to ensure our services respond effectively to sector challenges and priorities.

A key part of the directorate is the dedicated Relationship Management function. This team builds and maintains strong partnerships with individual HE members, driving satisfaction and value from the core Jisc subscription, while also supporting the growth of additional services across our product portfolio. We also offer bespoke consultancy and training to members, drawing on Jisc’s in-house expertise and a network of specialist associates from across the community.

The role:

As Head of Consultancy, you will lead the evolution of Jisc’s consultancy offering, creating and delivering a unified, organisation-wide proposition. You will play a pivotal role in breaking down internal silos to ensure a seamless, multi-disciplinary experience for our members and customers across higher education, further education, research, and adjacent sectors.

By aligning our specialist capabilities—including cyber security, data analytics, digital transformation, and licensing—you will strengthen our consultancy offer, drive sustainable revenue growth, and enhance Jisc’s reputation as a trusted and strategic partner to the sectors we serve.

What you’ll be doing:

Consultancy Offer Development

• Shape the future of consultancy at Jisc by owning and driving the development, refinement, and growth of a compelling, organisation-wide consultancy offer aligned to our strategy and member priorities.
• Lead delivery excellence by overseeing day-to-day consultancy operations, ensuring projects run smoothly, timelines are met, and high-quality outcomes are consistently achieved.
• Inspire and empower your team through strong leadership—setting clear, measurable OKRs, fostering accountability, and championing a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.
• Champion a growth mindset by working in close partnership with product owners, subject matter experts, and senior stakeholders to define innovative consultancy propositions, pricing models, and delivery frameworks.
• Drive high performance by conducting regular performance reviews, effectively prioritising and delegating work, and creating an inclusive environment where people can thrive.
• Collaborate to enhance our offer by working closely with the Head of Training to translate insights into a joined-up training and consultancy proposition.
• Stay ahead of the market by leveraging internal insight and external analysis to identify opportunities, gaps, and emerging needs across the education and research sectors.
• Create clarity and consistency by developing clear service descriptions, delivery models, and supporting materials that ensure a high-quality, scalable consultancy experience.
• Build organisational capability by supporting teams across Jisc to adopt consultancy best practices, tools, and standards, strengthening our collective expertise.
• Use data to drive impact by monitoring performance, gathering feedback, and continuously evolving the consultancy offer to maximise value for our members and customers.

What we are looking for:

Essential experience

You’ll likely bring a blend of commercial awareness, consultancy expertise, and collaborative leadership:

• Experience developing consultancy services, commercial offers, or advisory frameworks.
• A proven track record of delivering complex, multi-stakeholder projects from concept through to delivery.
• You’ve successfully led a high-performing consultancy or professional services function, ideally within education, research, or the public sector.
• You have experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
• You’re confident delivering complex, multi-disciplinary projects.
• You’ve played a key role in business development, identifying and converting new opportunities into growth.
• You understand how to manage budgets, contracts, and commercial performance.
• The ability to turn market insight into meaningful, actionable service propositions.
• Experience working in matrix environments and bringing together cross-functional teams.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the UK education and research sectors.
• Experience in membership-based or not-for-profit organisations.
• Familiarity with consultancy delivery models, commercial frameworks, and pricing strategies.

Skills and Personal qualities

• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to maintain focus across both the bigger picture and the finer points.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence at all levels.
• Collaborative and relationship driven, able to bring people together around shared goals.
• Strategic thinker with a practical, delivery focused mindset.
• Detail orientated
• Comfortable working with ambiguity and shaping new offers from concept to implementation.
• Proactive, adaptable, and committed to continuous improvement.
• Customer focused, with a strong understanding of value creation.

And you bring the following strengths:

• Strategic thinking – the ability to translate vision into practical, revenue-generating services.
• Influence and communication – you can engage, advocate, and inspire at all levels.
• Relationship building – you’re a natural connector who fosters collaboration across teams.
• A “one Jisc” mindset – you enjoy breaking down silos and creating joined-up solutions.

Qualifications

• Degree level education preferred

Don’t meet every single requirement?

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box, so we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements, but if you feel this role is perfect for you. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

Hybrid working:

Specific patterns for working in the office are not mandated, and the frequency of time worked in the office is agreed with your manager. Meeting in person is something we value, so you may need to travel on occasion to any of our hub offices.

Why work for us?

At Jisc, every role is meaningful, and every individual is valued. We foster a culture of continuous learning and personal growth, offering opportunities to develop new skills and make a real impact in education and research. With a strong focus on work-life balance, we embrace flexible working that prioritises outcomes over hours, empowering you to create a rhythm that energises both your professional and personal life.

Our Guiding Principles:

Jisc’s culture is powered by our four guiding principles: putting customers first, driving innovation, creating impact, and championing inclusive collaboration to deliver sustainable outcomes and shape a better future.

Discover the amazing benefits we provide! Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Flexible work pattern, which can adapt to suit your schedules and personal commitments
• 31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) that includes three closure days over Christmas
• Buy up to an additional 5 days leave during the flexible benefits window
• Generous flexible pension schemes
• A range of wellbeing lifestyle benefits including company paid health care cash plan, mental health first aiders and support
• A company culture of continuous learning with access to thousands of LinkedIn Learning courses, and lots of resources and opportunities to support your development
• Allocated allowance of up to £250 to equip your home office
• Financial well-being support including access to preferential loan and savings plans, mortgage advice, will writing tools and support and resources to help you make the most of your money
• A wide range of discounts and cashback from retailers and big-name high-street stores
• Family friendly policies including enhanced parental, maternity and paternity and co-parental leave as well as opportunity for career breaks
• Support your volunteering with up to 3 days volunteer leave

Equity, diversity and inclusion:

Jisc believe our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging.

We work hard to create an equitable experience for our candidates and workforce which embraces all aspects of their identity including race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, trans identities, age, class, disability, neurodivergence, or veteran status.

Application process:

Please let us know how we can best accommodate you throughout the recruitment process. We’re committed to making our process accessible and comfortable for everyone – just tell us what works best for you.

Just so you know, we review CVs as soon as we can and aim to provide an update on your application within 4 weeks of receiving it. However, you may hear from us a lot sooner, so please keep an eye out for our emails or calls!

We’re really looking forward to getting to know the real you. While we encourage the use of AI tools to help you get started on your CV or cover letter, we encourage you to review your application before submitting. Make sure it truly reflects your own voice, experiences, and personality.

If you are currently a Jisc employee, please apply through your Dayforce Employee profile.

We have a thorough background screening process that verifies the details you share with us in your CV and your application. Any inaccurate information supplied during the application stages can lead to a job offer being withdrawn.

Sponsorship:

Jisc has an active sponsor licence to recruit on a Skilled worker visa basis. Candidates wishing to apply who require sponsorship should determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant Home Office criteria. Jisc does not offer any financial re-imbursement towards the applicant costs, such as re-location, skilled worker visa and dependant costs or the immigration health charge.

No agencies please.

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