University of Bristol
Faculty Head of Technical Services (FSE)
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Faculty Head of Technical Services
The Role
Shape the technical services that enable world-leading science and engineering
This is an opportunity to lead a large and diverse technical community, influence Faculty strategy and ensure that outstanding people, facilities and services enable excellent research, education, innovation and external partnership.
As Faculty Head of Technical Services, you will provide visible, strategic leadership for all technical services across the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Reporting to the Director of Faculty Operations and working as part of the Faculty Leadership Team, you will shape a complex service spanning diverse scientific and engineering disciplines, teams, specialist facilities, infrastructure, budgets and risks.
You will ensure that technical services are safe, resilient, efficient and ready for the future. More than maintaining excellent operations, you will bring technical insight into senior decision-making, influence research and education priorities, create opportunities for collaboration and innovation, and help the Faculty make the best use of its people, facilities and resources.
The role offers substantial scope to lead change. You will develop technical capability and culture, guide workforce and infrastructure planning, build strong partnerships across schools and professional services, and represent the Faculty and University internally and externally. You will also contribute to University-wide technical leadership and may deputise for the Director of Faculty Operations when required.
Who Will Thrive Here?
A credible and inclusive senior leader who can see the whole system: people, safety, service quality, infrastructure, finance, research, education and long-term capability. You will be comfortable making difficult priorities clear, influencing at senior level and leading through complexity without losing sight of staff and student experience.
What Will You Be Doing?
- Lead people, culture and change: Provide visible leadership to a large, multidisciplinary technical community. Build a culture of accountability, inclusion, innovation, collaboration, performance and continuous improvement while leading significant change and strategic projects.
- Shape technical services for the future: Design, evaluate and continuously improve a complex service model that meets current and future research, education and operational needs, including workforce planning, resilience and service quality.
- Direct facilities, infrastructure and investment: Set priorities for technical facilities, infrastructure projects, specialist equipment and purchases. Develop strong business cases and ensure resources are used effectively.
- Assure safety, risk and continuity: Lead operational health and safety, regulatory compliance, risk management and business continuity, creating clear ownership and confidence across the Faculty.
- Influence Faculty and University strategy: Bring authoritative technical insight to senior decision-making, contribute to the Faculty Leadership Team and University-wide initiatives, and represent Bristol with internal and external partners.
- Build partnerships and unlock value: Develop strong relationships with academic and professional-services leaders. Create collaboration across schools and faculties, support innovation and identify commercial, grant-funded and revenue opportunities.
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You Should Apply If
- Strategic leadership and change: Significant senior leadership and management experience, including visible leadership of highly diverse technical teams and delivery of complex organisational change.
- Technical credibility: Highly developed expertise in a relevant technical discipline, together with sufficient breadth to understand different technical environments and turn evidence into effective strategic solutions.
- Safety, risk and resilience: Substantial experience of operational safety, business continuity, regulatory compliance, risk management and constructive conflict resolution.
- Finance, planning and improvement: Experience of planning and controlling substantial budgets, prioritising competing demands, building business cases and delivering measurable continuous improvement.
- Influence and inclusive people leadership: The ability to direct, negotiate and influence across a complex stakeholder environment, and to engage, motivate and inspire teams with diverse perspectives and priorities.
- Professional standing: Knowledge gained through a relevant degree, professional qualification or registration, supported by significant professional experience, plus management or leadership training. Professional registration and a NEBOSH Certificate are desirable.
We are interested in evidence of impact and transferable leadership. Your experience may have been gained in higher education, a research institute, a national laboratory, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, engineering or another complex technical environment.
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Why Bristol
The University of Bristol exists to make a positive impact locally, nationally and globally through distinctive education, innovative research, excellence, inclusivity and partnership. Its 2030 vision is to be firmly established among the world’s top 50 great research-intensive universities and the UK top 10.
The Faculty of Science and Engineering’s 2025-2030 strategy brings together nine schools around a shared mission: developing and applying world-leading scientific knowledge, understanding and technology to address global challenges and improve lives. The Faculty is prioritising interdisciplinary research, innovative education, strong partnerships and investment in its most promising areas.
This is a particularly exciting time to join. The Faculty’s strengths include advanced computation and quantum technology, AI and data science, digital chemistry, energy and environment, health and living, materials and manufacturing, networks and security, and novel materials.
Major infrastructure and innovation include the University’s investment connected to the Isambard-AI supercomputer and the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, which is opening in 2026 as a collaborative hub for research, education, enterprise and civic partnership.
Bristol also offers a strong employment proposition. University benefits include pension provision, learning and development, wellbeing support, staff networks, sustainable travel benefits and relocation support for eligible staff. Work-life balance provisions include a typical 35-hour week, flexible-working options, 25 days of annual leave, seven University closure days and eight bank holidays, subject to the relevant policies and the requirements of the role.
Additional Information
- Contract type: Open-ended
- Work pattern: Monday - Friday, 35 hours per week.
- Grade: M
- Salary: £77,537 - £91,082
- School/Unit: The Faculty of Science and Engineering
This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Sunday, 18th October.
For informal queries please contact: Dani Murtagh, Director of Faculty Operations (Faculty of Science and Engineering) - dani.murtagh@bristol.ac.uk.
The anticipated date for the selection process is Thursday, 5th November.
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