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Operations Committee

1. Purpose

The University’s aim is to achieve sustainable academic excellence through the delivery of high-quality, financially sustainable, and market-informed education and research. The University Strategy, together with the Education and Student Experience Strategy and the Research and Knowledge Exchange Strategy, will provide the framework for achieving this aim.

 The purpose of Operations Committee is to oversee the implementation of all physical and digital infrastructure, University systems and processes, and an optimal professional service (APM/Technical Services) workforce that will enable the successful delivery of the Education and Student Experience, Research, and Knowledge Exchange strategies. 

2. Priorities

1. To support research and knowledge exchange, and educational and student experience activities across the University, and to deliver sustainably and compliantly through oversight of the appropriate enablers. 

2. To align professional service activity to cohesively deliver infrastructural services with focus on achieving:
   
   a) Efficiency and value for money
   
   b) Fit for purpose systems and processes
   
   c) Optimisation of activity through continuous improvement

3. To ensure the student voice is considered, included and modelled in service design and delivery.
4. To ensure the professional service workforce is agile and able to pivot to deliver the cycle of professional service activity managing both peaks and troughs of service demand efficiently.  A workforce model that is fit for a modern university.
5. To ensure that the business plans for departments and business units align to each other and support the University’s goal of sustainable academic excellence.
6. To develop a set of performance indicators to monitor the performance and effectiveness of infrastructural services, services within the COO Department aligned to strategic KPIs.

3. Responsibilities

1. To assist with the design of the Target Operating Model for professional services, and to oversee its implementation and performance.
2. To oversee delivery, performance and continuous improvement of the University’s professional services operations to support and enable delivery of the University’s primary strategic objectives associated with Education and Student Experience, and Research and Knowledge Exchange.
3. To oversee the pipeline of approved strategic investments (capital and operational), including reviewing prioritisation, alignment with institutional strategy, affordability, risk, and readiness, and making recommendations to UEB as appropriate. 
4. To consider and approve strategic investment business cases following review by the Project Management Office (PMO), and to oversee the delivery and performance of approved investments through PMO monitoring and reporting
5. To oversee the performance of operational business plans for university-wide and faculty-based professional service teams, ensuring delivery within approved budgets.
6. To oversee the effective adoption and interfacing of relevant processes into faculties and schools.
7. Identification and prioritisation of issues/challenges/improvement opportunities and the subsequent sponsorship of any projects to bring about improvement.
8. To oversee risks associated with the Committee’s remit, ensuring appropriate identification, monitoring, and escalation of significant risks to the University Executive Board as required.
9. To oversee the monitoring of compliance with relevant legal and statutory obligations within the Committee’s remit. 
10. To oversee the strategic progress and operational performance of sub-committees, providing challenge and delegating tasks as required
11. To oversee the University’s commercial strategy.
12. Performance Reporting and escalation to UEB.

4. Aligment to Accountability Framework

Set standards: strategy, policy, standard operating procedures, compliance, training and guidance. 

5. Delegated Authority

1. The Committee is authorised to approve transactions within the financial thresholds set out in the University’s Scheme of Delegation, within the limits specified below.
2. Contract Authorisation (non-research) and Expenditure: £2,000,000 (Proposed £4,000,000 going forward)
3. Investment and/or divestment of assets, in accordance with the Financial Regulations and the Scheme of Delegated Financial Authority, including the requirement for appropriate Chief Financial Officer sponsorship and consideration at a meeting attended by a Director of Finance
4. Approve and monitor spend and delivery against established operational budgets and associated business plans
5. Consider requests for resources essential to maintaining approved operations and escalate to UEB for decision where additional funding is required
6. The Committee is authorised by the University Executive Board to investigate any matter within its remit and may request information from any employee, who are required to co-operate

6. Membership

Chair                           Chief Operating Officer

Members                    Chief Property and Faciltiies Officer

                                    Deputy Chief Operating Officer

                                    Director of Technical Strategy

                                    Chief Strategy Officer

                                    Chief People Officer

                                    Faculty Operations Director, Medicine and Health Sciences

                                    Dean of the Medical School

                                    Dean of the Business School

                                    Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Engineering

                                    Chief Campus and Commercial Services Officer

                                    Deputy Vice Chancellor

                                    Director of Finance

                                    Chief Revenue Officer

                                    Faculty Academic Pro-Vice Chancellor for ESE, Engineering

                                    Faculty Academic Pro-Vice Chancellor for RKE, Science

                                    Chief Governance and Risk Officer

                                    Chief Digital and Information Officer  

7. General

1. The Committee will be chaired by the Chief Operating Officer.

2. Administrative support for the Committee, including meeting logistics and minute taking, will be provided by the Chair’s Executive Assistant. Governance and business partner support shall be provided by the Governance team.

3. The Committee shall meet monthly.

4. Members may nominate a deputy to attend in their absence, subject to prior agreement with the Chair.

5. Members should provide relevant constituent context in order to support effect decision making processes. However, all members are expected to make decisions in the interests of the University as a whole.  

8. Reporting

1. The following groups report to the Committee:

• Estates Oversight Committee
• Digital Services Oversight Committee
• Surplus Generation Group

 2. The Committee maintains appropriate links with the following groups:

•  Research and Knowledge Exchange Operations Committee
• Finance Committee (Committee of Council)

 Time limited working or task and finish groups may be established where appropriate.

 3. The Committee reports to the University Executive Board and will provide interim and annual performance reports, or such other reports as required, in line with the reporting cycle determined by the Board.

(Terms of Reference Approved on 10 March 2026) 

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