Executive Opportunities

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University of East London
Chief Financial Officer

2609-063L

The University of East London (UEL) is seeking an exceptional Chief Financial Officer to help shape the next phase of its development as it looks beyond the conventional boundaries of a single university towards a more global, connected and entrepreneurial education group.

UEL is a modern, inclusive university with a distinctive careers-first mission: creating opportunity, connecting education to employment and ensuring that talent, rather than background, determines what comes next. Under Vision 2028, the University has transformed its student experience, graduate outcomes, enterprise activity and financial resilience, providing a strong platform for its next phase of growth.

Forward to 2040 sets out an ambitious next horizon. UEL intends to evolve into a global, multi-entity education group, with a long-term ambition for turnover exceeding £1bn. Its emerging model will encompass international hubs in India, Egypt and the United States, new routes to market, technology-enabled propositions and commercial partnerships, while retaining the public purpose and inclusive mission at the heart of UEL.

The CFO will be one of the principal architects of this next phase. Reporting to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Group Chief Executive, and working closely with the Vice-Chancellor & President, Board and Executive Leadership Team, they will help build the financial architecture required to support UEL's ambitions: group-wide financial governance, consolidated reporting, investment discipline, capital allocation, commercial insight and scalable systems across an increasingly diverse portfolio.

This is an opportunity to build rather than simply inherit a group finance model. The CFO will combine rigorous financial stewardship with commercial and strategic leadership, protecting UEL's financial resilience while helping to evaluate new markets, investments and partnerships, understand returns and unit economics, and create a finance function capable of supporting sustainable, entrepreneurial growth.

UEL is deliberately looking beyond conventional higher education profiles. Candidates are likely to have operated at CFO or senior Finance Director level in a complex organisation and will bring strong commercial judgement alongside experience of growth, transformation or organisational build. International and/or multi-entity experience will be particularly relevant, as will experience of scaling financial systems and processes and exposure to areas such as corporate development, M&A, partnerships or expansion into new markets.

Cultural contribution will matter as much as technical capability. UEL is collaborative, ambitious and prepared to launch, test, learn and improve. The successful candidate will combine pace and entrepreneurial instinct with financial discipline, constructive challenge and sound judgement, and will be motivated by the opportunity to apply their experience in an institution where commercial ambition sits firmly alongside public purpose. 

Your application should include:

• • a CV setting out your career history, key responsibilities and achievements, including reasons for any gaps within the last two years; and
• • a Statement of Suitability of no more than two pages, explaining how your skills, qualities and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role.

Due diligence will be carried out on shortlisted candidates and may include searches of publicly available information, including previous public statements and social media. For an informal and confidential discussion about the role, or if you experience difficulty accessing the online application platform, please contact responses@russellreynolds.com, quoting reference 2609-063L.

The recruitment process is being supported by Russell Reynolds Associates. For further information about the position and additional details on qualifications, requirements, terms and conditions of service and how to apply, please review the position specification available below.

Position Specification

Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS)
Non-Executive Director

P2608-099L
London

The Universities & Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) invites applications for the role of Non-Executive Director to join the Board of Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited (USSL).

About USS

Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) is the principal pension scheme for universities and higher education institutions in the UK. We work with around 320 employers to help build a secure financial future for almost 600,000 members and their families. We are one of the largest pension schemes in the UK, with total assets of around £84bn (at 31 March 2026). Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited (USSL) is the trustee that runs and manages USS in line with the trust deed and rules and legal duties.

USSL is led by a Board of directors comprised of 3 directors appointed by the University and College Union (UCU), 4 directors appointed by The Universities & Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), and 5 independent directors.

The Board has significant responsibilities for the governance and oversight of a business providing complex operational and advisory functions at scale and within a heavily regulated environment and Board members need experience, proportionate and relevant to these functions. Therefore, Board members will require skills such as strategic thinking, leadership, communication, influencing, teamwork and decision-making skills (please see the role profile for full information on the skills required).

USS is an equal opportunity organisation. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, non-executive directors and contractors and we welcome applications from a wide range of candidates.

About the role - USSL Non-Executive Director

Applications are invited for this role as one of the four UCEA directors appointed to the Board. Experience in university governance/senior experience of Higher Education (HE) Management and understanding of the economics of the HE sector is required for this role, for example working in a senior and/or substantial management capacity within a higher education institution or being a member of a university council or equivalent. The successful candidate will also be considered for appointment as a member of the USSL Investment Committee and therefore we are looking for someone with an understanding of investment principles and strategy (in defined benefit and defined contribution contexts) and their implications for the scheme and members.

Full information on the requirements for the role are set out in the role profile, available from Russell Reynolds on the link provided below.

The requirements for the role are set out below, together with illustrative examples of relevant experience:

• Investment; e.g. Understanding of investment principles, economics, different assets classes and their characteristics and strategic asset allocation
• Corporate governance expertise/board management knowledge e.g. Experience as an effective board and/or committee member or individual operating at board level (preferably within a large, complex business or regulated firm)
• Experience in university governance/Senior experience of HE management and understanding of the economics of the HE sector e.g. Understanding of the governance structures of higher education institutions preferably combined with having fulfilled a leadership role in such an organisation and/or working in a senior and/or substantial management capacity within a higher education institution or being a member of a university council or equivalent
• Pensions e.g. Knowledge/understanding of strategic pensions policy related issues

Time commitment for the role: At least 35 days per annum.

Duration of the role: A four-year term of office, with the possibility of the term being extended by one year (i.e. max. five-year term). At the end of the term of office there may be an opportunity to apply for reappointment (directors have a maximum tenure of nine years, formed of two or more terms of office).

USSL and UCEA are partnering with Russell Reynolds the leading board-level search specialist, to find a Non-Executive Director. For further information about the position, including the full role profile, and additional details on how to apply, please review the position specification available below. The closing date for applications is 2 November 2026.

Position Specification

Ofcom
Group Director, Enforcement

2609-027L
London, Manchester or Edinburgh

Ofcom is the UK's independent communications regulator, with a broad and increasingly important remit spanning telecommunications, broadcasting, postal services, spectrum and the online world. Our responsibilities continue to evolve and expand, including through implementation of the Online Safety Act.

We are now creating a standalone Enforcement Group, led by a new Group Director, Enforcement, reporting directly to our Chief Executive and joining Ofcom's Senior Management Team.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the enforcement strategy and capability of one of the UK's most prominent regulators at a point of significant expansion and change. The Group Director will lead a highly capable team of around 110 colleagues, with a remit spanning Online Safety, telecommunications and post, as well as competition and consumer protection matters and dispute resolution.

The role is considerably broader than leading an enforcement function. The successful candidate will lead Ofcom's overall strategy and approach to enforcement, working closely across our highly matrixed organisation to ensure that enforcement is used effectively alongside supervision and other regulatory tools to deliver the right outcomes for consumers and citizens.

We are looking for an unusual combination: someone with genuine depth and credibility in enforcement who has also developed the breadth, leadership experience and judgement to operate as an enterprise leader.

You will bring deep and substantive experience of competition, consumer and/or regulatory enforcement, or significant senior experience working closely with enforcement activity. This could have been gained within a regulator or government, or through substantial involvement with enforcement in a regulated industry, private advisory environment or other relevant setting. Legal qualification is not a prerequisite.

Alongside this, you will bring significant executive leadership experience and the ability to lead and develop expert teams. You will be an instinctive collaborator, able to work across professional and organisational boundaries and make sophisticated judgements about when enforcement – or another regulatory intervention – is the right tool.

You will also need the credibility and confidence to operate with Ofcom's Chief Executive, Board and Senior Management Team and engage at the most senior levels of industry and government. You will be a confident external communicator, able to explain complex and potentially contentious issues clearly to Parliament, the media and wider stakeholders.

Further information
For further information about the opportunity, responsibilities, essential criteria and appointment process, including details of how to apply, please review the position specification available below.

Closing date: Sunday 25 October 2026.

Ofcom is committed to building an organisation and leadership team that reflects the diversity of background, experience, upbringing and thought that exists across the UK. We welcome applications from the widest possible range of candidates and are committed to an accessible and inclusive appointment process.

Position Specification

Wellington College
Chief Operating Officer

2608-010L
Berkshire (relocation required)

Wellington College is one of the UK's – and indeed the world's – great coeducational boarding and day schools. Set within 400 acres of stunning parkland in Berkshire, less than an hour from London and Heathrow, the College is a remarkable place to learn, work and live.

Today, Wellington is a thriving residential community of some 1,100 pupils and approximately 600 teaching and professional staff. Wellington College Prep is similarly one of the country’s oldest preparatory schools, today with around 100 staff and 360 pupils within the group. Its boarding houses, classrooms, homes, theatres, playing fields and woodland sit within the same estate, creating a distinctive rhythm of life and strong sense of belonging. Beyond Berkshire, Wellington College also licences to brand eight premium schools across China, Thailand, India, and Indonesia, serving over 5,000 pupils globally.

At a time when Wellington is developing its international reach, pioneering new thinking around Human Flourishing and artificial intelligence, and exploring new commercial and external partnerships, we are seeking an exceptional individual to serve as Chief Operating Officer and Group Bursar and help shape the next stage of the College's development.

The COO is the second most senior role within Wellington and a close strategic partner to the Master and Governors. Financial stewardship sits at the core of the role, but its remit extends considerably further: providing leadership across the College's professional functions, commercial activities and the complex infrastructure that underpins this large residential community.

The successful candidate will lead long-term financial planning, investment and capital allocation; oversee the management and development of the estate and significant programme of capital investment (current endowment valued at £55.5m as of July 2026); ensure the effective delivery of the services that underpin College life; and help identify new opportunities for growth, partnership and commercial development. They will inherit an exceptionally strong financial and operational platform, but also genuine permission to help shape what comes next.

Candidates will bring financial sophistication, commercial judgement and broad senior leadership experience gained within a sizeable and complex organisation. They will be strategic and commercially minded, comfortable moving between big institutional questions and operational realities, and able to build trusted relationships with the Master, Governors, colleagues and the wider Wellington community.

Experience may have been gained in education, but equally could come from hospitality, heritage, major estates, visitor attractions, sport or other complex service environments. Direct experience of education or the charity sector is not required: more important will be the curiosity, humility and judgement to understand Wellington's distinctive environment, together with genuine enthusiasm for its educational purpose.

This is a rare opportunity to take on a role of unusual breadth and influence at one of the world's leading schools – combining financial stewardship and operational leadership with the opportunity to shape Wellington's strategy, growth and development for the future. The appointment includes substantial family accommodation within the College's estate, significant school-fee remission and a wider benefits package.

Wellington College has retained Russell Reynolds Associates to advise on this appointment. For further information about the position and additional details on qualifications, requirements, terms and conditions of service and how to apply, please review the position specification available below.

For a confidential discussion about the role, prospective candidates are invited to contact responses@russellreynolds.com, quoting reference 2608-010L.
The closing date for applications is 11 October 2026.

Position Specification

Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO)
Chair

2609-043L
United Kingdom

The Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) is an arm's-length body established under the Defence Reform Act 2014. It oversees the regulatory framework for non-competitive defence contracts and operates independently while being sponsored and funded by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) through the National Armaments Director Group.

The SSRO employs around 40 public servants and has an annual budget of approximately £7 million. Its role is highly specialist, but the market it oversees is significant: in 2024/25, around 49% of new MOD contracts, worth approximately £10 billion, were awarded on a non-competitive basis. Single source contracting is particularly important in Defence, where highly specialised capabilities and a concentrated supplier base can mean that competition is not always possible or appropriate.

Following the Strategic Defence Review, there is a renewed focus on how the single source regulatory regime can contribute to wider Defence objectives. The SSRO is an important part of the architecture, and there is an opportunity to ensure that the organisation continues to be outcome-focused, commercially aware and effective in supporting Defence and industry.

The incoming Chair will inherit an organisation operating in a period of leadership transition. Alongside leading the Board, the Chair will be closely involved in strengthening the relationship between the SSRO, MOD and industry and in ensuring that the executive leadership is equipped for the next phase.

We are seeking a commercially sophisticated and strategically minded leader with the judgement, impartiality and ability to navigate competing interests required to lead the SSRO through its next phase.

The recruitment process is being supported by Russell Reynolds Associates. For further information about the position and additional details on qualifications, requirements, terms and conditions of service and how to apply, please review the position specification available below.

Position Specification