Head of Operations, FT Leaders Academy

Financial Times
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About FT Leaders Academy The FT Leaders Academy is the Financial Times’ global learning business, dedicated to empowering individuals at every stage of their leadership journey – from the classroom to the boardroom. Combining the FT’s trusted journalism, real world insights, and access to leading experts, the Academy delivers transformational learning experiences that develop confidence, capability, and strategic perspective.

The Academy’s portfolio spans three key pillars:

• Board Director Programme – preparing aspiring and current board members to lead with confidence through accredited qualifications, workshops, and online modules.
• Partner and Executive Programmes – equipping professionals with the tools, attitude, and peer network to navigate complexity, lead change, and drive organisational success.
• FT Schools and FT Skills – inspiring the next generation of leaders by transforming FT content into practical educational resources for students and teachers worldwide.

Each programme is designed to reflect the Financial Times’ global standards of excellence, integrating business intelligence, innovative learning design, and a deep understanding of leadership in the modern world.

Role Overview The Head of Operations plays a key role in a fast growing portfolio of executive education within the FT. The role has a global remit across the portfolio to ensure programmes are delivered to FT’s standards of excellence.

The role will have a leadership role overseeing a globally dispersed team of programme managers and coordinators for the successful delivery of an annual calendar of high quality executive education programmes, including virtual sessions, in person workshops, networking events and multi week learning journeys. The role will be responsible for oversight of content coordination, speaker and faculty relationship management, and for the overall participant experience, maintaining strong monitoring frameworks, feedback, and making necessary adjustments.

Working across the portfolio, the role will be responsible for managing supplier relationships, negotiating and procuring new contracts, managing programme budgets and reporting. A key remit of the role will be to drive continuous improvement and streamlining projects that enhance operations across the portfolio.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Working with the senior management group, the role will be responsible for commissioning suppliers, internal and external producers, technology providers and platforms ensuring a smooth onboarding process.
• The role will identify efficiencies, make suggestions for improvements and where necessary procure new suppliers and platform providers, creating new processes to support these.
• Contributing to continuous improvement by researching event tools, learning technologies and engagement methods, and leading projects to introduce new opportunities within the group.
• Lead existing supplier relationships, negotiating new contract terms and cost savings as required.
• Oversee the smooth processing of supplier invoices, maintain budgets and monitor programme costs.
• Oversee the team who are responsible for the day to day faculty, speaker and partner management. Allocate resources as required to each programme.
• Act as the internal expert and provide support to programme managers for internal and external troubleshooting and resolution on finance, contracting, technology, supplier and other issues.
• Be the point of escalation for any issues with FT LA or partner programmes.
• Liaise with contributors, ensuring they are fully briefed and prepared for both virtual and in person formats. Particularly owning the onboarding of new faculty and speakers and ensuring consistency in the adoption of FT requirements.
• Moderate speaker briefings, exam board meetings, supplier check ins and technical run throughs where required.
• Coordinate with FT subject matter experts (e.g., editorial, research, production) when their input is incorporated into programmes.
• Have a visible presence at events and workshops, ensuring the team delivering the events are supported and that the customer experience is of the highest standard.
• Lead the team responsible for delivery of all UK FT LA events and programmes, and provide advice to global FT LA programme coordinators and programme managers, ensuring consistency in adoption and delivery of FT standards and requirements.
• Oversee all operational aspects of in person and virtual events, providing direction and advice to programme managers and coordinators as needed.
• Work with marketing, programme managers and third party partners to ensure coordination of event invitations, automated emails, and communication workflows for attendees.
• Lead the on the day delivery for physical events in the UK, ensuring a seamless participant and speaker experience.
• Ensure robust programme monitoring and evaluation is in place, with reporting to support programme design, marketing and user experience.

Cross Functional Collaboration

• Work with FT Finance, Product and Tech, HR and other internal service teams and external suppliers to improve management reporting, streamline operations and enhance consistency and support across these areas for the portfolio.
• Work with FT Leaders Academy sales, marketing and account management teams to support demand generation, client communication and event promotion.
• Provide programme insights that support marketing campaigns, participant targeting and pipeline growth.
• Find opportunities and drive efforts to streamline activities and strengthen consistency across the portfolio.

Skills & Experience

• Experience commissioning/contracting external parties.
• Experienced people manager ideally with an academic or project management background.
• Demonstrable experience delivering high quality events-virtual, hybrid and/or in person.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brief senior partners.
• High attention to detail and commitment to delivering excellent participant experiences.
• Ability to work flexibly, proactively and collaboratively in a fast paced environment.
• Strong problem solving skills and professionalism when dealing with senior partners.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple project teams simultaneously involving complex participant groups.
• Strong technology skills – digital / e platform experience, with AI.
• Experience with finance and accounting systems, procurement policies and quality assurance etc.
• Experience with digital transformation and change projects.
• Experience working in executive education, professional development, media or learning environments.
• Familiarity with adult learning principles or working with academic/business school partners.

What’s in it for You? Our benefits vary by location but we are committed to providing best in class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community.

Accessibility We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Further information At the FT, we embrace innovation and the use of technology and appreciate that individuals may leverage AI tools as part of their job application process. Whilst we are happy for you to use AI to assist with your application, it is essential that all information provided is authentic and accurately represents your skills, experience, and qualifications.

Candidates should be aware that the use of AI throughout the application process may be monitored to ensure a fair and transparent hiring process for all.

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