Company: University of Derby
Location: Derby
Posted: May 16th, 2026
We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.
The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.
We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.
Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.
Strategic Insights and Planning support senior leadership by analysing data, identifying trends, providing BI reports and helping shape the institution’s long-term direction. The team collaborate closely with academic departments, professional services, and external bodies such as the Office for Students to ensure informed decision-making and provide statutory returns. We combine expertise in policy analysis, business intelligence, finance, and higher education to provide evidence-based recommendations.
SIP is structured into four teams: Strategic Planning; Strategic Insights, Student Returns and the Change and Portfolio Management Office.
This role sits at the heart of the University’s evidencebased decisionmaking, transforming complex information into insight that shapes strategic direction. You will work across rich internal and external data sources to blend, manipulate and analyse datasets, applying robust statistical techniques to create clear, visually compelling data reports. Alongside technical analysis, you will undertake contextualised impact assessments of papers, sector reports and emerging intelligence, distilling key messages into concise briefings that inform senior stakeholders.
A key part of the role is developing a strong understanding of external benchmarking frameworks, including OfS measures and performance across comparator and aspirational institutions. You will proactively conduct deepdive analyses to identify future risks and opportunities, shaping proposals that support longterm planning. You will also review and interpret data issued by sector bodies.
Ultimately, you will help advance the University’s strategic priorities by connecting disparate data sources, strengthening reporting capability, and delivering highquality intelligence that enables confident, informed decisionmaking across the institution.
This is a fixed-term contract role due to end in early April 2027.
Anticipated interview date is 9th June 2026.
You will bring a strong blend of analytical capability, sector awareness and confidence working with senior stakeholders. With experience in a highereducation planning environment, you are comfortable partnering directly with executive leaders and translating complex evidence into clear, actionable insight. You have a solid track record in data blending, data management and data visualisation, and you thrive when working with multiple, intricate datasets.
Your ability to turn detailed analysis into straightforward visuals and narratives for nontechnical audiences sets you apart. You are confident in the interpretation of complex data and in presenting your findings in a way that informs decisionmaking. You take ownership of your work, delivering outcomes independently and managing projects with clarity, accountability and a focus on impact.
For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Chris Gascoyne, Head of Strategic Insights via c.gascoyne@derby.ac.uk.
For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk
The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers under the Skilled Worker route for this role; however, applications are welcome from candidates who are able to demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.
Please visit our website for more information.
The University of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our staff, students and children. At the University of Derby, safeguarding is everybody's concern.
Please find our Safeguarding pages including our Safeguarding Policy here.
Closing Date: 26 May 2026
Area: Management, Professional and Specialist
Salary: £43,391 to £53,994 per annum
(for exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £62,093 per annum)