Project Manager - Student Systems and Development

Salary: £48,000 - £58,000 per annum

Employment type: Permanent,

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Head of Student Systems and Development

Department: IT

Click here to read the full job description and view our excellent benefits here

This role operates primarily on a remote working arrangement with roughly one meeting per month at one of Arden's UK sites. Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

About Arden University:

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About our Department:

Our Technology Department plays a central role in enabling Arden University to deliver an outstanding experience for both students and colleagues. From maintaining secure, reliable services to delivering innovative digital solutions, the team is at the forefront of transforming how the University operates, teaches and supports learning.

With a team of around 65 technology professionals spanning Software Development, Enterprise Applications, Infrastructure, IT Operations, Cyber Security, Architecture and Project Delivery, we work collaboratively to design and deliver technology that has a meaningful impact across the organisation.

As part of our ambitious digital transformation strategy, we're investing in emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to enhance the student experience, support innovative teaching practices and empower colleagues to work more effectively. From exploring AI-enabled learning experiences and personalised student support to improving operational efficiency, our Technology team is helping shape the future of education at Arden University.

We're also passionate about developing our people. We foster a collaborative, inclusive environment where continuous learning is encouraged, and we're proud of the many colleagues who have progressed their careers through internal development and promotion. Whether you're leading strategic technology initiatives or developing innovative solutions, you'll be joining a team that's committed to delivering technology with purpose and making a genuine difference to the University community.

About the Opportunity:

As a Project Manager within Arden University's Student Systems & Development team, you'll play a key role in delivering technology and business change initiatives that support every stage of the student journey. Working across a diverse portfolio of IT and business-sponsored projects, you'll ensure solutions are delivered on time, within budget and to the highest quality, creating tangible benefits for students, colleagues and the wider University.

You'll lead projects from inception through to successful implementation, coordinating cross-functional teams that include Business Analysts, Software Developers, technical specialists, academics and professional services colleagues. Acting as the central point of coordination, you'll bring together people, processes and technology to deliver change that aligns with the University's strategic priorities.

Working closely with programme managers and senior stakeholders, you'll help translate wider enterprise change into deliverable initiatives for the Student Systems & Development team, ensuring projects are effectively prioritised, planned and integrated into ongoing business activity. You'll provide clear governance, manage risks and dependencies, and maintain regular communication through progress reporting, stakeholder engagement and solution demonstrations.

From initial business analysis and requirements scoping through to testing, deployment, go-live and handover into business-as-usual support, you'll oversee the complete project lifecycle. Your work will help ensure that critical student systems continue to evolve while maintaining the reliability of core services that underpin admissions, enrolment, timetabling, graduation and the wider student experience.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Project Manager who enjoys delivering complex change, working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, and making a lasting impact through technology and continuous improvement.

About You:

Essential skills / experience:

• Formal Project Management qualification, such as PRINCE2, PMI, Agile, Scrum, ISEB or PPM.

• Significant experience delivering complex IT projects across multiple technology domains, including business applications, infrastructure, integrations, and data and analytics.

• Proven experience leading business and technology change initiatives within complex organisations.

• Strong project and change management expertise, with experience of applying a range of project delivery methodologies.

• Demonstrable experience managing projects throughout the full lifecycle, from initiation and planning through to implementation and handover.

• Experience managing project budgets, risks, dependencies, resources and delivery against agreed timescales.

• Proficiency with project management tools, including Microsoft Project or Project Server.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate complex information and identify effective solutions.

• Excellent planning, prioritisation and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities.

• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to build productive relationships across technical and non-technical teams.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly to a range of audiences.

• Strong customer focus, with a commitment to delivering high-quality services and positive stakeholder outcomes.

• Experience leading and coordinating the work of cross-functional teams to achieve successful project outcomes.

• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgement and share knowledge to support colleagues and continuous improvement.

• Sound understanding of relevant governance, legal and regulatory requirements relating to project delivery.

• Knowledge of Project Management Office (PMO) governance, standards and best practice.

Desirable skills / experience:

• Knowledge of Student Information Systems (SIS/SRS), ideally including Tribal SITS, together with an understanding of relational databases and API/middleware integrations.

• Experience within the Higher Education sector would be advantageous.

Why Arden:

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!

• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%

• BUPA Cash Plan

• Private Medical Insurance coverage (applies to certain job roles)

• Access to Perkbox benefits

• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends

• Plus, other excellent benefits

• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education
  

Our Values:

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date: 14th July

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Student Experience roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship statement:

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa, or fulfil the criteria we have for providing sponsorship.  However we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.