Programme Lead

Do you want to play a key role in transforming the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University of Oxford? 

If so, we would love to hear from you! 

We are looking to hire a high-agency, entrepreneurial and dynamic person to lead and manage a new Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation open to the entire University of Oxford. The Centre is being led by Christ Church (a constituent college of the University) and Blenheim Chalcot, alongside many other partners from across the University and City of Oxford. It is designed primarily for undergraduate students, with the goal of educating them on how to become innovators and entrepreneurs, bridging academic knowledge with practical applications, and cultivating an opportunity-focused approach to any type of work—an entrepreneurial mindset. 

The successful applicant would join Blenheim Chalcot, a leading global venture builder, while helping deliver the educational programme alongside Christ Church and other University partners.

ABOUT US

Blenheim Chalcot is one of the leading venture builders in the world. Headquartered in London from our flagship White City Scale Space campus, we have been building exciting and disruptive businesses for over 26 years. Blenheim Chalcot is responsible for building some of the most innovative GenAI enabled companies in the UK and increasingly around the world – with significant operations in India, the US and Europe.

Our ventures are at the forefront of a multitude of industries being disrupted by technology including FinTech, EdTech, GovTech, Media, Sport, Charity and more. Our portfolio has been conceived and launched by us and employ over 3,000 employees. Our assets under management stand at more than £1.8bn and total portfolio sales are over £500 million.

THE ROLE 

Key responsibilities

The Programme Lead is vital to the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. You will be pivotal in leading and shaping the organisational strategy of the Centre and delivering the smooth running of its initiatives aimed at inspiring and accelerating the development of future entrepreneurs and innovators.

Specific duties 

You will need to be comfortable doing the following: 

• Educational Oversight: Oversee the creation and execution of education programmes, vacation schemes, and activities that align with the Centre's goals of fostering entrepreneurship.  

• Operations Management: Exceptional ability to oversee and manage multiple programmes, events, and activities efficiently within a highly entrepreneurial environment, ensuring successful execution and tangible results. 

• Liaison and Coordination: Act as the primary liaison between Christ Church, the student and academic community at the University of Oxford (including other contributing entities), and Blenheim Chalcot, ensuring clear communication and coordination across all entities. Proactively and consistently driving student engagement and fostering connections with Oxford entities (societies etc.) to enhance collaboration. 

• Building Management Responsibilities: Take responsibility for the management of the physical premise, 37 St Giles, working directly with facilities management services across Oxford University, and private contractors, as well as collaborating closely with colleagues from Christ Church and Blenheim Chalcot.  

• Financial Management: Manage the budget and financial planning for the Centre, ensuring efficient and optimal use of resources and alignment with financial objectives.  

• Centre Administration: Direct the day-to-day operations of the Centre, ensuring smooth administrative processes and alignment with the Centre’s long-term entrepreneurial vision.  

• Management Board Representation: Attend and contribute towards the governance within Oxford and executive decision making related to the Centre.  

Opportunity 

This role is an excellent platform for professionals interested in entrepreneurial education and an opportunity unlikely to be found anywhere else. You will gain hands-on experience in a fast-paced and progressive environment, where you will support and benefit from educating about and contributing towards the next generation of innovators. You will be enrolled onto Blenheim Chalcot’s Career Development Framework and will benefit from tailored education and mentorship. As a member of the Blenheim Chalcot Pioneer Programme, you will be part of a cohort of high-potential Blenheim Chalcot colleagues and have full access to the entire innovation ecosystem.  

ABOUT YOU 

The ideal candidate will have a passion for entrepreneurship and thrive in fast-moving environments where change and uncertainty are commonplace. 

The Ideal Candidate 

• Programme Management Experience: Proven experience in managing programmes, ideally within academic or entrepreneurial settings, in both short-term execution and long-term strategic planning. Experience with university-affiliated programmes would be advantageous.

• Collaboration and Stakeholder Management: Strong ability to work collaboratively with both academic and corporate stakeholders, ensuring alignment and successful delivery of objectives. 

• Financial and Budgeting Knowledge: Solid understanding of budgeting, financial management, and resource allocation in a programmatic context. 

• Communication and Liaison Skills: Excellent communication skills to drive marketing initiatives and liaise effectively with diverse teams. You will be a public face of the Centre, and critical to the development of its brand and network. 

• Technological Proficiency: Proficiency with digital tools and platforms that support programme administration, such as event management systems, financial management tools, and communication and productivity tooling. 

• Entrepreneurial Mindset: An understanding of entrepreneurship and innovation practices, with experience in an entrepreneurial setting being a strong asset.  

ABOUT US 

At Blenheim Chalcot, we use our knowledge, expertise and infrastructure to sustain an innovation system that turns promising ideas into successful businesses. We originate the ideas ourselves, grow them from the ground up and take them through to scaling and ultimately exit.  

We typically build enterprise Software as a Service (SaaS) products, powered by Generative AI and target industries which are exposed to market, regulatory or technology discontinuities. We have built businesses across the following sectors: Financial Services, Education, Media & Marketing, Public services & Health, and Sports.  Our portfolio companies are headquartered from Scale Space, London, our 200,000 ft² collaboration space which was built as a joint venture with Imperial College London.

We are excited about the future opportunity that Gen AI technologies present, and believe, given our experience, innovation ecosystem and current market presence, that we are uniquely positioned to take advantage of these opportunities. 

IMPACT BEYOND PROFIT 

10% of our partnerships and ventures are charities. These include the British Asian Trust, BabyZone and Onside Youth Zones. In the same way that we support our ventures, we provide direct hands-on support to these charities, including through active board membership and expert advice. 

OUR BEHAVIOURS 

• Honesty and integrity – trustworthy. 

• Resilience - keeps going when the going gets tough, remains optimistic in the face of challenges, open to feedback and willingness to change and experiment. 

• Teamwork – is collaborative and supportive, elevating and developing others to deliver results. 

• Innovation - restless to improve, challenges how to make things better. 

• Deliver results - keeps promises, drives to achieve, commitment to high quality work. 
• Commercial awareness - looks for best value solutions for the business, understand costs / revenues, spends money wisely. 

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU: 

• Be part of a leading global venture builder  
• The opportunity to be a part of and learn from the incredibly diverse talent in BC  

• Be exposed to the right mix of challenges, within a culture that promotes continuous learning and development and opportunity to work with Gen AI  

• A fun and open, if a little cricket obsessed, atmosphere 

• Discretionary bonus 

• 25 days of paid holidays + your birthday off  

• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary), Pension Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme 
• Flexible Benefits: Private Medical and Dental, Gym Subsidies

Please note we are office based which requires our colleagues to be together in the office [in this case based primarily at The University of Oxford] 5 days a week with flexibility around personal commitments, interests and obligations. Given the nature of the partnership, your employment will require you to adhere to the policies of both Blenheim Chalcot and Christ Church, Oxford. The opportunity to continuously collaborate with the whole portfolio, learn, stay connected, and grow in our community will be provided through regular trips to Blenheim Chalcot’s Scale Space office in White City. 

PROCESS 

We have a rigorous recruitment process, which we use for all our roles to ensure we attract the very best talent.  

• Application closing date: Friday 10th January 
• Preliminary phone screen with a member of the Blenheim Chalcot Talent Team
• Case study interview + values-based interview in Oxford
• Executive interview in either Oxford or White City  

Blenheim Chalcot is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Diversity is one of our core values, thus making it core to our business. We strive to maximise the diversity of our workforce and welcome applications from everyone. We encourage diversity through perspective, background, identity, and thought whilst also fostering an environment where everyone can express themselves regardless of your race, religion, sex, gender, colour, national origin, disability, or any other applicable legally protected characteristic. We are committed to continuing to nurture an inclusive environment and building a diverse workforce. 

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