Director of OD, Culture and Transformation

Job description

About

Right to work: Please note that it will not be possible for the University to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship to the successful candidate for this position. Therefore, the appointable candidate will need to be eligible to work in the UK or have leave to remain in the UK and associated right to work for the duration of their employment with the University, in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Full-Time, Permanent

Egham, Surrey (with travel to Central London campus) | Hybrid Working (3-4 days on campus)

Shape the future of an ambitious university.

At a pivotal moment in our journey, we are seeking an exceptional Director of Organisational Development, Culture & Transformation to help shape the future of Royal Holloway and play a central role in delivering our ambitious RH2030s strategy.

This is more than an OD role. It is an opportunity to influence how an entire institution evolves, ensuring our culture, leadership, organisation design and ways of working enable us to thrive in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing environment.

Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you will provide strategic leadership for organisational development, culture, leadership effectiveness and transformational change across the university. Acting as a trusted adviser to the Executive and senior leaders, you will help diagnose complex organisational challenges, design future-focused solutions and build the conditions for sustainable organisational success.

What you'll be responsible for

You will:

Lead the University's organisational development and culture strategy, aligning people, culture and performance with our institutional ambitions.

Shape and embed the leadership behaviours, cultural aspirations and organisational capabilities needed for future success.

Provide strategic leadership for organisation-wide change and transformation, ensuring our approach is people-centred, evidence-based and outcome-focused.

Lead organisation design and effectiveness initiatives that improve collaboration, accountability and performance.

Influence and coach senior leaders, helping them become powerful sponsors of change and ambassadors for our culture.

Build and lead a high-performing OD and Change team, strengthening internal consultancy capability and organisational impact.

Use insight, evidence and data to drive decision-making and demonstrate measurable outcomes.

About you

We're looking for a strategic thinker and experienced change leader with a deep understanding of organisational development, culture transformation and leadership effectiveness.

You'll bring:

Significant senior-level experience leading OD, culture and transformation programmes within complex organisations.

A proven ability to influence executives and senior leadership teams.

Expertise in organisation design, systems thinking, culture change and leadership development.

Strong diagnostic and analytical capability, with the ability to translate insight into action.

Experience building high-performing specialist teams and developing consultancy capability.

A passion for creating inclusive, psychologically safe and high-performing workplace cultures.

Whether your background is in higher education, the public sector, healthcare, not-for-profit, professional services or another complex people-centred environment, you'll be motivated by the opportunity to make a lasting organisational impact.

Why Royal Holloway?

Royal Holloway is one of the UK's leading universities, combining world-class teaching and research with a strong sense of community and belonging. As we deliver our RH2030s strategy, this role offers a rare opportunity to shape culture, leadership and organisational effectiveness at scale, influencing how we work, lead and succeed together for years to come. If you are an experienced OD and transformation leader who thrives on complexity, strategic influence and meaningful organisational change, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now and help create the future of Royal Holloway.

In return we offer a highly competitive rewards and benefits package including:

Generous annual leave entitlement

Training and Development opportunities

Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution

Various schemes including Cycle to Work, Season Ticket Loans and help with the cost of Eyesight testing.

Free parking

Please quote the reference: 0926-317

Closing Date: 23:59, 4 November 2026

Interview Date: 11 November 2026

Royal Holloway is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and encourages applications from all people regardless of age, disability, gender, marital status, parental status, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or trans status or history. More information on our structures and initiatives around EDI, including information on staff diversity networks, can be found on our Equality and Diversity Intranet page.