Join our team
Our team
Our team is made up of expert consultants and core support teams, all of whom are specialists in their fields. Added to that we have a wide network of associate consultants with specialisms across our services, so we can draw in their expertise when needed.
Throughout our team we have in-depth experience of both higher education and the commercial world. In addition to HE-specific insight, we bring innovation and world-leading effective practice from other sectors and internationally to expand universities’ horizons and drive innovation.
Together our community brings a depth and range of knowledge and experience not found elsewhere.
Our team
Want to join our core team?
We are a values-driven organisation. As an employer, we care about providing our team members with the autonomy and support they need to deliver the best possible service to our members, clients and partners.
In a recent survey, 95% of our people felt positive or very positive about working for SUMS. We provide a range of competitive benefits and we are an equal opportunities employer, recognising the value that diverse backgrounds and experiences bring to our work and our organisation. Find out more about the vacancies we currently have available.
Current opportunities
SUMS Interim Impact Partner
- Salary / day rate: Competitive, based on experience and assignment scope and duration
- Contract type: Interim assignments with SUMS university partners
- Reporting to: SUMS Service Hub Leads
SUMS’ Interim Impact Partner service supports universities with agile, high-impact professional capacity. We’re seeking experienced higher education professionals to join our trusted network of interim experts. This is an opportunity to work flexibly on purposeful assignments that help institutions deliver strategic change, transformation, and specialist service improvements.
We welcome applications from senior HE professionals (e.g. Directors, Heads of Service, Programme Managers) with a proven track record in delivering change. You may be recently out of work, seeking flexible assignments, or looking to apply your expertise in a values-led, sector-impact role.
Business Support Officer
- Salary: £26,000 1.0 FTE
- Hours: 35 hrs per week
- Location: Office based – University of Reading campus, with flexible hybrid working.
We are looking for a proactive, ambitious and enthusiastic self-starter to work in a small team providing administrative support to the wider organisation.
The right candidate will demonstrate an “can-do” attitude, excellent inter-personal skills, accurate written and verbal communication skills, and be data literate. They will have a keen interest in the vibrant and dynamic higher education sector, joining a team that seeks out innovative solutions and best-practice business processes whilst delivering the “day-to-day” at a consistently high level.
If this sounds like the right fit for you, full role details and a person specification can be found below. Please submit a cover letter, outlining why you are the right candidate for the role, and CV as soon as possible to us at hr@sums.ac.uk.
Our team
Our network of associates
We deliver hundreds of assignments each year, some requiring a small team to deliver them and others demanding a larger, specialised team. Our network of associate consultants is therefore a key component of our business model. It means we can bring in the skills and experience that each member needs.
Associates are experts in their own field, with an understanding of the complexities of higher education and often experience of the commercial world too. Our associates are not direct employees of SUMS, but they are a hugely valued part of our community.
Our associates are experienced professionals who are comfortable building positive relationships across a university structure and using the data and detail required to drive sustainable, strategic change. They are creative and dynamic, partnering with our members to find innovative solutions to the tough challenges and pressures they face.
We pay our associates a highly competitive day rate which comfortably equates to a high six-figure salary and we keep this under continuous review. Associates are full members of the SUMS community, with access to our Microsoft Teams sites, email addresses, our IP and our community of practice groups.
If you’d like to find out more or join our team, please email us at consulting@sums.ac.uk with your CV or complete the form below. If we think you could be a match for the type of work we do, we’ll start with an informal conversation before deciding together whether to progress to a formal interview.