Operations Director

The Client

UCD Professional Academy offers ambitious professionals the opportunity to stay competitive and relevant in the changing workplace by providing access to industry-focused courses that deliver practical skills. As the premier provider of short-form non-accredited professional upskilling in Ireland, UCD Professional Academy is committed to delivering industry-relevant programmes that enable their students to advance their careers and contribute to the growth of Ireland's knowledge economy.

The Challenge

Professional Academy was looking for an experienced Chief Operations Officer to enable sustainable future growth for the business. The brief required an Operations Director with specific experience leading technology and transformation projects as well as HR and compliance experience. The challenge for the business was getting the right expertise to support the growth period, so we needed to identify candidates who had previous experience implementing operational plans, managing cross-functional teams, and driving growth through people, technology, and processes.

The Solution

We sought an individual who had experience leading large scale technology and digital transformation projects and programmes, working with multi stakeholder and cross-functional teams. Professional Academy expected this individual to enable the business to scale and to support the CEO through the delivery and implementation of impactful technology investments and transformation projects to establish the business for continued growth. This was a strong candidate from the private sector who had previously led large-scale digital-transformation in large financial services institutions and also worked in scale-ups. The board made a prompt decision to hire, given the strength of this candidate.