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Executive Director, Operational Excellence & Innovation – Business School

Job Locations ES-Madrid
Posted Date 2 months ago(17/10/2025 15:38)
Job ID
2025-2747
# of Openings
1

Overview

Are you interested in joining a dynamic and international team of professionals to transform education? IE University's Business School is looking for an Executive Director of Operational Excellence and Innovation to join its team!
 

The Executive Director of Operational Excellence and Innovation will be responsible for overseeing and aligning all operational and digital-transformation initiatives within the Business School. This leadership role will ensure seamless integration between core academic operations and digital transformation efforts, fostering an environment of continuous improvement, efficiency, and innovation.

 

In addition to strategic and operational leadership, the role requires strong technical and analytical skills to design and drive process optimizations, automation, and AI-driven improvements that enhance the efficiency and intelligence of our operations. The ideal candidate will be able to bridge strategic vision with hands-on technological understanding, identifying opportunities to digitalize and optimize workflows, improve data utilization, and enable smarter decision-making across teams — in close collaboration with the IT department.

 

This role will have two direct reports:

  1. Director of Academic Operations and Compliance
  2. Digital Transformation Manager

This position is crucial in driving the institutional strategy to enhance operational efficiency, ensure compliance, and support digital innovation across all operations. The ideal candidate is a strategic and technically minded leader with a strong operational background and a passion for innovation and digital transformation.

 
Why IE University?
With 50 years of experience and founded by and for entrepreneurs, IE University has turned business education on its head through disruptive teaching. We count on high-level faculty who bring real-world experience into the classroom and foster a hands-on approach to learning.
 
Our Purpose
At IE University, we foster positive change through education, research, and innovation.
As a transformative educational institution, we empower students to make their mark on the world. We provide them with the skills, knowledge and environment needed to make a difference, and they join a supportive and international community that lasts a lifetime.
Our spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship has allowed us to drive change and constantly stay at the cutting edge of higher education. And through diversity, we have harnessed the power of people while also understanding and embracing the importance of humanities.
 
Our People
At IE we are:
  • People-driven
  • Change Builders
  • Autonomy Enthusiasts
  • Communication Enthusiasts
  • Knowledge Champions
We are looking for a person to join a full-time position in Madrid - María de Molina, 31.
 

Responsibilities

Your role as an Executive Director will involve:

 

Strategic Leadership and Oversight:

  • Lead and oversee both core operations and digital transformation initiatives, ensuring seamless execution and alignment with institutional goals.
  • Develop and implement strategic frameworks to enhance operational efficiency and drive innovation.
  • Act as a key liaison between senior leadership and operational teams to ensure objectives are met with precision and effectiveness.
  • Ensure the adoption, understanding, and efficient execution of key cross-functional processes across Business School teams
  • Foster strong collaboration with key institutional stakeholders to ensure alignment, consistency, and effective coordination across all operational and digital initiatives.
  • Define and own KPIs and review them monthly with stakeholders.

Operational Excellence:

  • Drive operational efficiencies by optimizing day-to-day management, compliance, service delivery, and administrative tasks.
  • Monitor and report on performance metrics to ensure consistency, reliability, and continuous improvement.
  • Mitigate operational risks and maintain compliance with institutional policies and regulations.
  • Foster a culture of accountability and excellence within the operational teams.

Innovation and Digital Transformation:

  • Oversee the execution of digital transformation initiatives, ensuring alignment with the objectives of the Business School and IE.
  • Foster an innovation-driven culture that embraces new technologies and data-driven decision-making.
  • Ensure the successful piloting and scaling of new ideas to enhance the student experience and operational processes.
  • Identify and lead the design of automation, AI-based solutions, and other emerging technologies — in coordination with the IT department — to streamline processes, improve service quality, and strengthen analytical capabilities across departments.
  • Optimize resource allocation to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

Collaboration and Change Management:

  • Work closely with academic leadership, faculty, and Program Experience teams to drive change management initiatives.
  • Ensure cross-departmental collaboration to successfully integrate new processes and technology across teams.
  • Monitor and measure the impact of transformation initiatives, adjusting strategies as needed to meet key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • Actively engage with stakeholders to gather feedback and continuously improve operational workflows.

Qualifications

To thrive in this role, you should possess the following qualifications:
  • Bachelor’s degree (mandatory); MBA or equivalent advanced degree (mandatory), from a Top University.
  • Fully bilingual in Spanish and English (written and spoken).
  • +8 years of experience in a similar role.
  • Proven strong leadership and team management skills, including the ability to inspire, motivate, and develop others.
  • Strong orientation toward service excellence and customer-focused solutions, with a demonstrated commitment to enhancing the student experience.
  • Expertise in organizational change management, with a proven track record of leading successful cultural transformations.
  • Creative and innovative mindset, with the ability to offer visionary solutions.
  • Exceptional interpersonal skills, including empathy, collaboration, and active listening.
  • Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
  • Strategic thinking with an aptitude for innovation.
  • Budget management expertise.
  • Solid understanding of technology-enabled process improvement, including data-driven decision-making, workflow automation, and the application of AI or analytics tools to enhance operational efficiency
Unleash your full potential and make an impact. The next move is yours! 

 

If you want to be part of this educational revolution, we invite you to apply and be part of our dynamic team at IE University.
 
At IE University, we actively promote equal opportunities in recruitment processes and access to employment, always ensuring the absence of gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, ethnic origin, or disability bias throughout the entire selection process.

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