[newdevjobsindo] OUCRU Indonesia Looking for Head of Operations
About the job
LOCATION
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Jakarta, Indonesia.
ABOUT OUCRU INDONESIA
The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Indonesia (OUCRU ID; formerly EOCRU) operates in partnership with the Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia. OUCRU ID is part of the Major International Programme Vietnam sponsored by the Wellcome and governed by the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. OUCRU in Indonesia and Vietnam, along with their many local and international partners, conduct biomedical, clinical, and epidemiological research on infections impacting the health of people living in Southeast Asia and beyond.
JOB SUMMARY
OUCRU Indonesia seeks an experienced and senior Head of Operations Services to provide strategic and operational leadership for the organisation's operations platform. OUCRU Indonesia currently has approximately 200 staff and foresees further growth. The role will therefore combine accountable oversight of current end-to-end operational processes with the design, strengthening and implementation of scalable, future-proof systems, structures and ways of working that can sustain a larger and increasingly complex research organisation.
The Head of Operations Services will be a member of the senior management team and a key adviser to the Director. The postholder will lead the Operations Services team, translate organisational priorities into an effective operating model, and ensure that operational services are reliable, compliant, efficient and enabling of our high-quality research, education and capacity building portfolio.
The role will also ensure effective operational administration of OUCRU Indonesia's legal entity (Yayasan), including its governance processes, statutory and institutional obligations, records and annual governance cycle. The role will also provide strategic oversight of the full-cycle Human Resources function, led day-to-day by the HR Manager, ensuring that workforce planning, recruitment, performance and development, employee relations, reward and benefits, and HR compliance support organisational priorities and growth.
The role will work closely with OUCRU Vietnam and other Oxford stakeholders where alignment is required.
KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Operational Management
· Set the strategic direction for Operations Services and develop, implement and continuously improve the policies, procedures, systems and service standards required to support OUCRU Indonesia's current activities and planned growth.
· Design an operating model that is scalable, clearly governed and appropriately documented, with clear ownership, decision rights, controls, service levels and escalation routes across operational processes.
· Maintain oversight of the Unit-level risk register; identify, assess and mitigate operational, legal, financial, business continuity and reputational risks, including risks arising from the operation and governance of the Yayasan, and ensure appropriate follow-up.
· Oversee institutional contracts, project collaboration agreements, MoUs and sub-contracts from an operational and administrative perspective, ensuring appropriate controls and coordination with relevant stakeholders.
· Ensure the effective administration and coordination of the OUCRU Indonesia Yayasan's governance processes, including preparation and coordination of the annual governance cycle, meetings of the relevant governing bodies, agendas and supporting documentation, recording of decisions and follow-up of agreed actions.
· Ensure effective asset and inventory management and fit-for purpose records and controls.
· Resolve complex organisational and operational issues, anticipating constraints created by growth and developing sustainable solutions rather than relying on ad-hoc arrangements.
· Ensure relevant legal and regulatory documentation is maintained and compliance with applicable Indonesian laws, regulations and institutional requirements is monitored.
· Provide strategic oversight of general administration, including purchasing administration, travel booking, events, visitors, permits and related services, as well as administrative support for the effective functioning of the Yayasan, with a focus on quality, efficiency, controls and user experience.
· Provide leadership and oversight of the Grants Officer, ensuring high-quality support to researchers across the grant lifecycle and maintaining compliance with institutional and funder requirements.
· Lead facilities planning and management, including workspace requirements, minor renovations, permits and agreements, and negotiations with host institutions as required; anticipate future space and infrastructure needs as the organisation grows.
· Establish meaningful operational performance indicators and use data to monitor service quality, capacity, risk, cost and opportunities for improvement.
2. Human Resources
· Provide strategic oversight of the full-cycle Human Resources function, with day-to-day leadership and delivery delegated to the HR Manager.
· Ensure HR strategy, policies, systems and service standards are aligned with OUCRU Indonesia priorities, Oxford/OUCRU requirements and applicable Indonesian employment law.
· Oversee workforce planning, recruitment and onboarding, performance management, learning and development, remuneration and benefits, employee relations, staff wellbeing, and offboarding, ensuring consistent and effective end-to-end processes.
· Support the HR Manager, set clear priorities and accountabilities, and ensure the HR team has the capability and capacity required for an organisation of approximately 200 staff and further growth.
· Use workforce data and management information to anticipate staffing needs, identify organisational risks and trends, and support senior management decision-making
3. Procurement
· Set and implement procurement strategies in accordance with OUCRU Programme policies and procedures, ensuring transparent, proportionate and auditable processes.
· Ensure the organisation obtains high-quality goods and services at the best possible value, while balancing quality, timeliness, risk, compliance and total cost.
· Provide senior oversight and supervision of OUCRU Indonesia's procurement activities and team, including supplier management, procurement planning and continuous process improvement.
· Develop procurement capacity and systems that can handle increasing organisational scale and complexity without unnecessary bureaucracy.
4. Health & Safety, Risk, and Compliance
· Provide senior oversight of Health and Safety across the Unit, including supervision of staff with designated Health and Safety responsibilities, ensuring physical security arrangements for personnel, premises, visitors, assets and sensitive organisational information.
· Work with OUCRU Vietnam and relevant Oxford University functions to ensure appropriate monitoring, alignment and compliance with Health and Safety policies and practices.
· Advise the Director on Indonesian and international Health and Safety requirements and ensure suitable risk assessments, controls and reporting are in place.
· Ensure regular safety audits, appropriate investigation of accidents and incidents, and implementation and tracking of preventive and corrective actions.
· Ensure staff receive appropriate Health and Safety instruction, guidance and training, including emergency preparedness and site-specific requirements.
· Ensure systems are in place for appropriate screening, training and induction of staff entering laboratories or working at remote sites.
· Strengthen compliance systems so that assurance remains effective as the organisation grows and operational responsibilities become more distributed.
5. Information Technology/Data Protection
· In close coordination with OUCRU Vietnam, provide strategic oversight of IT services and infrastructure for staff, visitors and, where required, external study sites.
· Supervise the technical IT function and ensure Unit-wide IT policies, practices, controls and service arrangements meet OUCRU Vietnam standards while responding effectively to local operational needs.
· Work closely with colleagues responsible for Data Management to ensure required hardware, software, connectivity, access and support are available, secure and fit for purpose.
· Anticipate future technology and systems requirements arising from organisational growth, including opportunities to standardise, integrate and automate operational processes.
6. Other Operations Services
· Oversee the operational administration of visas and work permits for expatriate staff, ensuring compliance with immigration and other applicable regulations and continuity of expatriate staff work.
· Oversee organisational insurance programmes and ensure adequate and cost-effective coverage is maintained for operational, property, liability, travel and other relevant risks.
· Ensure effective Operations-wide procurement, administrative recordkeeping and archiving systems that support accurate audit, review, institutional memory and business continuity.
· Lead, coach and develop Operations Services staff; clarify roles and accountabilities, strengthen management capability and build a service-oriented, collaborative culture able to support organisational growth.
· Manage Operations Services resources and budgets responsibly and contribute to organisation-wide planning and prioritisation.
· Carry out other reasonable senior operational duties as required by the Director.
REQUIREMENTS
Essential criteria
· Subject: Master's degree or equivalent professional qualification in business administration, operations management, finance, law, public administration, or another relevant field. Substantial relevant senior level experience may substitute for a postgraduate qualification.
· Demonstrated success in a senior operations leadership role with responsibility for several of the operational domains described above.
· Proven ability to move between strategic design and hands-on operational oversight: able both to design future-state systems and to ensure current processes work reliably end to end.
· Demonstrated experience redesigning, standardising or scaling processes, structures and systems to support organisational growth or increased complexity.
· Strong leadership and people-management capability, including leading managers or specialist staff across different operational disciplines.
· Strong analytical, problem-solving and risk-management skills, with sound judgement and the ability to make decisions in complex or ambiguous situations.
· Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills, including the ability to work effectively with senior leadership, researchers, professional services teams and external partners.
· Good fluency in spoken and written English and Bahasa Indonesia.
· Sound understanding of governance, compliance, controls and documentation expected in a professionally managed organisation.
· Experience of managing the legal and operational requirements of a organisation's technical HR specialist.
Desirable criteria
· Senior operational experience in a research, university, healthcare, NGO, foundation or other internationally connected organisation.
· Experience supporting an organisation of approximately 200 staff or more, or a smaller organisation through significant growth.
· Experience working across Indonesian and international institutional or regulatory environments.
· Experience with digitalisation, process automation, management information or implementation of organisation-wide operational systems.
· Willingness to undertake occasional international travel.
BENEFITS
The selected candidate will initially receive a 12 months’ contract with the possibility to receive a contract extension. The remuneration package includes annual leave, sick leave, THR, optional private medical cover, BPJS Kesehatan, BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, and fully paid income tax. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and multidisciplinary team of clinicians, academics, researchers and professional teams from leading international institutions.
GROUP
OUCRU Indonesia
HOURS OF WORK
Full-time, 40 hours per week
TENURE
Twelve (12) months, with possible extension.
VACANCY REFERENCE
JDID-1026-014
HOW TO APPLY
Please quote the reference “OUCRU ID – Head of Operations – Jakarta – Your name” in your email subject.
Please submit the following documents by email:
· Cover letter
· Curriculum vitae
· Names and contact details of a minimum two professional referees
· Salary expectations
Applications should be sent to: recruitment.id@oucru.org
*** We thank all candidates for their interest but only short-listed applicants will be notified for interview.
Contact person: Iwan Tarmizi/ Eka Yuninda
Deadline for submission: 30 October 2026
