Biography
Vikki Goddard has worked in Higher Education for almost thirty years, including as a Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, Director of Strategic Planning, and Director of Faculty Operations. She is passionate about enabling people to achieve their potential, and has a particular commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Her last role was as Director of Operations for the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at the University of Manchester, the largest Faculty of its type in Europe. She previously held the same role in the Faculty of Humanities, and in both cases was responsible for the provision and performance of all Professional Services. She was jointly responsible for the complete redesign and restructure of Teaching, Learning and Student Experience services across the University and was Professional Services champion for EDI.
Before her role at The University of Manchester, Vikki was Registrar and COO at the University of Salford. As Head of the University’s administration she was responsible for ensuring that the Professional Services provided an excellent support for all the University’s activities, and she led a major reorganisation of services. She also led broader change to the University’s strategic direction and a major interface with Salford City Council on masterplanning for the University area.
Previously, Vikki was Director of Strategic Planning at the University of Liverpool, leading the development and implementation of strategy, planning and change, but also involved in a wide range of other areas including international development, quality assurance, research strategy and RAE management, data management, collaborative partnerships, and examinations. She also led the implementation of the academic relationship with Liverpool’s joint venture partner in China, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
Vikki has a long-standing commitment to the continuing development of Professional Services staff and is a Fellow of the Association of University Administrators. She is also a member of the AUA Board of Trustees and has served on a number of groups for national sector bodies.
Areas of Expertise
Strategy and Planning
Development and implementation of University and Faculty strategies
Operational planning processes to implement strategic plans
Key performance indicators/measures of success and dashboard delivery
Student number planning processes
Institutional Development
Business cases to establish new academic activity
Academic development of new campuses for UK Universities
Research Strategy development and REF optimisation
Inclusive recruitment and retention
Reviews and Restructures
Professional Services reviews to determine best support for academic requirements
Academic review and reorganisation
Governance and Committee structures
Recent Testimonials
Vikki led our professional services and operations for the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health for three years, working in partnership with me. During that time she steered the development and implementation of our Strategic Framework and five-year plan, including constant adaptation and refinement through the pandemic.
She led her professional services team exceptionally throughout that period, ensuring that priorities were supported, targets met and that there was flexibility to deliver effectively. She also led major change to our Marketing and Communications, Technical Services, Planning and Governance, and Teaching, Learning and Student Experience teams.
Vikki is a people-focussed and results-driven individual, who has made a very significant impact on our Faculty. A natural communicator, she also enables others to develop and thrive. She is a strong strategic thinker and this has been a major factor in the continuing success of our Faculty.
Professor Graham Lord
Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester
Vikki possesses that rare quality of being able to untangle and blend differential thinking into a coherent strategy with clear routes to execution. Her ability to support leaders from diverse professional backgrounds to articulate their vision into a clear strategy with key performance indicators and milestone plans is second to none. Whether it is target operating model design and route to delivery, the change management needed to support the business process and people change during system implementation, or leadership coaching to articulate vision and executable plans I would not hesitate to recommend Vikki. If you are looking for someone to bring clarity of messaging and direction to your organisation, irrespective of the driver, a discussion with Vikki will be transformational.
Sinead MacCormack
CFO Medicine Discovery Catapult (previously Head of Finance, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester)
Vikki and I worked together in the senior leadership team at the University of Salford for several years. During this period Vikki as Registrar and COO led significant change in order to move the university forward. This change involved leading with others the development of a new University Strategy. To enable this to be implemented Vikki the led on substantial redesign of the professional service areas. Additionally, Vikki also led engagement with a range of external partners to build new relationships and to rejuvenate existing ones in the context of the new strategic plan. This work was important in repositioning the University in its current “Industry Relationship” space which has proved very positive for the University of Salford.
Professor Helen Marshall
Vice Chancellor, University of Salford
Get in Contact
If you would like to find out more, or have any questions about what I do and how I do it, I would love to hear from you. Please get in touch and let’s see if we can work together.
Email: vikki@vikkigoddardconsulting.co.uk
Phone: +44 7791 738299