Sectors

Higher Education

Accelerating digital transformation in Higher Education

With over 35 years’ experience, our Higher Education team, delivers solutions that connect organisations with the very best talent. Cost optimisation, world-class student experiences and market competitiveness are just some of the factors driving digital transformation agendas and hiring strategies across Higher Education and require expert advice to deliver on. This is where we excel.

Why Harvey Nash?

35+ years' experience.
Dedicated Higher Education practice with a team of experts.
Global leaders in technology recruitment.
Unrivalled access to talent who trust us with their careers.
Leading market insights and future trends from across the world.

Trusted talent partner to Higher Education

Our Higher Education team boasts top-tier tech consultants, skilled in delivering technology and transformation talent at all levels. Armed with expertise, flexibility and a personal approach, we deliver bespoke solutions for your talent needs, advising you on everything from skills availability to attraction strategies to secure them.

Get in touch

If you're looking to secure your next role or make your next best hire, we'd love to help. Get in touch to speak with one of our consultants today.

Our track record

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University of Edinburgh

We provided the University of Edinburgh a blended recruitment model to deliver over 100 roles to support their service excellence transformation. Utilising a well-respected framework we ensured all hiring practices met rigorous governance standards as well as implementing IR35 best practices. The partnership resulted in a flexible interim delivery model providing a wide range of skilled talent with efficient coordination and collaboration managed by a dedicated account owner.

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University of Salford

Since 2016, we have delivered several campaigns to support the University of Salford’s increasing demand for digital specialists. This includes a retained CIO search, expenditure of their senior leadership team and a 95% fulfilment rate for contingent and permanent IT specialists from head of service to data architects. As well as bespoke multi-channel employer branded activities, adeptly communicating their employee value proposition and promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace.

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University of Sheffield

Since working with University of Sheffield since early 2021, we have optimised the full recruitment process to help them scale at pace without comprising on quality talent. We have placed over 150 candidates across the breadth of IT with 100% of hiring managers stating they would recommend Harvey Nash services.

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Heriot Watt University

Harvey Nash provided Heriot Watt University with a swift and cost effective hiring process to support their ERP (enterprise resource planning) programme. All skilled resources were supplied with clear and consistent coordination and execution, providing a remarkable time-to-hire record of less than two weeks for each role.

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University of Dundee

This exclusive partnership helped support university of Dundee’s digital Transformation Programme to deliver readily available top-tier talent with exceptional candidate care and streamlined, tailored recruitment processes including 48-hour CV turnarounds. All contributing to the successful advancement of the transformation programme.

“Phil and the team at Harvey Nash delivered outstanding support for our University’s IT recruitment campaign, successfully addressing critical challenges of location and market. Recruiting for a higher education institution requires a nuanced understanding of the academic environment and its unique demands, and Harvey Nash exceeded our expectations.

In addition to achieving impressive results, Phil and the team worked closely with us to enhance and refine our recruitment processes in line with University recruitment guidelines. By leveraging data-driven insights and modern recruitment technologies, they significantly improved our ability to attract and assess top-tier talent across IT leadership, architecture, and support roles. I would recommend Phil and the team at Harvey Nash to any organisation seeking IT recruitment support, particularly within the higher education sector."

Naomi Stewart, IT Resources Manager, Lancaster University

Clients we work with

We are delighted to provide bespoke talent solutions across Higher Education. Here’s some examples of the academic institutions we’re currently working with: 

Get in touch

If you're looking to secure your next role or make your next best hire, we'd love to help. Get in touch to speak with one of our consultants today.

Latest Jobs

£44000.00 - £53000.00 per annum
Leeds, West Yorkshire
£43000.00 - £46000.00 per annum
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Up to £580 per day
Up to £580 per day
Up to £580 per day
Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan
Up to £65000.00 per annum
£450 - £500 per day
Todmorden, West Yorkshire
Negotiable
Leeds, West Yorkshire
Up to £450 per day
Up to £452 per day
Up to £100000.00 per annum
£650 - £710 per day + via an Umbrella Company
Negotiable
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
£45000.00 - £55000.00 per annum + excellent benefits
Outside IR35
Outside IR35
Outside IR35
£600 - £800 per day
£700 - £720 per day
Havant, Hampshire
Negotiable
Plus Excellent Benefits
Plus Excellent Benefits
City of London, London
Negotiable
Negotiable
Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
£175 - £228 per day
Leeds, West Yorkshire
£65000.00 - £75000.00 per annum
City of London, London
Negotiable
£45000.00 - £50000.00 per annum + Benefits Package
£120000.00 - £140000.00 per annum
Morecambe, Lancashire
Up to £60000.00 per annum
£350 - £480 per day
£55000.00 - £60000.00 per annum
Negotiable
City of London, London
£600 - £720 per day
£80000.00 - £90000.00 per annum
Up to £400 per day
£30000 - £40000 per annum + remote working, holidays
£75000.00 - £90000.00 per annum + excellent benefits
North East England
£80000.00 - £95000.00 per annum
£50000 - £60000 per annum
Sunbury-On-Thames, Surrey
Negotiable
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
£490 - £550 per day
£400 - £470 per day
Negotiable
£550 - £650 per day
£350 - £415 per day
£90000.00 - £110000.00 per annum + Benefits
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Negotiable
Outside IR35
£70000.00 - £90000.00 per annum
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Negotiable
£350 - £415 per day
Up to £157.36 per day
£275 - £375 per day + Umbrella/PAYE (Inside IR35)
£0.00 - £635 per day
£45000.00 - £55000.00 per annum
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Negotiable
£250 - £300 per day
Up to £80000.00 per annum
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Up to £61000.00 per annum
£950 - £985 per day
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Up to £400 per day
£100000.00 - £125000.00 per annum + Bonus
£110000.00 - £115000.00 per annum
£0.00 - £550 per day
Leeds, West Yorkshire
Negotiable

News & Insights

How are employers rethinking talent to keep pace with AI innovation?How are employers rethinking talent to keep pace with AI innovation?
How are employers rethinking talent to keep pace with AI innovation?
The demand for AI skills is outpacing supply at an extraordinary rate. According to the latest Nash Squared/Harvey Nash Digital Leadership Report, 51% of global tech leaders now say their organisation has an AI skills shortage, almost double the 28% reported just a year ago. AI has leapt from sixth to the number one most-scarce skill in just 18 months, marking the steepest rise seen in over 15 years of research. Featured in a recent ZDNet article, Nash Squared CIO Ankur Anand , offers timely insight into why the gap has grown so significantly, and what organisations can do to address it. He points to the speed of innovation as a key factor: “There’s an unprecedented pace of development in generative AI and the supporting large language models… Professionals must learn new skills quickly, and traditional learning methods can’t keep pace.” The article explores how forward-thinking leaders are adapting, from rethinking recruitment to embedding continuous learning, and ensuring their organisations can attract and retain the right blend of AI expertise and ethical awareness. You can read the full ZDNet article, including Ankur Anand’s insights and reflections on the fast-moving AI skills landscape, here.
Technology leaders embrace outsourcing as a solution to resourcing and skills gaps
Technology leaders embrace outsourcing as a solution to resourcing and skills gaps
Skills shortages continue to stalk the technology industry. Although not as acute as in the post-pandemic period, large proportions of technology leaders admit that skills shortages are holding them back. In this year’s Nash Squared/Harvey Nash Digital Leadership Report (DLR), AI tops the list with 51% of leaders reporting a skills shortage, but other areas rank highly too, notably big data/data engineering (36%), cyber security (33%), and cloud and platform engineers (26%).   It isn’t just that these skills are hard to find – some technology leaders may not have the headcount room to recruit additional staff. Although a healthy 41% of technology leaders expect to see headcount growth in their teams this year, this is down from 50% in 2023. Budgets follow a similar pattern – with a slight fall in leaders expecting a technology budget increase, from 45% in 2023 to 39% now. While many digital leaders are still anticipating headcount and budget growth, the numbers have subsided somewhat in a tighter economic environment.    The DLR shows us that for many technology leaders, at least part of the solution to this conundrum is outsourcing – using external solution providers for specific projects and activities. Over four in ten technology leaders expect their use of outsourcing to increase in the coming year, compared to 34% who say directly employed headcount will rise, and 29% who expect indirectly employed headcount (contractors, temporary staff) to increase. Only 15% of leaders expect outsourcing to decrease, a much lower proportion than those who say that of direct employment (25%) and indirect (20%). Tech leaders’ sentiment towards increasing outsourcing in the coming year has been backed up by Statista, that forecasts the IT outsourcing market  will  be worth £44bn in 2025, with a projected annual growth rate of over 9% from 2025-2029.    Outsourcing attractions Given the cost of outsourcing as a solution, it may seem almost counter-intuitive that it tops the list at a time of economic caution. However, I believe there are a number of compelling factors that are putting it higher on tech leaders’ agendas.   Firstly, outsourcing is very flexible. In times of uncertainty, having a resourcing model that can quickly ramp up and down as needed is appealing.    Secondly, it’s easy. Most organisations, certainly large ones, will have agreements already in place with a number of consultancies and solutions providers that can be activated or extended when needed. It’s a quick and straightforward fix to a resourcing or workload issue. It’s a reflection too of how the barrier between what lies inside an organisation and what lies outside has lowered. Technology itself, like cloud and the productisation of software and business activities that previously were home-grown, has made it easier for some things, especially operational activities, to be done externally. The explosion in remote working has lowered the barrier even further.   It is also a route to quality. With the right provider, backed up by precise SLAs and rigorous performance metrics, a buyer should be assuring themselves of a good outcome that achieves the goals and objectives set. It’s rather like the old saying that “no one got fired for buying IBM”. If you’re using a leading consultancy/solutions provider, you should be on safe ground. With ever more solutions specialists and niche providers in the market, it’s also possible to find support for practically any need – whether that’s a managed service, application transformation, cyber, data and AI, or cloud. There are often a number of wider benefits too. Beyond the immediate work they’re doing, a good consultancy will offer wider guidance, best practice insights and thought leadership on emerging areas such as AI.   But perhaps equal to all of these factors in the current climate is that outsourcing doesn’t add to headcount – it’s just spend. As long as there is room in the existing budget, there is no need – or only a limited one – for difficult discussions with HR or other leadership. At a time when the cost of employment is rising through NI increases, and when IR35 changes are also making the use of contractors more complicated, contracting with an outsourced service provider becomes more attractive.    Balancing resourcing models This is something we’re seeing ourselves at Harvey Nash, where increasingly more clients are asking us to put together a team of people under a services agreement, rather than to recruit individuals in different roles. It’s a variation on going to a services provider and is becoming a more common ask across the recruitment industry.   That’s not to say other models won’t continue to be key. Indirect employment of contractors and freelancers remains another flexible tool that always grows when market conditions are tight. Meanwhile, organisations continue to hunt for the right talent to bring in internally. Tech leaders still place primacy on their own teams. Candidates with the requisite skills and experience remain in demand.    More than anything, our findings underline that managing technology in a continually evolving environment is complex. That’s why technology leaders need to juggle multiple resourcing models and continually assess the balance as they strive to help their businesses modernise, transform and grow.
How are tech leaders securing the biggest pay rises?
How are tech leaders securing the biggest pay rises?
Harvey Nash’s Helen Fleming, Executive Director, and Peter Birch, Director of Technology and Digital Executive Search recently featured in a Computing article exploring why some technology leaders are receiving inflation-busting salary increases, and what sets them apart. Drawing on the latest insights from the 2025 Harvey Nash Digital Leadership Report, the article reveals that over half of technology leaders globally received a pay rise last year, with 11% securing an uplift of over 10%. The data points to a clear pattern, the most rewarded leaders are working in businesses where technology is seen as a growth engine, not just a cost centre. These organisations are more likely to be investing in AI at scale, expanding their tech teams, and backed by leaders who view technology as a strategic enabler. Helen and Peter share advice for tech leaders looking to improve their earning potential - from aligning with forward-thinking, tech-driven organisations to choosing sectors with stronger demand and budgets for senior digital talent, such as financial services, healthcare, and defense. To find out how the most successful leaders are shaping their careers – and their compensation – read the full article in Computing.
Harvey Nash Supports the Launch of the UK’s National Hiring Taskforce at Parliament
Harvey Nash Supports the Launch of the UK’s National Hiring Taskforce at Parliament
On 16th May, Andy Heyes, Managing Director UK&I & Central Europe, joined industry leaders and policymakers at parliament for the official launch of the UK’s National Hiring Taskforce, a new initiative from the Better Hiring Institute. The event brought together voices from across government, business, and recruitment to discuss how the UK can modernise and improve its hiring landscape. With a central theme of ‘reimagining recruitment’, the Taskforce aims to explore how we can make hiring faster, fairer, and more inclusive through technology, data, and innovation. Andy represented Harvey Nash in discussions focused on the evolving role of technology in recruitment, particularly how innovation can reduce friction in the hiring process and unlock untapped talent across all regions and sectors. A key theme was the need to move beyond traditional job titles and qualifications, instead focusing on individuals’ potential and transferable skills to build more diverse, agile and skills-driven workforces. By bringing together key decision-makers and forward-thinking organisations, the launch highlighted a shared commitment to making recruitment work better for everyone in the UK. As a leader in technology recruitment, Harvey Nash is proud to contribute to these important conversations. We see daily how innovation can connect people to meaningful opportunities and help organisations build diverse, high-performing tech teams. Being part of the National Hiring Taskforce reflects our continued dedication to shaping a recruitment industry that is modern, inclusive, and future-ready.