Nuffield College is a graduate college of the University of Oxford dedicated to advanced study and research in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics, and sociology.

The College was established in 1937 when the motor manufacturer and philanthropist William Morris, also known as Lord Nuffield, donated land and provided a gift of £900,000 to the University of Oxford. This gift provided the funds to build the College and an endowment to fund its activities. One of Lord Nuffield’s key ambitions in establishing the College was to create a place of postgraduate study that could enhance cooperation between the academic and non-academic worlds in order to address social, economic and political problems, and an aspiration to act as a bridge between the academic and public worlds continues to guide the College’s activities today.

The College was ground-breaking from the moment it was established. It was the first Oxford college to:

• Admit both men and women as students and academics
• Recruit only graduate students
• Have a subject specialisation (in the social sciences)

The College has been, and continues to be, the source of major research developments in social science. These include the British Election Studies and the major programme of research on Social Mobility in Britain. It was the birthplace of the "Oxford School" of Industrial Relations; it pioneered the development of cost-benefit analysis for developing countries; and it has made a major contribution to the methodology of econometrics.

Nuffield’s endowment plays a fundamental role in supporting its activities. At its most recent year-end, 31 July 2023, the College’s (group) net assets were £314 million and its investment assets were valued at £326 million. Total income in the year to that date was £14.1 million, of which the investment assets generated about 84%.

Under its Statutes, the College’s Governing Body, which is the trustee body under charity law, determines its strategic direction and regulates its administration and the management of its finances and assets. The Governing Body is chaired by the Warden. In September 2024, the current Warden, Sir Andrew Dilnot, will retire and will be succeeded by Professor Julia Black, who is also President of the British Academy.

The duties of the College’s Investment Committee include advising the Governing Body on investment policy, approving investment strategy and overseeing its implementation, appointing investment managers, and advising the College’s Endowment Office. The Committee comprises internal members, drawn from the Governing Body, and external members, who hold no remunerated post in the College and have senior-level experience relevant to the work of the Committee.

The Committee operates in a way which accords with the ethos of the College. The Members determine the corporate views of the Committee through consensus, with emphasis on open discussion and reasoning. The internal Members act on behalf of the Governing Body and are accountable to it for decisions taken by the Committee. They are also responsible for ensuring that the Committee operates properly from a governance perspective.

The Governing Body asks the External Members to act with the College’s best interests in mind, to offer advice freely and to the best of their ability, and to respect the confidentiality of all relevant information. It does not ask them to assume responsibility for decisions taken by the Committee.

Due to a Member coming to the end of his term, the College wishes to appoint a senior leader with broad experience of investment portfolio management and / or oversight of long-term endowment or similar portfolios, who will be able to take a broad view of its investment portfolio as a whole. This includes how it might be structured, risks, and how much should be drawn down to support the College's activities. Therefore, the successful candidate should be someone experienced, an expert in investment and with the ability to offer strategic advice, guidance, and appropriate challenge to the College's investment strategy.

All candidates should have the intellect, communication skills and wisdom to make effective contributions to the Committee. They should be comfortable in an intellectually-challenging and stimulating environment. As part of the College's commitment to diversity, it particularly welcomes interest from women and those from an ethnic minority background.

This role is unremunerated but reasonable, pre-agreed domestic travel expenses will be reimbursed. The Committee normally meets three times per year, and has a Non-property Subgroup and a Property Subgroup. Members are appointed for three years and may be reappointed for a further three years.

Nuffield College welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. As women and those from an ethnic minority background are currently under-represented on the Committee, applications from those candidates would be particularly encouraged. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process.