Assistant Director- Capital projects, Estates

UCL; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

41 Days holiday

Relocation scheme

On-site gym

CARE pension

Cycle to work

Season ticket loan

Employee assistance programme

Discounted medical insurance

Job summary

UCL is seeking an Assistant Director (Capital Projects) to join its Estates team in Bloomsbury & Stratford. You will lead the Capital Projects Programme, directing a portfolio of medium-to-large projects from inception through to operation, including new builds, refurbishments and public realm works.

You will manage a team of project managers, collaborate with faculties and external partners, ensure value for money, robust risk controls, governance and stakeholder engagement, and deliver safe,

Qualifications

• Lead and coordinate a portfolio of capital projects from inception, design and construction through mobilisation, handover and post-project review, delivering agreed time, cost and quality outcomes.
• Develop and manage Business Cases with stakeholders to align with institutional strategy and objectives.
• Provide leadership, coaching and professional development to internal Project Managers.

Responsibilities

• Ensure projects deliver best value with robust risk management, governance, audit controls and transparent decision-making.
• Align projects with UCL's strategic priorities: teaching, learning, research and enhanced student/staff experience.
• Oversee initiation, scoping, procurement and handover, including Soft Landings and operational readiness.
• Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring alignment with strategy and local plans.
• Drive continuous improvement across portfolio and ensure safety, accessibility and sustainability targets are met.

Skills

Leadership

Programme management

Stakeholder engagement

Budget management

Contract management

Risk management

Education

Degree in a relevant field

Tools

Project management tools

Job description

The UCL Estate comprises over 240 buildings, more than 6.5 million square feet of academic accommodation and around 4500 owned student bedrooms. The location, scale, variety and complexity of the estate are unparalleled in the sector, including world-leading research, teaching, offices and student accommodation within our Bloomsbury and UCL East campus, at Stratford.

Together, Campus Experience and Infrastructure and Estates Development (CE&I and ED) is responsible for managing all aspects of the UCL Estate from the strategic to the operational, including property asset management, master-planning, capital projects and seamless end to end operational support. The function comprises approximately. 350 FM and property professionals, project managers and customer facing operational colleagues.

This key activity supports the student and campus experience for our 46,000 students and 13,000 staff across our sites. From providing student accommodation, security and catering, to delivering an estates masterplan and all forms of capital projects in a sustainable manner. We are a collective of technical professionals who work together to deliver a resilient, functional, and vibrant estate

We have a proud history, and the ambition and drive to innovate. We strive to provide a coordinated and customer-oriented approach to both buildings and services, maintaining and transforming UCL's Estate, so that it directly contributes to the creation of a truly inspirational environment for our academics, students and staff. We aim to provide the best possible experience, and responsive support, to our students and campus users in respect of the physical estate and all our campus services.

About the role

We are seeking an Assistant Director (Capital Projects) to join our Estates team in a key leadership role to lead our Bloomsbury & Operations teams.

The Capital Projects Programme team is responsible for managing the delivery of all capital works across the UCL Estate, from inception through to operational phases. This includes new builds, refurbishment, adaptation, as well as infrastructure and public realm works. Our projects are bespoke facilities designed and constructed to industry-leading standards.

The AD leading the Bloomsbury will be responsible for

• Leading the development and delivery of a significant portfolio of medium valued(10m-150m) projects located centrally within the Estate with a focus on heritage, campus experience and complex interfaces with infrastructure and campus operations.
• The projects are a range of teaching space, campus experience and public realm projects.
• In this role, you will be responsible for working with stakeholders and project partners developing and delivering projects, with the support of your consultant and project management staff who will work under your guidance to deliver projects across the UCL Estate.

The Assistant Director will be responsible to the Director Capital Program for:

• Leading and managing the delivery of a range of capital projects from inception through to operation including new build, refurbishments and improvements across the UCL estate with specific responsibility for major projects.
• Leading and managing a team of UCL Project Managers responsible for delivery of the projects within your portfolio. Responsible for creating a high-performing team with a focus on Customer, Strategy, Value for Money and People.
• Working with the strategy team at project origination to develop value-based Business Cases that deliver institutional strategic objectives, taking lead on the scoping and service provision to deliver the Business Case.
• Where relevant, working with external parities to establish Joint Ventures and working with these parties to represent UCL's interests in the delivery of joint venture projects.
• Leading the procurement and subsequent management of consultants and design teams to support project delivery.
• Management of consultancy services and performance, through established KPI's and supply-chain engagement.
• Lead the procurement and subsequent management of contractors to deliver the construction phase of projects, with particular focus on robust pre-construction planning, risk management and contract/contractor selection to UCL standards.
• Working with the Programme Management Office (PMO) and the UCL wide strategy leaders to set and deliver reporting and performance standards for projects in delivery.
• Leading stakeholder engagement for your projects in delivery, ensuring excellent customer service for academic and institutional partners.
• Meeting and exceeding where possible agreed targets and institutional objectives for completed schemes, including safety, accessibility and sustainability.
• Driving a zero-tolerance safety culture across the team and with all suppliers to secure delivery of a safe, healthy and secure environment for students, staff and visitors.
• As a key member of the Capital Projects Programme Leadership Team, coach and support colleagues in delivering programme wide priorities and opportunities.

About you

Duties and responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate a portfolio of capital projects from inception, design and construction through mobilisation, handover and post-project review, delivering agreed time, cost and quality outcomes and meeting UCL, statutory, health and safety, environmental and accessibility requirements.
• Lead and develop a team of internal Project Managers, providing direction, performance management, coaching and professional development, and promoting a customer-focused, responsive and collaborative culture.
• Ensure projects demonstrate best value for UCL, supported by robust risk management, governance, audit controls and transparent, evidence-based decision-making.
• Ensure projects support UCL's strategic priorities, including high-quality teaching, learning, research and assessment environments, improved accessibility and an enhanced student and staff experience.
• Lead project initiation and the development and approval of Business Cases, working with Space & Feasibility and relevant stakeholders to define scope, services, costs, risks and delivery requirements.
• Establish effective project and programme reporting, ensuring compliance with UCL governance, financial regulations and gateway review requirements, and working with Portfolio Services, Performance Office, auditors and other stakeholders.
• Manage project budgets, cost plans, cashflows, forecasting, interim payments and contract variations, ensuring effective financial control and governance.
• Work collaboratively with Faculties, Divisions, Departments and project teams, as well as external advisers, consultants, architects, contractors and suppliers, to resolve complex project, construction and technical issues and maintain delivery within approved budgets.
• Build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including statutory authorities, landlords and suppliers, ensuring projects align with institutional strategy, local plans and operational requirements.
• Promote consistent standards of project delivery and performance, providing oversight, challenge and coaching and driving continuous improvement across the portfolio.
• Contribute to UCL-wide strategies for effective capital project delivery, including procurement, consultant and contractor engagement, risk management, value for money, contingencies and cost planning.
• Ensure project teams and suppliers have the appropriate skills, resources and professional competencies to deliver successfully, including risk management, contract management and Soft Landings.
• Work collaboratively with Campus Experience and Infrastructure to ensure project design aligns with engineering, maintenance and operational strategies, standards and requirements.
• Champion operational readiness, ensuring a 'no surprises' approach from inception through to occupancy. Lead effective Soft Landings, stakeholder engagement, commissioning and handover, ensuring spaces are safe, fully operational and ready for use, with relevant information and asset registers complete.
• Ensure completed projects are effectively handed over to operational teams, including Residences where applicable, supporting safe, efficient and sustainable ongoing operation.
• Ensure proactive and effective communication throughout the project lifecycle, working with Estates Communications and relevant stakeholders to keep the wider UCL community informed.

What we offer

In return, you'll have the opportunity to make a significant impact within Student Lifecycle portfolio, working alongside talented colleagues. We offer a collaborative environment where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your work directly contributes to the university's bold strategic goals. Our people really are our greatest asset and we invest in them so that they can fulfil their potential. Equity, diversity and inclusion is important to us. We are committed to creating an environment where everyone is encouraged to give their best in a place where their unique experiences, perspectives and skills are seen as valuable assets.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme
• Flexible working options
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer great benefits. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. Our department is working towards an Athena SWAN award. We are committed to advancing gender equality within our department.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here : https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

Work at UCL pages: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/