Associate Director of Campus & Commercial Services

MRG Global; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Sheffield is seeking a dynamic leader to take responsibility for developing and implementing key strategies for its expansive accommodation portfolio, supporting student recruitment and the campus experience.

Reporting to the Director of Estates & Facilities, the role will oversee a large team and commercial activities, including the UNICUS subsidiary, with significant budgetary responsibility (£60-£65m).

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement key strategies for the university's accommodation portfolio.
• Lead estates & facilities campus services and associated commercial activities.
• Act as strategic lead for contracts with Catalyst and Project Co.

Job description

Create a culture of service excellence focused on delivering a world-class student and staff experience.

The University of Sheffield is a truly special place, with a bold and ambitious future. A leading global university renowned for the excellence, impact and the distinctiveness of its research-led learning and teaching across a wide range of disciplines, we are home to 30,000 of the brightest students and over 8,000 staff from more than 140 countries around the world. We want Sheffield to be an international centre of excellence for centuries to come, so we recruit ambitious, creative people from across the globe and we nurture their talent.

Reporting to the Director of Estates & Facilities, you will take full responsibility for developing and implementing key University strategies for our expansive accommodation portfolio which supports student recruitment. In addition, development and implementation of strategies to deliver estates & facilities campus services and commercial activities including wholly owned subsidiaries, all of which support the University’s Strategic Delivery Plan.

The role holder will also be the University of Sheffield strategic lead for the contract and relationship with Catalyst and the Project Co. joint venture. It is a wide-ranging remit where the postholder will have responsibility for a portfolio of commercial activities with budgetary and financial performance in the region of £60-£65m commercial revenue. You would be accountable for a team of c.500+ multidisciplinary staff within Estates & Facilities and c.150 in the wholly owned subsidiary UNICUS (where you would be Director of Operations).

In totality, this is one of the largest and most unique roles of its kind in the higher education sector, requiring a combination of commercial ability with a strong service ethos. You will be a leader who is passionate about people and culture with a proven track record in the development of resilient and high functioning teams. This is a post that will suit individuals who can adopt a long-term approach to strategy alongside the rigours of day-to-day world class operations. It will suit leaders with a career history of delivering innovation across a similarly wide range of commercial and hospitality services.

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 20th September 2026.

We build teams of people from different heritages and lifestyles from across the world, whose talent and contributions complement each other to greatest effect. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience.