Campus Operations Director

The Management Recruitment Group; Reading; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is looking for a Campus Operations Director to oversee the delivery of exceptional campus and facilities services. This role involves leading a diverse department responsible for both hard and soft facilities management across multiple campuses. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in estate leadership, managing significant operational property portfolios, and a proven track record in performance improvement. Join a dynamic team committed to fostering collaboration and innovation in a vibrant university setting, where your contributions will directly impact the student and staff experience.

Benefits

Generous Annual Leave

USS Pension

Employee Health and Wellbeing Programs

Optional Benefits

Qualifications

• Experience managing large-scale operational property portfolios with budgets over £10 million.
• Proven ability to lead performance improvements in estates operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of campus and facilities services across the University’s estate portfolio.
• Ensure FM services are customer-focused, compliant, and promote best practices.

Skills

Estate Leadership

Operational Management

Performance Improvement

Stakeholder Management

Interpersonal Skills

Communication Skills

Education

Relevant Degree

Job description

The University of Reading is seeking to appoint a Campus Operations Director to lead the delivery of outstanding campus and facilities services across the University’s diverse estate portfolio.

The University of Reading has been at the forefront of UK Higher Education for nearly a Century. We are a global university that enjoys a world-class reputation for teaching, research and enterprise. Key to the University’s success is its estate portfolio - the campuses in Reading and Henley have regularly been voted one of the best university green spaces in the UK serving over 19,000 students and nearly 4,000 staff.

Occupying three beautiful campuses ranging from the urban utopia of London Road, the peaceful parkland of Whiteknights to the riverside retreat of Greenlands, the unique “University in a Park” setting of the University of Reading is an inspiring place to come to work.

The University has a significant operational estate portfolio consisting of more than 200 buildings and over 250,000m² of space, spanning academic, research, enterprise, sport, recreation, and residential buildings and facilities. It also has an investment portfolio comprising an incredibly diverse variety of land and property including commercial, residential, innovation & enterprise, research & development, industrial, retail, and rural space. We have over 500 tenants ranging from multi-national corporations to individual partners.

A rare opportunity has arisen to shape the future of Campus Operations provision at the University. Reporting to the Director of Estates, the Campus Operations Director leads a department spanning Hard FM (Planned Maintenance, Reactive Maintenance, and Gardens & Grounds) and Soft FM (Security, Cleaning, Post, Portering, and Building Support) across the campus and estate portfolio.

Leading the department involves fostering teamwork and instilling the ‘One Estates’ ethos, emphasising collaboration across the Directorate. The Director of Campus Operations is accountable for ensuring FM services are fit for purpose, customer-focused, innovative, compliant with legislation, and promote best practice. Delivering the Maintenance Plan on time and within budget, reducing backlog maintenance, aligning maintenance activities with the Decarbonisation Plan and improving HESA condition ratings are key objectives.

The ideal candidate will have demonstrable experience in estate leadership roles, managing large-scale operational property portfolios with budgets exceeding £10 million. They will possess a specific track record in leading performance improvements across estates operations functions, as well as the ability to oversee a portfolio of soft FM services. Experience in environments with comparable characteristics to those found at the University, including 24/7 operational settings, diverse property and facility types, and complex processes, is essential.

We are seeking an individual that has senior-level leadership experience within complex organisations, with a proven ability to inspire and lead a substantial in-house staff cohort, ranging from senior managers to operational professionals. They will possess excellent interpersonal, communication and stakeholder management skills, coupled with a dynamic yet collaborative disposition.

The University of Reading offers a compelling benefits package including the exceptional USS pension (www.uss.co.uk), generous annual leave (40 days including university closure days and public holidays), a strong commitment to employee health and wellbeing and access to various optional benefits. Further information can be viewed at this link.

For a confidential briefing discussion please contact our advisor Michael Hewlett ([e-mail]) of MRG.

Applications should consist of a comprehensive CV and supporting statement and should be sent to [e-mail].

The closing date for applications is 5th May 2025. First stage interviews with MRG will take place w/c 5th and 12th May 2025. Final stage interviews with the University will take place on campus on w/c 2nd June 2025.