Commercial Business & Receptions Operations Manager

University of Bath; Bath; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Pension schemes

Cycle to work scheme

Electric vehicle salary sacrifice

Staff discount at Team Bath gym

Discounted postgraduate tuition

Local discounts (Holburne Museum)

Employee assistance services

Job summary

The University of Bath is seeking an experienced Commercial Business & Receptions Operations Manager to lead year‑round reception services and summer commercial operations across campus and city locations. You will oversee Residence Experience and Campus Services receptions, ensuring a consistently excellent service while maximizing commercial opportunities.

You will plan and deliver conferences, events, group bookings and summer schools, work with internal teams and external clients, and drive

Qualifications

• Significant experience managing sales, events, hospitality, accommodation or conference operations.
• Proven track record leading, motivating and developing teams.
• Strong commercial acumen, including forecasting, budgeting and performance management.
• Experience building relationships with clients, customers and stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with the confidence to drive positive change.
• Outstanding communication skills and a commitment to delivering excellent customer experiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead year-round reception services and summer commercial operations.
• Oversee Residence Experience and Campus Services receptions.
• Plan and deliver conferences, events, group bookings and summer schools.
• Collaborate with colleagues and external clients to meet commercial and financial goals.

Skills

Sales & events

Team leadership

Forecasting & budgeting

Client relationships

Organization

Communication

Problem solving

Job description

Commercial Business & Receptions Operations Manager

Job title Commercial Business & Receptions Operations Manager

Department Campus Services

Salary Starting from £38,784, rising to £46,049

Grade Grade 7

Contract Type Full Time, Open Ended

Placed on Monday 24 August 2026

Interview date Monday 28 September 2026

Reference KD13891

Special Conditions Please see job description for all special conditions.

At the University of Bath, we're proud of the experiences we create for our students, visitors, conference delegates and summer school guests. From welcoming new students to delivering major events and commercial programmes, our teams play a vital role in ensuring every interaction with the University is positive, professional and memorable.

We're looking for an experienced Commercial Business & Receptions Operations Manager to lead our year-round reception services and summer commercial operations, helping us deliver outstanding customer experiences while maximising commercial opportunities across our campus. You will be responsible for the operational management of our Residence Experience and Campus Services receptions, ensuring students receive a consistently excellent service throughout their time living with us.

You will oversee key customer touchpoints including arrivals, departures, accommodation access, enquiries and reception operations across campus and city locations. Alongside this, you'll lead the planning and delivery of our successful summer business, including conferences, events, group bookings and summer schools. Working closely with colleagues across the University and external clients, you'll ensure every event is delivered to the highest standard while achieving ambitious commercial and financial objectives.

• Significant experience managing sales, events, hospitality, accommodation or conference operations.
• A proven track record of leading, motivating and developing successful teams.
• Strong commercial acumen, including forecasting, budgeting and performance management.
• Experience building effective relationships with clients, customers and a wide range of stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with the confidence to drive positive change.
• Outstanding communication skills and a commitment to delivering excellent customer experiences.

Experience within higher education would be advantageous, but we also welcome applications from professionals working in hospitality, hotels, conferences, events, visitor attractions or similar customer-focused environments.

Further information

This role is offered on a full-time, permanent basis, working 36.5 hours per week.

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equity and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We're continually expanding our benefits package to better support you and enhance your experience with us and the below is just an example of some of the many great benefits we offer:

• Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
• Generous employer contributory pension schemes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Staff discount at Team Bath gym
• Staff benefits include discounted postgraduate tuition and language courses, alongside a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities such as apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning, and more
• Local discounts, including free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
• An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
• Employee assistance services through Health Assured, including access to the Wisdom app

We’re committed to creating a health-supporting working environment where everyone can thrive and be at their best. We offer a range of resources to enable you to do that from your first day here, including:

• Staff support groups and networks
• A network of Staff Wellbeing Champions
• A suite of tools, resources and frameworks that enable you to be at your best and thrive

Right to Work in the UK:We do not assess immigration or right to work status until offer stage. Being invited to interview does not guarantee you are eligible for visa sponsorship and all offers are conditional on meeting right to work requirements. Further information is available on our application support webpage.

Anonymous shortlisting:We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details such as your name, may be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.