Director of Estates

Bath Spa University; Bath; On-site; GBP 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK institution is seeking a Director of Estates to shape the future of its campuses and ensure a sustainable, resilient physical environment. The successful candidate will drive the Estates Strategy and oversee significant budgets while representing the institution regionally. Candidates should have extensive strategic experience and a relevant degree or equivalent. Benefits include a generous pension scheme and flexible working policies.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

Enhanced paid leave

Family friendly policies

Employee Assistance Programme

Transport schemes

Wide range of discounts

Qualifications

• Extensive strategic experience in a large, complex organisation.
• Strong track record of delivering major estates projects.
• Experience managing substantial budgets and supplier relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of the Estates Strategy.
• Ensure the estate infrastructure is safe and sustainable.
• Manage significant capital and revenue budgets.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Communication skills

Knowledge of compliance and regulation

Budget management

Education

Relevant degree or equivalent experience

Professional membership (e.g. RICS, CIOB, IWFM)

Job description

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over‑50s age inclusive jobs board.

Director of Estates

Application Deadline: 11 January 2026

Department: Estates & Services

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Bath, Somerset – Newton Park

Compensation: Circa GBP 95,000

Bath Spa University is looking for an exceptional strategic leader to join us as our next Director of Estates. This is a pivotal senior role, shaping the future of our campuses and ensuring our physical environment inspires creativity, collaboration and an outstanding experience for our students and staff.

As a key member of our Leadership Group, you’ll drive the University’s Estates Strategy, oversee capital developments, and ensure our estate is sustainable, resilient and ready to meet the needs of a modern, digitally enabled university. You’ll also play an important role externally, representing the University regionally and building strong relationships with partners and stakeholders.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading the development and delivery of our Estates Strategy across a geographically varied and distinctive estate.
• Ensuring our estate infrastructure is safe, reliable, sustainable and aligned with the University’s strategic priorities.
• Managing significant capital and revenue budgets, ensuring value for money and effective resource planning.
• Providing senior leadership on all health and safety matters, emergency planning and estates risk management.
• Building, motivating and leading a high‑performing Estates team who embody our values of Respect, Inclusion, Sustainability and Collaboration.
• Championing the use of data and technology to enhance estate operations and the student experience.
• Providing strategic leadership to the Sustainability Team and supporting our Carbon Reduction Management Plan.
• Developing productive relationships across the University and representing us externally with confidence and credibility.
• Reporting to the Board of Governors where required and deputising for the Senior Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor.

For a full overview of the role, please refer to the Candidate Pack attached to this page.

About You

We’re looking for a senior estates professional with extensive strategic experience in a large, complex organisation. You’ll bring:

• A relevant degree or equivalent experience, plus professional membership (e.g. RICS, CIOB, IWFM).
• Extensive experience of operating at a strategic level for a sustained period of time.
• A strong track record of delivering major estates projects and estates operations at scale.
• Deep knowledge of compliance, regulation and best practice across estates and health and safety.
• Experience managing substantial budgets and overseeing procurement, contracts and supplier relationships.
• Outstanding communication skills – both written and verbal – with the ability to translate complex information into clear, actionable recommendations, and to write for diverse audiences including the Board.
• A collaborative leadership style, with the ability to inspire teams and build strong, productive relationships across all levels.
• Innovative and inspiring approach to estate leadership and management.

Additional Information

As part of the application process, you will be asked to submit a short video about your vision for Estates at BSU. This is an essential part of the application process, and you will automatically receive the link on application.

Why Bath Spa University?

Our campuses are among the most stunning in the UK – from historic parkland to award‑winning contemporary learning spaces. You’ll be joining a creative, forward‑thinking institution with a clear sense of purpose and values, and you’ll play a leading role in shaping environments that enrich learning, wellbeing and community.

Staff Benefits

We offer a wide range of great benefits at BSU, including

• Generous pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme/Teacher’s Pension Scheme). This is a defined benefit pension scheme which pays members a secure income for life, post‑retirement.
• Enhanced paid leave – 41–46 days depending on the role (Full Time) – more details here: https://apphub.bathspa.ac.uk/StaffBenefits
• Family friendly policies including hybrid working, flexible work environment, on‑site nursery, and a sector‑leading enhanced maternity scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme which offers access to on‑demand GP appointments, wellbeing support and advice, and access to counselling.
• Transport schemes including Electric Vehicle Scheme and Cycle to Work.
• Wide range of discounts and financial benefits, accessed through an easy‑to‑use app.

For further details about all our staff benefits, have a look at our rewards page: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/work-at-bath-spa/rewards-and-benefits/

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.