Estates Services Manager

Arden University; Baginton; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

Arden University is seeking a Facilities Manager to oversee campus operations and ensure service excellence in property management. The successful candidate will manage external contracts, compliance, and work with various stakeholders to create safe and efficient environments across multiple locations. With a focus on high standards and strategic growth, this role is essential for supporting Arden's ambitious expansion plans.

Benefits

30 days holiday + bank holidays

Generous pension plan

Private Medical Insurance

Study any Arden course for free

Qualifications

• Significant experience in facilities and estates management.
• Strong background in managing outsourced contracts.
• Excellent knowledge of health and safety regulations.

Responsibilities

• Overseeing performance of services provided by shared services group.
• Ensuring compliance with legal standards and agreements.
• Driving efficiency across facilities management operations.

Skills

Stakeholder Management

Service Excellence

Risk Management

Communication

Job description

Salary: £45,000 - £49,000 per annum

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Director of Campus Development and Expansion

Department: Campus Development and Expansion

Click here to read the full job description and view our excellent benefits here

This role operates on a hybrid working arrangement that will require regular travel (2 -3days a week) into our Coventry Head Office and Campus locations listed below. This may fluctuate in line with business requirements. Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

Travel will be required into the following locations:

• Coventry head office
• Birmingham campus
• Leeds campus
• Nottingham campus
• Manchester campus
• London area (Ealing, Holborn, Stratford andTower Hill)

About Arden University:

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About our Department:

The Campus Development and Expansion Department plays a vital role in supporting Arden University’s growth and operational excellence. We are responsible for ensuring and compliance of our existing campuses and Head Office, ensuring safe, functional, and welcoming environments for students and staff.

In addition, the department leads on the planning and delivery of new campus developments, expanding Arden’s UK and international footprint in line with our strategic ambitions. We work closely with internal teams and external partners to bring new locations into our portfolio efficiently and to a high standard.

This is a dynamic, forward-looking team committed to high-quality service delivery, sustainability, and continuous improvement across all areas of property and facilities management.

About the Opportunity:

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of our campus operations at a time of significant growth. Reporting to the Director of Campus Development and Expansion, you will be responsible for overseeing the performance and delivery of services provided by a shared services group team - as well as managing a range of outsourced estates, facilities, and compliance contracts.

You will ensure that all property and facilities services meet agreed standards, support operational needs, and align with Arden’s strategic priorities. With a strong focus on service excellence, compliance, and value for money, you’ll be responsible for overseeing the performance of our external partners—ensuring legal compliance, delivery against service level agreements (SLAs), and consistently high standards across all locations. This role is central to creating safe, efficient, and welcoming environments across our expanding campus portfolio and supporting Arden’s continued growth.

This is a high-impact role suited to someone with a strong background in facilities or property management, excellent stakeholder management skills, and a passion for continuous improvement.

About You:

You will needsignificant experience in estates and facilities management, ideally within a multi-site or complex organisational environment. You will have a strong track record of managing outsourced contracts and service providers, ensuring high performance, compliance, and value for money.

With excellent knowledge of property operations, building services, and health & safety regulations, you will be confident in managing risk, driving efficiency, and delivering against strategic objectives. You willbe highly organised, proactive, and solutions-focused, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and influence stakeholders at all levels.

Your communication skills will besecond to none – you will be able tocollaborate effectively across teams, manage relationships with external partners, and confidently represent the department in cross-functional discussions.

You will also be someone who thrives in a fast-paced and growing organisation and can adapt and lead through change.

To succeed in this role, you’ll need:

• Substantialexperience in facilities and estates management, including contract oversight
• A sound understanding of building compliance, health & safety, and risk management
• Experience leading performance monitoring and improvement across third-party providers
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of procurement processes
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• A strategic mindset with the ability to balance long-term planning with day-to-day operations

Why Arden:

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!
• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%
• SimplyHealth plan option
• Private Medical Insurance
• Access to Perkbox benefits
• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends
• Plus, otherexcellent benefits
• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education
  

Our Values:

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness,reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date:Wednesday 16th July

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Student Experience roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer tothe guidancehere.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship statement:

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the points-based immigration system. However, we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.