Director of Estates and Facilities
With one of the largest estates in the Higher Education sector, the Estates and Facilities Directorate at the University of Nottingham employs over 1,000 staff. This is an outstanding opportunity to lead an innovative, well-resourced team, responsible for delivering high-quality and effective services.
If the opportunity to develop and implement the Estates Strategy and Masterplan for the University’s exceptional physical estate appeals to you, we would be delighted to receive your application. We look forward to discovering your vision for the University’s long-term estates strategy and your approach to optimising the performance of the Directorate through entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation.
Closing date
Monday 16th May 2022
Contract type
Permanent, full-time
Working closely with the Chief Financial Officer and the University’s Senior Management Team, you will enable and support key strategies including the Estates Strategy and the Capital Project Programme. As a visible and inspirational leader, you will engage regularly with the Senior Management Team to champion and justify strategic approaches and to build relationships and trust across the university community.
You will lead, manage and motivate the Estates and Facilities Management Team, setting clear performance targets and establishing a culture that lives the values of the University and is focused on customer service and accountability for delivery. You will optimise the structure and function of the department through entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation, while supporting the delivery of excellent services across the directorate. Using technology to improve the quality of services provided, reduce costs and drive operational efficiency, you will ensure a strong budgetary and financial control culture exists, with a particular focus on value for money.
As Director, you will provide clear strategic leadership for major projects, programmes and other building initiatives that will have a significant impact across the University and play a pivotal role in developing and prioritising the university’s long-term estates strategy. It will be vital that you can ensure effective governance of the major capital projects and provide regular reports and appropriate management information on plans, progress and benefits realised.
Externally, you will be the university’s representative on estates and hospitality issues within the sector and the named contact for the Association of University Directors of Estate (AUDE). You will represent the University’s interests with relevant bodies, including commercial suppliers and delivery partners.
You will be professionally qualified with a relevant degree / postgraduate qualification and relevant leadership experience, or substantial experience and proven success in a strategically important, broad function / specialist area. You will have a proven track record in gaining efficiencies in the management of financial, physical and human resources and delivering significant improvements in a customer services environment. With high-level negotiating and influencing skills, you will be adept at engaging with senior managers and highly qualified professionals, both internal and external.
You will be experienced in contributing to significant change management programmes at organisation level and will be able to deliver on several disparate projects simultaneously. Ideally, you will have designed and delivered a major capital programme for a large complex organisation, and you will demonstrate an appreciation of effective procurement, governance and budgetary requirements for building projects in the public sector.
This is a full time, permanent position. Job share arrangements may be considered.
To find our more and to make an application, please access the link above.
Informal enquiries may be addressed to Natalie Derry and Evan Yeckley at WittKieffer: nderry@wittkieffer.com / eyeckley@wittkieffer.com
The closing date for applications is midnight Monday 16th May 2022