Operations Manager - Residential and Cleaning Services in Edinburgh

Grade and Salary range: Grade 8, £47,389 – £58,225 FTE and working pattern: Full Time (1 FTE), Open ended (flexible working on request). Annual Leave: 33 days, plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday).

About our School/Directorate and Team: The Residential and Cleaning Service is part of Hospitality Services and has responsibility for all aspects of cleaning the University accommodation, internal public areas and spaces across the Edinburgh campus. Operating year-round, the team supports a diverse portfolio including over 2,000 bedrooms, more than 140 teaching spaces, corporate and academic offices, and a range of internal and external events, as well as third-party clients.

Purpose of Role: This role provides operational leadership for a team of approximately 100 colleagues, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality cleaning and residential services across academic, research, and residential spaces. The role is responsible for ensuring services are delivered safely, effectively, and consistently through strong operational management, effective supervisory structures and clear service standards.

Summary of Key Duties:

• Leadership & People Management Responsibilities
• Provide clear leadership, direction, and oversight to supervisors and frontline teams.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, professionalism and continuous improvement across operational teams.
• Ensure clear expectations are established for operational performance, customer service and conduct.
• Manage employee relations matters including performance management, absence management, conduct and wellbeing matters in line with University policies and procedures.
• Drive a high-performance culture through effective people management, development, and engagement.
• Decision Making
• Make operational decisions relating to service delivery, staffing, resource allocation and operational priorities within agreed policies and budgets.
• Delegate and review workload and objectives, balancing competing demands across stakeholders and operational teams.
• Assess operational risks and implement appropriate actions to minimise disruption and maintain service continuity.
• Planning and Organising
• Plan and coordinate operational activity to ensure effective and consistent service delivery across multiple service areas.
• Monitor workloads and priorities to optimise the deployment of teams and resources.
• Manage day-to-day expenditure to ensure financial control and efficiency.
• Initiative and Problem Solving
• Act as a source of expert advice on complex or non-standard operational issues.
• Provide advice and guidance to team members who raise or refer queries.
• Prepare and deliver training and briefing sessions to provide tools, techniques and support to relevant customers and stakeholders.
• Teamwork
• Work collaboratively across the department, contributing to the development and delivery of operational plans.
• Participate in internal and external working groups, sharing expertise and providing professional input.
• Service Excellence
• Provide clear guidance on policy, procedure, and relevant legislation.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety legislation, University policies and operational procedures across all service areas.
• Clear and Consistent Communications
• Prepare and review reports, policies, briefings, and guidance for a range of audiences.
• Communicate clearly and professionally with individuals and groups through written and verbal channels.
• Citizenship
• Demonstrate University values through professional behaviour and performance.
• Support and mentor colleagues, sharing knowledge and experience.

Education, Qualifications & Experience:

• Essential
• Commercial and/or HE experience of a similar scale to role offered.
• Experience of developing and/or managing Service Levels Agreements.
• Significant experience of individual and team management or a diverse workforce; including attendance, discipline and grievance management.
• Ability to coach, motivate, assess and manage team members.
• Effective IT skills in a business environment (specifically MS Office).
• Desirable
• Professional Qualification, Membership of Professional body in a defined role.
• Recent attainment of IOSH.
• Hands-on knowledge of Accommodation and Reservation systems used in HE.

Special Factors: Requirement to work at weekends and/or out of hours – depending on the time of year, this could be a regular occurrence. Occasional requirement to travel to other UK campuses.

This job description is intended as a flexible framework which outlines the key general areas of activity in your position. Other activities may be required which are not outlined above but which are appropriate to the position and grade.

How to Apply: Applications can be submitted up to 11:55pm (UK time) on Sunday 05 July 2026. Please submit your CV & covering letter via the Heriot-Watt online recruitment.

About Heriot-Watt University: At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real-world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.