Director of Campus Services

University of Birmingham

Director of Campus Services

Salary negotiable upon experience

The University of Birmingham is a comprehensive research-intensive institution, ranked in the top 100 universities globally, and home to a diverse community of over 41,000 students from 150 countries and more than 10,000 staff. Our heritage as Britain’s first civic university combines with an ambitious contemporary agenda to continue our transformation and growth and deepen our impact. Over 92% of our research is rated world-leading; our five research themes focus on a thriving planet, life-changing technologies, connecting cultures, global health and a fairer world. We rank highly among employers seeking to recruit graduates and are a diverse community, with staff and students from Birmingham and the West Midlands, across the UK and around the world, and we have a long-standing role at the heart of a dynamic and thriving city region. Building on all of this, our Strategic Framework sets a highly ambitious strategy to become a global top 50 institution by 2030.

The role of Director of Campus Services is of strategic importance for the University and leads a function of c.1,100 staff with a turnover of over £80m and a budget of c.£60m. The Director of Campus Services is accountable for a portfolio including: the University’s 5,500 bed student residential villages, sporting facilities, retail and catering outlets, an on-campus hotel and conference centre and three-day nurseries.

A number of campus-wide services also fall under the remit of Campus Services including cleaning, security and emergency planning, portering, post, visitor services, transport, waste disposal and recycling. The role also has responsibility for conferencing and events and managing University attractions such as Winterbourne House & Gardens.

The postholder provides strategic leadership for the University’s campus services with a specific focus on delivering service excellence, identifying innovative and sector leading opportunities for income generation, and aligning the department’s vision with the University’s 2030 Strategic Framework.

Overall, this is one of the largest and most exciting roles of its kind in the higher education sector, requiring a combination of commercial ability with a strong service ethos. Our 2045 Campus Vision ensures that we ‘enrich the lives of the University’s students, staff, and key stakeholders’, where Campus Services will play a vital role in our success. You will be a leader who is passionate about people and culture with a proven track record in the development of resilient and high functioning teams. This is a post that will suit individuals who can adopt a long-term approach to strategy alongside the rigours of day-to-day world class operations.

The University is committed to building a fully inclusive and diverse community, including its senior leadership. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates from all backgrounds with the qualifications and experience to undertake this role, including under-represented groups.

To arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our retained advisors Michael Hewlett or James Gregory of The Management Recruitment Group.

Closing date for applications is Sunday 10th August 2025.

The MRG preliminary meetings will be held over w/c 18th August with the formal stages at the University of Birmingham during late September/October 2025.