Building Manager in Birmingham

Birmingham City University,

At Birmingham City University, we are a diverse and inclusive learning community of over 31,400 students from more than 120 countries.

We aim to become an exemplar anchor institution, creating and sharing knowledge for a better and more inclusive society.

We are committed to providing a transformational educational experience, supporting world‑class research, and fostering a collaborative and supportive working environment for our staff.

Recognised as one of the UK’s Top 250 employers (Financial Times & Statista), we pride ourselves on being a place where colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to grow their careers while contributing to the success of our students and communities.

Our student demographic reflects the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, with a significant proportion of students from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and the majority of our home students coming from the West Midlands.

This diversity is a strength, and it calls for a workforce that is equipped to challenge deficit narratives and thinking — those assumptions that position students from underrepresented groups as lacking rather than recognising their assets, strengths and potential.

By embracing this perspective, we aim to create an environment where all students and colleagues can thrive, and where our work contributes positively to the social, cultural and economic life of Birmingham and beyond.

As Building Manager, you will be responsible for the effective day‑to‑day operation of designated buildings across Birmingham City University’s estate.

You will provide visible leadership to facilities colleagues, coordinate contractors and building services, respond to operational issues and ensure our buildings remain safe, compliant and welcoming for students, staff and visitors.

This is a hands‑on, customer‑focused position in which you will balance planned activity with changing operational demands.

You will act as the principal point of contact for building users and work closely with colleagues across Estates and Facilities to maintain high standards of service.

The role will involve working across University campuses and may occasionally require flexibility outside normal working hours to support operational requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, organise and support facilities teams, ensuring services are delivered effectively and consistently.
• Act as a lead custodian of the building, maintaining oversight of building activities and ensure that all compliance requirements are met.
• Work with the Facilities Helpdesk and Estates teams to ensure repairs are progressed and outstanding work is monitored and escalated.
• Working closely with the Helpdesk team fostering effective performance by checking outstanding tasks that are older than 30 days and escalating accordingly.
• Carry out regular building inspections, audits and service‑performance checks.
• Build effective relationships with building users and represent Estates and Facilities at relevant stakeholder meetings and forums.
• Support office moves, refurbishment activity and changes to accommodation layouts.
• Identify opportunities to improve services and the experience of students, colleagues and visitors.
• Support other University buildings and campuses when operational cover is required.

Essential Requirements

You will be an experienced facilities professional who is comfortable taking ownership of a busy building environment.

You will be able to lead others, make sound operational decisions and provide an excellent service while maintaining high safety and compliance standards.

You will have

• Relevant operational facilities or building‑management experience gained within a large, complex or multi‑site organisation.
• Experience of leading, supervising and developing employees.
• A good working knowledge of health and safety legislation, compliance requirements and safe systems of work.
• Experience of managing contractors and monitoring the quality and compliance of their work.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Excellent customer‑service, communication and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Experience of carrying out inspections, audits or service‑performance monitoring.
• Good IT skills, including experience of Microsoft Office and facilities‑management systems such as CAFM.

Desirable

• Experience gained in higher education, the public sector or another large customer‑facing organisation.
• A professional qualification in facilities management or a related discipline.
• Knowledge of wider Estates and Facilities services.

We welcome applications from candidates with transferable facilities‑management experience gained in sectors such as education, healthcare, local government, commercial property, hospitality or other complex, customer‑focused environments.

Our buildings are central to the experience of our students, colleagues and visitors, and you will have a genuine opportunity to influence how those environments operate.

You will join a collaborative Estates and Facilities team and work alongside experienced colleagues while continuing to develop your facilities‑management career.

Further information

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Suzanne Blunt, Facilities Operations Manager, at Suzanne. Blunt@bcu. ac. uk.

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