Building Operational Teams University College London (UCL) is a globally recognised Institution and one of the UK’s most successful Universities with over 12,000 staff and 38,000 students. Their residences department is extensive, with currently over 7,000 beds across their direct and partner halls. The university set out an ambitious new vision of ‘becoming the leading provider of accommodation in the HEI sector’, which meant looking at the overall picture; undertaking a restructure and implementing new processes and procedures to ensure an exceptional student experience across the department. The MRG Student Accommodation team were appointed to recruit key hires within the residences department as part of the university’s restructure. For each role, the candidates were provided with detailed briefs, before being assessed against agreed criteria. A background and understanding of each role is detailed below:
Director of Accommodation
MRG were mandated by UCL to conduct a search for the Director of Accommodation Services, a critical leadership appointment, to play a key role in the development and realisation of UCL’s student experience and accommodation strategy. This nationwide search took place across a myriad of sectors, starting with other higher education institutions, purpose built student accommodation providers and hotels. After presenting a shortlist of 8 candidates, 6 were interviewed and the role was offered to a Director of Operations from Unite Students. Business Standards Manager The Business Standards Manager was a new role created in the Residences team as a strategic point between the 21 internal residences and their external delivery partners. The university wanted someone with skills in developing and implementing processes, and extensive experience in auditing sites, who could join the team and build good foundations across the department. For this role, the university were open to someone coming from another sector, and a nationwide search was conducted due to the niche nature of the role. In total 7 people were shortlisted, with varying experience from within sector to hospitality, serviced offices and facilities providers. The successful candidate was experienced in Quality Assurance for a large construction company, with experience both on their construction side and facilities services.
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