Director of Estates Candidate Information Pack
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Contents
Executive Summary
Executive Summary About the University of Birmingham Birmingham 2030 Strategic Framework
The University of Birmingham is seeking to appoint our next Director of Estates. Available for the first time in nearly a decade, the post offers an unprecedented opportunity to shape and deliver our new Campus Vision, lead service excellence across the Estates Division and support delivery of net zero scopes 1 & 2, whilst providing strategic advice to the Vice Chancellor, the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer (to whom the post reports) and the University Executive Board. The Director of Estates for the University of Birmingham will play a key role in helping deliver the institution’s ambitious strategy to become a global top 50 university by 2030, continuing to enhance performance in research and teaching. Ranked 80th in the QS World University Rankings, Birmingham has 9,000 staff and 38,000 students. We are a member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities. The University Estate consists of campus sites (Edgbaston & Selly Oak) along with a new campus in Dubai, UAE and properties in Birmingham City Centre, Stratford upon Avon, Tyseley, Ansty (near Coventry),Coniston (in Cumbria) and Ironbridge. The Estate covers more than 600 acres, with over 200 buildings of different ages, complexities and use, ranging from Grade I and II listed properties to brand new state of the art learning and research spaces. Our heritage as the original ‘redbrick’ is combined with an ambitious agenda to continue the transformation of the University. Over the last 10 years we have undertaken a £1 billion renewal of the campus estate including a new School of Engineering, Molecular Sciences, new Library, Sports Centre, Teaching & Learning Building, Hotel and Conference Centre and The Green Heart – an attractive parkland in the centre of campus. In collaboration with our staff, students, partners and neighbours, we have developed the 2045 Campus Vision. Working with renowned international architects KPF we have produced a vision which provides a broad framework of ideas for how the University’s estate could be developed over the next two decades and beyond. It will steer our decisions and provide the flexibility to adapt, embrace new technologies and sustainability approaches, and navigate new challenges. You can learn more here.
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Our University Community Research and Innovation Leadership and Governance Professional Services Our Estate The Role The Team
Main Responsibilities Person Specification Relationships Benefits How to Apply
The Director will play a leading role in realising this vision and delivering the Campus Masterplan, and major capital projects.
The Director also leads the Estates Division of c. 200 staff, significant financial resources (for 2024/2025 estates capital spend is £90m and revenue spend £38m), and is responsible for masterplanning, management of and excellence in service delivery across a large and varied university estate.
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About the University of Birmingham
Birmingham 2030 Strategic Framework
The University of Birmingham was founded on the vision of Joseph Chamberlain in 1900 to provide a university for the people of Birmingham, ‘a great school of universal instruction… taking all knowledge in its province’. This philosophy has defined and shaped us as an institution for our city ever since, founded on equality of opportunity for all. We are proud to continue to find new expressions for these civic roots. The University is now a global institution, with our doors open, welcoming the best to Birmingham and taking the best of Birmingham to the world. Ranked 80th in the QS World University rankings, Birmingham is a member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities. Numerous staff have received the most prestigious recognition within their fields, including Nobel Prizes. The quality of our research has grown significantly, as demonstrated in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework results, where we ranked 10th, having enjoyed the biggest rise of any institution in the Russell Group.
This success is continuing, with academics at Birmingham attracting in excess of £250m in research awards in the last academic year. We are the most targeted university in the UK by graduate employers. We have our own non-selective secondary school and sixth form serving the diverse communities of Birmingham and have a major campus in Dubai. We take our role seriously as an anchor institution for the UK’s diverse, youthful, and dynamic second city, and are one of the largest employers in the region. We played a central role in the success of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and value our partnerships with local organisations including through our Civic University Agreement signed with Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority. Through The Exchange we have a city centre base from which to work with partners. We are currently working with Bruntwood SciTech to develop the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus which will open in 2024.
Through our Birmingham 2030 Strategic Framework we have set an aspiration to become a top 50 global institution. We recognise this is a genuinely challenging aim, which will require a vibrant, intellectually exciting, and diverse University community for research and education, working closely with our partners in a world class estate in Birmingham and around the world.
With world-class research and outstanding global education as our core mission, we will strive to increase the volume and quality of our research to make an even greater difference to the world around us. We will be the UK’s exemplary civic University, remaining firmly committed to our foundations in the highly diverse communities, people, and economy of the city of Birmingham and the West Midlands.
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Our University Community
Research and Innovation
Our Railway Engineering group, which was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2017, has extensive collaborations with industry, including securing circa £15m investment through the Research Partnership Investment Fund. Our world-leading High Temperature Research Centre is built on a £60m investment from Rolls-Royce and this collaboration won the 2023 Queen’s Anniversary prize. We run one of the four national quantum technology hubs, an £80m initiative that focuses on technology transfer from fundamental science to application.
At Birmingham, we teach and research across the full breadth of academic disciplines, creating a vibrant community with multidisciplinary opportunities for research and education from Medicine to Music. We are a truly international community, comprising more than 9,000 staff, 38,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni. Our student community is not only one of the largest of any UK university, but also highly diverse, with 86% of our home undergraduate students from state schools, 43% from black, Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds, and 36% in the first generation of their family to attend university. We have a diverse staff community: over one-third of our academic staff are from overseas, around 22% of
our staff are from black, Asian or other minority ethnic backgrounds, and 5% have a declared disability. Our most recent staff survey indicates levels of engagement and pride which most employers would be pleased to achieve, and we are committed to building on this through the inclusion of ‘people and culture’ as a core pillar of the Birmingham 2030 Strategic Framework. We value our diversity and aim to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of the University community. We believe our diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of our academic mission. We hold a Bronze Race Equality Charter Award and a Bronze Athena SWAN Charter Award at institutional level, with many school- level awards at both silver and bronze. Our ED&I activities are well supported and embedded across the University of Birmingham. Birmingham 2030 strengthens our commitment to sustainability as one of the core pillars of our activity. This includes using our research and education to make a major global contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, a headline to be net zero by 2045 and a link to our Sustainability framework can be found here. We are active partners in Birmingham’s Tyseley Energy Park developing new technologies to contribute to Birmingham’s net zero ambitions.
The University is one of the UK’s most successful institutions in terms of research. In the latest Research Excellence Framework, we were placed 10th in terms of GPA, with the highest rise in position of any Russell Group university, and with significant improvements across the breadth of our disciplines – a genuine University-wide achievement. Our areas of research excellence are unusually comprehensive for a UK university, with a submission to 28 of a possible 34 Units of Assessment in the REF2021. The total value of research funding won by the University has grown rapidly in recent years, and we now have a portfolio of over 2,800 live projects with an award value to the University of over £900m. Our academic community achieves remarkable things. We have been integral to some of the greatest scientific discoveries of recent times, such as the discovery of the Higgs boson particle and the detection of gravitational waves. We enjoy world-class expertise in areas as diverse as mental health, Shakespeare studies, global maternal health, formulation engineering, quantum technology, psychology, water science, air pollution, corpus linguistics, inter-faith understanding, and character education. Our robust industrial partnerships support enterprise and innovation across several sectors, working with companies as diverse as Siemens, AstraZeneca, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and drawing on our innovation assets such as the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus and the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Ansty, near Coventry.
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Leadership and Governance
Professional Services
The governing body of the University is the Council, which comprises 24 members, most of whom are lay members external to the University. The University has a strong working relationship between the Council and the executive, and our recent Council effectiveness review commended the ‘strong sense of there being “one team” across non-executives, executives and staff and student members’. The University Executive Board (UEB) is the senior leadership team of the University and a Committee of Council. It is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor and its membership is shown here: Leadership - University of Birmingham.
The University is organised into five academic colleges, each of which consists of several schools and departments. Each College is led by a Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of College who is a member of the University Executive Board. The five colleges are: Arts and Law, Engineering and Physical Sciences, Life and Environmental Sciences, Medicine and Health, and Social Sciences. To bring together the senior academic and Professional Services leadership across the University, there is a University Leadership Group (ULG) led by the Vice- Chancellor, which meets weekly and has regular strategy away days. The Director of Estates is a member of ULG.
The University of Birmingham has fully unified Professional Services, led by the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, who is supported by the Registrar’s Leadership Group (RLG), made up of the Directors of Professional Services (Senior Officers) and the College Directors of Operations. The Registrar is the University’s Chief Operating Officer, reporting to the Vice- Chancellor and Principal. The Director of Estates is a member of RLG. We aim for high quality Professional Services in support of the University’s academic mission. Across all of our Professional Services, we recognise that it is our people who are the heart of what we do, and so we are focussed on creating a culture for them to thrive. We have a sector-leading staff development programme: The Birmingham Professional , supported by a longstanding Graduate Management Trainee programme: Graduate Training Scheme. Many of our senior leaders are also closely involved with professional sector networks and representative bodies. We look to the national and international higher education sector, and beyond, to identify best practice. We compare our efficiency and effectiveness in Professional Services with other Russell Group and similar international universities in Australia, New Zealand and North America as part of the Uniforum benchmarking consortium. These insights allow us to understand and adopt global best practice. For example, we have recently adopted a University-wide approach to the functional co-ordination of services connecting local with central support, with each Senior Officer acting as Functional Co-Ordinator for the area.
We undertake an ongoing programme of service development in light of sector trends and in response to user feedback. As a result, we have made significant progress in recent years resulting in measurable improvements in user satisfaction and efficiency in several areas.
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Our Estate
Our estate is large and varied covering more than 600 acres, with over 200 buildings of different ages, complexities, physical condition and use, ranging from Grade I and II listed properties to brand new state of the art learning and research spaces. Our heritage as the original ‘redbrick’ is combined with an ambitious agenda to continue the transformation of the University. Over the last 10 years we have undertaken a £1 billion renewal of the campus estate including a new School of Engineering, Molecular Sciences, new Library, Sports Centre, Teaching & Learning Building, Hotel and Conference Centre and The Green Heart – an attractive parkland in the centre of campus. Our beautiful, green Edgbaston campus is a short train ride, or a 30-minute canal walk from Birmingham city centre. We have a wide range of historic and modern buildings and spaces for our students, staff and visitors to enjoy, including the landmark original red-brick Aston Webb Building and Clock Tower, and its Grade II listed Great
Hall, plus our cultural attractions such as the Lapworth Museum of Geology and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, a leading art gallery and concert hall set within its Grade I listed building. Winterbourne House is a unique heritage attraction, an example of Edwardian Arts and Craft splendour set within seven acres of beautiful botanic gardens. The Green Heart is a beautiful space that opens up views across the whole campus, as envisaged in the 1920s, to create a sustainable, natural and environmentally friendly landscape; both for people and wildlife. As part of our global strategy, we have recently opened a new state of the art purpose-built campus in Dubai Academic City, with plans to grow the community to 3,500 students. The new campus seamlessly fuses the historic Aston Webb buildings in Birmingham with the cultural richness and architectural beauty of Arabic heritage. Campus - University of Birmingham Dubai.
2045 Campus Vision
In collaboration with our staff, students, partners and neighbours, we have developed the 2045 Campus Vision. Working with renowned international architects KPF we have produced a vision which provides broad framework of ideas for how the University’s estate could be developed over the next two decades and beyond. It will steer our decisions and provide the flexibility to adapt, embrace new technologies and sustainability approaches, and navigate new challenges. You can learn more here: 2045 Campus Vision - University of Birmingham
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The Role
The Estates Team
The Director of Estates is the most senior Estates professional in the University. They are responsible for providing strategic leadership of the Estates Division and the development and delivery of the University’s Campus Masterplan in support of the Birmingham 2030 Strategic Framework and its ambitions, as well as development and delivery of major capital projects and service excellence across the Estates Division. This appointment provides an exciting opportunity at the heart of the University, working closely with the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, to whom the role reports. Other key working relationships encompass the Vice-Chancellor, Provost and other members of the University Executive Board (UEB) and also other Directors of Professional Services. To succeed, the Director must be able to influence at an executive level and have impact on strategic decision making as well as delivery. As a part of the University’s senior leadership team, the Director is expected to be active and influential nationally as well as locally. As an effective member of the University Leadership Group (ULG), the Registrar’s Leadership Group (RLG) and the Senior Officer team. The Director regularly attends the Executive Board and University Council to advise on Estates matters and present papers. The Director will bring the skills and attributes of a senior leader to meet both the University’s strategic goals and operational requirements. While the Director will have deep knowledge as an Estates expert, they will also have the leadership ability and desire to participate actively in a wide range of leadership and
management issues within Professional Services and across the University.
Director of Estates
Intellectually confident, and with the personal qualities to succeed in a highly complex, research-intensive University, the Director will have the influencing and relationship skills to build rapport and trust with diverse groups and individuals across the University. They do not need to have worked in HE, but an empathy for academic endeavour and the attributes to be effective at a large University are important. As with all senior roles at Birmingham, the Director is expected to be active and influential nationally as well as locally, acting as an effective ambassador for the University and bringing back to the University best practice. The role is rich and diverse and provides a unique opportunity for a highly motivated and inspirational Estates professional, with appropriate vision and leadership skills, to join this dynamic and forward-thinking institution as it enters the next phase of its development.
Deputy Director of Estates (Development)
Estates Business Manager
Associate Director of Estates Operations
The Estates Division is a multi-disciplinary team of c200, responsible for the capital programme, management and maintenance of our extensive University estate.
As a team, Estates Division aims to deliver a world class university experience for the benefit of all students, staff, academics and visitors. The team are proud of the role they play in the success of the University, the enjoyment that students, staff and academics experience during their time here and ensuring that visitors leave with the best possible impression of the University.
Estates Operations • Maintenance Services (maintaining the operational estate as well as carrying out minor refurbishments and alterations). • Health, Safety and Technical Services (compliance, asbestos management and fire safety). • Energy and Utility Services (procurement and supply of utilities including: renewables, gas, electric, heat and water). • Sustainability (planning, managing and embedding sustainability, actively working to make the University a more sustainable place to live, study and work). • Infrastructure (maintenance, upkeep and risk management including both operational and statutory). Estates Business Services • All aspects of business management including finance, procurement, governance, admin and professional support.
Estates Development • Building Projects (new build and refurbishment schemes), property management (including leasing, acquisitions and disposal of property). • Building Information Modelling and Digital Assets (developing information and building design through structured 3D models). • Estates Innovation (strategy, vision and business improvement). • Space Management (planning, provision and utilisation of space). • Mechanical and Electrical (all aspects of design and planning). • Managed Information Services (managing critical estates systems inc. Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) and Access Control).
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Main Responsibilities
The Director of Estates is responsible for:
• Act as a trusted and respected senior University leader, providing strategic advice and guidance in relation to Estates matters to the Vice-Chancellor, the Provost, the Registrar and Secretary, the University Executive Board, and University Council. • Working closely with the Deputy Pro- Vice-Chancellor for Sustainability and the Sustainability Team to support the achievement of the University’s scopes 1 and 2 net zero target and plan, including leading environment sustainability and carbon management initiatives, integrating these as an integral part of the wider Campus Vision and sustainability strategy and carbon zero plan. • Support effective decision making and judgments in the University by
• Ensuring the delivery of high quality, efficient and effective Estates services, leading and developing the Estates Team at the University and managing the Service’s budget and resources effectively and efficiently. The Director also acts as a wider convenor across the University on Estates related matters. Although the vast majority of Estates work is undertaken by the functional team, the Director is also the Functional Co-Ordinator for Estates activity across the University, wherever located. • Management and delivery of capital projects supporting the University’s Campus Masterplan in line with goals in the Birmingham 2030 strategic framework.
Team supports the University’s ED&I strategy and fosters an environment in which diversity and inclusion is valued and inappropriate behaviour is challenged. • Be active and influential nationally, including representing the University in external fora on Estates issues, e.g. AUDE (Association of University Directors of Estates). Maintain effective working relationships with other Directors across the sector, particularly the Russell Group, working closely with them on matters of mutual interest and in influencing policy makers, and sharing best practice across the University.
ensuring Estates produces the highest quality papers and business cases to Board level, with meaningful analysis of Estates management information and analytics, clear recommendations, and excellent delivery on actions. • To lead the transformation and development of the Estates Organisation with a focus on developing the skills, capability and behaviours required to meet the evolving demands of the estate, students, staff and the community. • Lead People & Culture in Estates, including the development and performance of Staff to promote the University’s commitment to equality and diversity and ensure that the Estates
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Person Specification
and supporting people and culture, professional and personal development within a large and diverse team. • The ability to influence positively both internally and externally, to promote the interests and development of the University and to forge collaborative and productive working relationships regionally and nationally. This includes the executive ability to present and influence at Board level up to the equivalent of the University’s Council. • Experience of successfully managing budgets and resource planning, with sound financial acumen and the ability to identify and mitigate risk. Making the most out of the resources available and driving efficiency and effectiveness, including through the supply chain. • The ability to work effectively with senior colleagues, leading through persuasion and negotiation and working collaboratively as a team member and colleague. • A track record of successful people leadership with the ability to motivate and collaborate with a strong commitment to ED&I. • An interest in emerging national and global trends in Higher Education and the impact this has on the University’s direction, priorities, and decisions. • An empathy for academic endeavour in education and research and what motivates academic staff. • Evidence of excellent judgement with an ability to evaluate conflicting viewpoints and demands, make decisions and apply effective solutions. • Resilience and ability to take tough decisions and maintain a clear, well evidenced position in the face of disagreement and challenge, alongside
The Director of Estates will demonstrate a track record of success as a professional in their field and as a leader, operating at a senior level in a large and complex organisation, with evidence of making a major contribution to organisational performance and service delivery. They must have a knowledge of the latest developments and trends in the national and international Estates landscape and the ability to apply these in practice, in the University. While a good understanding of Higher Education is desirable, the University welcomes applications from high calibre candidates from other sectors. Skills and Experience • Highly strategic and astute with significant experience of developing and delivering successful Estates strategies which have had organisation level impact. • Ability and track record in leading institutional Estates functions providing a high-quality services. • The ability to think and act strategically and develop and communicate a compelling vision for the future of the Estates Division and for the University estate and campus , identifying what is most critical to delivering the University’s objectives and to prioritise effort and resources accordingly. • The ability to lead successful organisation change and development, and an understanding of innovative techniques in the transformation and enhancement of services. • A flexible and authentic leadership style combined with outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, with a track record of leading
demonstrable evidence of an ability to engage with others in a manner which builds support for change when this is necessary. • An approachable and open personal style, with the ability to successfully influence and convene groups from across the University. A strong and adept team player, who is naturally collaborative with colleagues with the ability to establish productive relationships and work collaboratively with the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, Vice-Chancellor, Provost, Senior Officer colleagues and with wider University leadership. • A first degree or equivalent. • Chartered professional qualification in a property/ built environment related discipline (or equivalent qualification).
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Relationships
Benefits
Benefits Include:
Contact Purpose
Nature of relationship
• An attractive salary, which is reflective of the role. • 40 days annual leave per year (pro-rata for part time staff), including eight bank holidays and seven university closed days. • USS pension scheme. • Access to ongoing professional development. • Family friendly policies: on-site nurseries, flex working, enhanced maternity/paternity. • Health & Wellbeing: private health/ dental options, discounted gym and EAP (Employee assistance). • Extensive discounts and special offers. • Potential for relocation assistance, if relevant.
Direct reporting relationship. Close working on all areas including the Estates Strategy and Capital Programme and on services, resources and join up of Estates with the rest of Professional Services. The Registrar and Chief Operating Officer chairs the University Capital Sub Group of UEB. The post interacts frequently with the Vice-Chancellor particularly in relation to strategic Estates matters The Vice-Chancellor chairs the Sustainability Oversight Board. The Provost and Vice-Principal is involved in discussions regarding the provision and resourcing of the estates programme and major facilities. Regular partnership working, including through membership of the Registrar’s Leadership Group, and on service delivery, Professional Services’ staff development, projects and systems enhancement. Notable relationships include Chief Financial Officer, Director of Campus Services and Chief Information Officer who are all part of RLG.
Registrar and Chief Operating Officer
The Vice-Chancellor
Provost (the deputy to the Vice-Chancellor for academic matters, University planning and resourcing)
Senior Officers (Heads of Professional Services), College Directors of Operations
A breakdown of benefits can be seen at Staff benefits - University of Birmingham
Thematic Pro-Vice- Chancellors
Working in collaboration on Capital projects in Research and Education.
Pro-Vice-Chancellors/ Heads of Colleges
Working in partnership on Estates service delivery and Capital projects in the Colleges. Working closely with the DPVC for Sustainability (academic lead) and the Head of Sustainability (Professional Services lead) to develop and deliver the University’s sustainability strategy and carbon net zero scope 1 & 2. Presenting to University Council on Estates strategy and masterplan, and business cases for major capital projects.
Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor Sustainability and Head of Sustainability
University Council
These relationships will include universities within the Russell Group, Universities UK (UUK) and AUDE.
External
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How to Apply
For a confidential briefing conversation about this opportunity, please contact the University’s retained partners at The Management Recruitment Group:
Michael Hewlett michael.hewlett@mrgglobal.com 07972 579 938
Ben Duffill ben.duffill@mrgglobal.com 07976 125 010
To apply, please submit a CV along with a short supporting statement that sets out your interest in the role and highlights pertinent experience/expertise that you would bring to the position. Applications and enquires should be submitted to sally.brockway@mrgglobal.com
Recruitment Programme
The closing date for applications is 18th September 2024. Interviews will take place on campus late October and early November 2024.
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