Operations Manager The Oaks, Warwick University
We’re Student Roost. An owner and operator of purpose-built student accommodation across the UK and Ireland. We are unrecognisable from the small brand that launched in late 2017, having already created a portfolio of over 19,000 beds, with ambitious plans for the future. We’ve all heard ‘if you build it…they will come’; we believe if you build it right, they will stay: that goes for both our customers and our people. We want to be a stable, welcoming and safe backdrop for our customer’s entire time at University, giving them one less thing to worry about. And for our people, we all spend more time at work than we do with our loved ones, we think it’s only right that you do that in an organisation, environment and a team that you love being a part of.
As a business built largely on acquisition, we have an array of properties and people, whilst many of our teams didn’t choose to come and work here, they do choose whether or not to stay and we’re confident we’re building a business that attracts talent from a variety of sectors and backgrounds, further diversifying the team in place. Whether our properties were acquired from others or developed by ourselves, we’re excited about the positive changes we can bring to both the physical aspects of the property and the experience within it for our residents. We have, and continue to, invest in exciting, capital programmes, driving value for our residents, the people who work there and our investors. For our people; providing welcoming work environments, interesting roles, competitive pay and benefits that matter to the individual. Our Learning & Development framework too, so whilst the rewards should be there for everyone today, the real riches are in the long-term careers we can offer. We’re putting major efforts into building a brand and an organisation that people want to work for and we think our greatest days are still ahead of us.
Jessica Gallop Director of People
Our Locations
*image for illustrative purposes only
Aberdeen
Bath
Belfast
Birmingham
Brighton
Bournemouth
Chester
Durham
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Leicester
Liverpool
London
Newcastle
Nottingham
Sheffield
Southampton
Swansea
Warwick
Wrexham
York
Our rooms range from en-suite to studio and apartments
Flexible tenancy lengths
Each site’s facilities have been tailored to their environment
What we Offer
Our Culture
Much is documented about the culture of an organisation; too much, some say. Or rather, that more effort can often be placed into the documenting of a culture and values, than the effort put into truly embracing and living the values of an organisation. We’re going to be the latter. We’re going to be better. You won’t find our values plastered across our walls, or our Team Members reciting them like a morning call; you won’t find a 100-page booklet detailing how we expect our Team Members to behave and you most certainly won’t find carbon-copy Team Members. Culture is how we work together to deliver a service to our customers, a meaningful career for our People and returns for our investors. It’s every single conversation we have internally and with our customers, parents, universities; it’s every piece of work we deliver, every person we hire, every supplier we pay, every room we sell, every new property we develop.
Our values are delivered, not just displayed
High Challenge high support
Freedom in a framework
People over policy
Base Camp
Lift
Reward what’s right
We work hard and play hard. We’re here to win, but we don’t lose sight of the fact we spend more time at work than anywhere else, it needs to be enjoyable.
• We know our market, our product and the opportunities on the horizon. • We’re all mature enough to know this isn’t a charity and our people are not volunteers – we get the financial impact of every decision we make. • We measure one another on output and contribution, over timesheets. • We are high performers and we thrive on achieving results. • We balance what we need to achieve with how we achieve it. • We step outside of our primary areas of work to lend a hand, to suggest new ideas or to lead important work.
Be yourself, everyone else is taken. We’re a diverse bunch and we welcome and embrace our differences.
• We actively seek real characters; we’re not trying to create a clone of ourselves. • We hire the characters we want in our business, we don’t want to lose that by people trying to ‘fit in’. • We encourage you to stand out in the crowd; we judge people based on their contribution and performance, not on the colour of their hair. • We’re welcoming, respectful and downright excited about variety in our teams, we recognise the riches aren’t just in the profit we turn. • We deliver a service to the most diverse population of people there is, we must reflect that in our workforce.
Our Values
We teach, train and develop our people; we believe you should be better tomorrow than you were yesterday. We commit to the growth of our people, the business, our profits, our resident experience and our reputation. We lift as we climb.
• We actively encourage the spirit of enquiry – channel your inner toddler, forever ask why and challenge the status quo. • We think about who needs to know, before we blanket fire an email around the office. • We provide feedback to one another. • We ask what we can learn from any situation. • We all commit to a Working Agreement on how we communicate with one another. • We’re not afraid to suggest and try new ideas. • We believe the fear of failure equals fear of trying and that’s not who we are.
Have the courage to speak up, challenge when something’s not right, or when it can be better. Find your voice and know it matters. Don’t stay in your lane. Want more.
• We don’t want to hear that we do something because ‘it’s always been done that way’. • We’re prepared to take risks to arrive at the best solution for our stakeholders. • We speak up when something’s not ok, not working or not as effective as it could be. • We call out actions that go against the grain of our culture. • We start with ‘yes’. • We’re self-aware, we know our audience and we tailor ourselves appropriately. • We’re upfront, transparent and honest, we avoid the office politics. • We hold our hands up if things go wrong.
You’re more than welcome to be here; made to feel welcome from your first day with us – and every day thereafter. Make others welcome. This is someone’s home after all. • We expect everyone in our team to be treated with dignity and respect and we’re not ok with anyone who thinks otherwise – this won’t be the right workplace for you. • We put family first and recognise that we all have a life outside of work. We leave loudly, not making a secret of our desire to get home in time for tea. • We’re welcoming, respectful and downright excited about variety in our teams, we recognise the riches aren’t just in the profit we turn. • We all love a good story, but there’s no gossiping here, no telling tales and no sharing information that isn’t appropriate. • We use gender-neutral language and we never, ever judge others based on their lives being different to our own. • We treat one another with equal respect; we don’t let our job titles enter the room before we do.
About the Role
Our Operations Managers are the magic ingredient we use to deliver an exceptional customer experience; talented managers of people, packed with common sense and a strong commercial ability; they put the customer centre-stage and make sure the rest of the business does so too. They strive for customer retention and recommendation. The Operations Managers are responsible for ensuring we fill our properties all year round, with customers who want to stay year after year and for retaining a team of enthusiastic, curious and dedicated team members, who are the heartbeat of our customer service. Our Operations Managers take responsibility for the financial performance of our properties and operate safe and secure properties in line with all statutory, legal and moral obligations.
Safety & Welfare
• Top of your agenda at all times; practice an unrelenting approach to safety and welfare by adherence to any and all safety policies and processes in our organisation. • Develop an understanding within your respective property for all statutory and legal accountabilities we hold; furthermore, ensure that your teams understand why we perform such duties and encourage an environment where safety and welfare is never overlooked. • Create an environment whereby all team members feel confident and comfortable in raising any concerns about our properties or our practices. • Responsible for the completion of any and all Health & Safety routine checks and Planned Preventative Maintenance schedules. • Champion always, the needs of our customers, leading by example and demonstrating a personal desire for high levels of service in all interactions. • Manage the provision of a service in your property that is constantly pursuing customer retention and recommendation. • Represent the voice of the customer at all levels in the business, ensuring that the decisions you make are done so with the customer at the forefront. • Know your customer – ensure you lead by example in getting to know each of your customers; learning about their life at University, the courses they study, how they want events to be run in the property and maintain a solid database of these findings. • Deliver an excellent social calendar in your property throughout the year, making sure our efforts are spread consistently throughout a customer’s entire time with us. • Take regular time to understand the shifting shape of the University landscape in your city, the demographic of customers it serves and develop and showcase a strong understanding of what life is like for our customers. Customers
Key Accountabilities
People • Working with the People policies and practices of our company, take responsibility for the end to end journey of people in our business; from the recruitment of new team members, through their development, to their departure from our business, as a direct line manager or in support of others in the team. • Recruit, develop and lead exceptional team members, who conduct themselves consistently, fairly and are respected by their peers and colleagues. • Ensure every employee within your team has a consistent and effective induction to the business, giving everyone a platform to succeed. • Set clear objectives for your teams, aligned to the business plan and ensure a routine is in place to regularly review performance and behaviours for each team member. • Ensure, with your team, that the physical appearance of properties is of the highest standard. Walk your property on a daily basis, as a minimum and ensure issues are resolved swiftly and to a high standard. • Manage the Maintenance and Housekeeping services in your property ensuring they understand their obligations around Health & Safety • Operate a routine inspection and audit processes across your property and resolve issues swiftly • Ensure customer maintenance requests are being addressed in line with or ahead of agreed service levels. • Conduct a Management check of every room ahead of new arrivals. • Ensure the summer turnaround is conducted per the agreed process, in line with the property budget and to a standard that ensures clean, functional rooms are presented to every customer Property
Finance • Accountability for the financial performance of the property, conducting monthly reviews of P&L performance and being prepared to narrate on the variances • Procure goods and services in line with the policies and procedures of the business • Alongside your line manager, be capable of input to the annual budget-setting process and routine reforecasting, based on a sound knowledge of the activity at your property • Identify and share cost effective opportunities
Leasing
• Responsible for the successful lease-up of your property. • Accountable for delivering on a solid customer retention and recommendation performance in the property • Assess the rebooking eligibility in your property on a routine basis, to ensure you and your team are clear on the potential retention you can achieve. • Process and manage any and all booking administration efficiently and with care and attention to detail, in particular ensuring the data of our customers is treated with the utmost respect at all times. • Develop a solid understanding of the local University picture, competitors and where your assets rank relative to the comp set. • Be expert in your knowledge of the leasing performance of your property; attending the routine calls/meetings well prepared to discuss performance. • Be agile and quick to respond to the shift in leasing performance, seeking support or approval as necessary for any changes to marketing strategy of customer offer. Trust that we know those on the ground are often best placed to make decisions about their markets. • Encourage and reward the input and ideas of your team to develop the leasing plan for your markets. • Ensure every member of your team, regardless of their discipline understands how their role contributes to the leasing performance of your property. • Develop strong, meaningful relationships with institutions in your cities; in particular, the Accommodation Office, International Office, Student Union and Welfare teams. • Ensure your teams are compliant with all data protection requirements as it relates to customer data; that the fundamentals of Tenancy law are understood by you and your teams and that handling of deposits is done so within the legislative requirements.
What you’ve done before
• Worked in a customer-facing business, offering goods and/or services • Experience working in residential real estate ideal, but not essential • Management or supervision of others on a regular, routine basis • Accountability for financial performance in one or more previous roles
What you’re good at/ known for
• Building and sustaining high-quality relationships with your people, customers, clients and colleagues • Commercially savvy • Inclusive of others, non-judgmental, fair • Presence and credibility to work with a wide range of groups and individuals • Highly organised, on time, well-presented
About You
What will it take?
Physical Effort • Operations Managers spend a great deal of time moving around their property, this may involve flights of stairs and an ability to respond to Fire Alarms or emergency situations where lifts may not be in use. • You will be working in front of a screen for a good proportion of your time. In line with the DSE assessment, we encourage time away from your workstation, fresh air throughout the day and a good balance between systems and human beings! • Some travel will be required from time to time. • Operations Managers are present for annual check-in weekends, which can involve lifting and carrying of items Mental Effort • This is a role of competing priorities and as a seasonal operation, there are times of year when workloads may spike or unplanned incidents will take over. The role requires someone highly organised, but someone who is calm and pragmatic in their response to changes. • Despite solid planning, short-notice work may be required of you. • Unpredictable pattern of activity, no two days are the same and this role would be more suited to someone who can operate effectively in a highly-varied environment. Emotional Effort • Frequent exposure to difficult circumstances involving customers and/or people. There is a known increase in mental health challenges for the student population and whilst we will provide all the tools, training and support necessary, we recognise everyone is different and there may be a more profound or lasting effect on some of our people. • As we build out this business, working on the development of organisational processes, systems and change, it can bring with it uncertainty. We would seek to minimise or remove any concerns for people through clear, consistent communication.
Skills
Customer Service
People Management
Organisational Skills
Energy Levels
Health & Safety
Commercial Acumen
Relationship Management
Functional Commercially Minded
Sales Oriented Behavioural
Creative & Innovative
Strong Leadership
Health & Safety
People Focused
Application Process
To arrange a confidential conversation to discuss the opportunity in more depth, please contact Charlotte Turedi of the Management Recruitment Group.
Applications should be sent to studentroost@mrgpeople.co.uk
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