Job Description

Job number

COO01298

Faculties

Chief Operating Officer (COO) Team

Departments

Property Division

Salary or Salary range

Competitive

Location/campus

South Kensington and White City Campus - Hybrid

Contract type work pattern

Full time - Open ended

Posting End Date

2 Nov 2025

About the role

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With a mission to achieve enduring excellence in research and education in science, engineering, medicine and business for the benefit of society, the College was founded in 1907 in South Kensington, bringing together nineteenth-century institutions including the Royal College of Science, the Royal School of Mines and City and Guilds College. Today, Imperial collaborates extensively with neighbouring institutions, including the Royal College of Art and the Royal College of Music. Our professional support services play an essential role in helping us to achieve our mission.

Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to join a world class institution. You will ensure the Property function delivers and maintains a world-class physical infrastructure to

sustain Imperial's global top 10 academic mission.



You will be accountable for the development, operation, repair and asset management of all the university's property (excluding the development and divestment of property assets vested in the Unitised Scheme).The property portfolio included academic assets, student accommodation, build to rent and other investment property or undeveloped land. Direct investment into the existing and new estate is in the region of 2.5 billion over the next ten years.



This individual will be accountable for the delivery of all of the services that make for a great campus experience (including hospitality & catering), the provision and operation of student accommodation and commercial lettings. Reporting into the Chief Operating Officer, Robert Kerse, this is a strategic, senior role with a key responsibility for delivering the Imperial College strategy.

What you would be doing

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Key Responsibilities

Develop and deliver a strategy to build, run and maintain the academic campuses in a financially sustainable manner that enables Imperial to continue to deliver its global top 10 academic mission in an increasingly resource constrained environment. This will involve regularly reviewing what new facilities are required, which facilities should be divested of, how facilities are used and services are provided across nine campuses covering more than 500,000 sqm of buildings and making changes quickly where opportunities are identified. Work closely with the Associate Provost (Academic Planning) - the academic lead for estates strategy on each campus' estates strategy. Ensure that a robust plan is developed and delivered to enable Imperial's property to play its part in the institution achieving its objective to be Net Zero Carbon by 2040. Develop the physical environments and campus services to ensure that Imperial's campuses are inclusive and welcoming places that are the higher education campus destination of choice. Ensure that catering and hospitality services meet the needs of the Imperial community. Maximise income from the estate during periods of low utilisation, in particular student accommodation during the summer vacation. Lead, manage and develop the Property senior management team. Particular emphasis should be placed on ensuring that there is a sufficiently capable and experienced set of direct reports to whom adequate responsibility can be delegated. Communicate and listen regularly to all staff in the Chief Property Officer Team (circa 500 people) focusing on customer service, career planning and the Imperial Values. This will require written and face-to-face communications including regular town hall and small group meetings. Be an active member of the Chief Operating Officer's senior management team contributing to strategic planning and professionalisation of support services. Particular areas of focus should be working with the CIO on the delivery of the Smart Camp

What we are looking for

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Personal Qualities


Astute and able to listen, influence and take people with them. Tenacious and resilient in the face of slower than envisioned change Strategic mindset: seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies Ensures accountability: holding self and other accountable to meet commitments Action oriented: taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm. Drives vision and purpose: painting a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action Builds effective teams: building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals. Experience with unionised organisations and how to navigate negotiations Organisational savvy: manoeuvring comfortably through complex policy, process, and people-related organisational dynamics Instils trust: gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity

What we can offer you

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The final interview process with Imperial College London will take place in early December.

How to apply

In order to apply, please review the candidate pack attached to this advert. If this role sounds of interest, please contact our Advertising Partner Russell Reynolds directly, at the following:



Hugo Healing - hugo.healing@russellreynolds.com



Georgina Sage - georgina.sage@russellreynolds.com

Available documents

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Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.



If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk. We're here to help.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.



Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world's toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.



As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you'll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.



This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you'll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.



Our values are at the root of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.