Job Description

Position Details

Estates


Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK


Full time starting salary is normally in the range 47,389 to 56,535 with potential progression once in post to 63,606


Grade: 8


Full Time, Permanent


Closing date: 29th September 2025

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.


The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.


We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.


We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.


Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.


The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.


Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The University of Birmingham Estates Division is responsible for both the master planning, operations and management of our extensive estate. Our team is made up of over 160 dedicated members of staff, including apprentices studying across a range of teams and disciplines: all striving to deliver on a 24/7 basis a world class university experience for the benefit of all students, staff, academics and visitors.


The University of Birmingham is on a journey to become a Top 50 Global University following a century of being one of the most successful and important Universities in the UK. The Estates Department has a strong focus on putting customer service at the heart of what we do, and making significant investments in maintaining our legacy buildings as well as continuing to invest in our capital programme. As a top-ranking research-intensive university with one of the largest and most internationally diverse campuses in the UK. Your role will be critical in ensuring the university is maintained to high standards for the University's staff, students and visitors across our extensive building portfolio.


After our students and staff, our physical estate is the largest single enabler for our world-class teaching and research and provides a fantastic student experience. Our estate is large and varied covering 672 acres, with over 200 buildings of different ages, complexities, physical condition and use - ranging from grade 1 and 2 listed properties to brand new state of the art learning and research spaces. It consists of two main campus sites (Edgbaston & Selly Oak) along with properties in Stratford upon Avon, Ansty (near Coventry), Coniston (in Cumbria), Ironbridge and Dubai.

Role Summary

The Principle Minor Works Manager will manage a team of in-house and external project managers to deliver a large and diverse programme of projects between 5k and 250k. With a total annual value of between 5m and 10m, this role will oversee a significant proportion of the total annual University investment into its campus.


Reporting to the Assistant Director of Estates Operations, and working closely with the Estates Condition Programme Manager, the post holder will lead the delivery of a variety of M&E, compliance, building fabric and refurbishment and redecoration projects in buildings ranging from student accommodation, teaching and research buildings, commercial premises, and sports and leisure.


The post holder will be familiar with the principles of life-cycle asset-management, CDM regulations, health and safety, and contractor and supply chain management. The post holder be competent in the ability to deliver a wide range of projects, both directly and through your wider team, to tight timelines, on budget, and to the quality that a global top 50 University demands.


The post holder will require excellent oral and written communication skills and a pragmatic approach, demonstrating a practical application which takes account of organisational needs in the delivery of projects which is both a consultative and facilitative style of service delivery. Excellent influencing and motivating skills and the ability to plan and manage works and workloads through a team of project officers to deliver necessary outcomes will be essential to deliver the requirements of this role.


The post holder shall work closely with the whole of the Estates team across a number of disciplines. Leading and nurturing a 'one team' approach to maintaining and improving our campus portfolio and infrastructure for all.


The post holder should be able to confidently work autonomously with minimum supervision, but retain daily contact with the line manager. The post holder is expected to manage the sections performance against agreed objectives and provide updates via regular meetings and management information.


This is a busy, dynamic, and challenging post working at the heart of the University. The post holder should be a motivated individual with a "can-do" attitude and outstanding interpersonal and organisational skills.

Main Duties

Provide leadership, development and operational guidance to a team of Project Officers within the Estates Department. Ensure that all maintenance and building improvement projects consistently and competently are scoped, scheduled, and resourced appropriately. Ensure all projects meet statutory requirements (e.g., building regulations, fire safety, CDM regulations). Implement, manage and report SLA's and KPI's to ensure target project completion times are consistently met. Monitor and manage areas of concern if they occur and develop a strategy to improve performance. Lead and manage cross functional teams within the Estates department taking a 'one team' approach in service delivery and resource allocation. Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including contractors and colleges to always ensure project delivery is to a high standard. Provide technical support and advice on projects and initiatives both within the Estates department and wider university. Present and manage budgets relating to projects. Participate in both internal and external meetings with stakeholders and customers across the whole university providing regular updates to senior management on progress, risks, and outcomes. Actively manages equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour. Supports the University's sustainability agenda through resource efficient working. Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification plus substantial work experience in a relevant technical/scientific and/or management/supervisory role in a specialist area. A higher degree may also be held. Where no equivalent qualification is held a proven track record of extensive and substantial work experience in a series of progressively more demanding and relevant roles will be required. Proven technical specialist knowledge and understanding in a relevant technical area (specialists will require advanced technical expertise). Familiarity with CDM Regulations, building regulations, fire safety, and statutory compliance. Understanding of tendering, contractor management, and frameworks (e.g., JCT, NEC contracts). Knowledge of capital/revenue budgets and cost control in building works. Awareness of sustainable construction methods and environmental standards. Proficient with project management software, asset management systems, and MS Office Ability to review technical reports, budgets, and project data to make informed decisions. Excellent communication skills for engaging with contractors, clients, and senior management. Professional qualification (or working towards) such as RICS, CIOB, RIBA, CIBSE, APM, or IWFM. Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area. Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied. Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action.

Informal enquiries to Nigel Smith, email: n.smith.14@bham.ac.uk


View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone

on our website

.