Could you shape the future of campus life at Bournemouth University?
Bournemouth University is an ambitious and welcoming university. We are focused on giving students a great experience and helping them succeed in their studies, careers and lives.
Our strategy, BU2035, sets out how we will become more sustainable and improve the way we support our students and staff. The campus environment plays a big part in this. It is where people live, learn, connect and feel they belong.
We are now looking for a Head of Campus Commercial Services to help lead this next stage of our journey.
The role
This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for all major campus commercial services. This includes student accommodation, catering and retail, hospitality and conferencing, and other income-generating services across the estate.
The role oversees around £9 million of annual income and works with both in-house teams and external partners. You will be part of the Estates & Facilities Team and will work closely with senior leaders across the University.
But this role is about more than income. It is about shaping campus life at BU.
* Are our accommodation partners aligned to create an excellent sustainable living experience?
* Can you diversify and grow income while delivering value for money?
* Do our food offers reflect the needs, tastes and cultures of our students and staff?
* Could our hospitality and conferencing services grow into something distinctive that brings new people, ideas and income to the University?
* And overall, are our services inclusive, sustainable and good value for money, helping students stay, succeed and thrive?
These are the kinds of questions you will help the University answer.
What will you focus on?
You will set the overall direction for campus commercial services, making sure they support BU2035 and the wider goals of the University.
You will lead business and commercial plans, including providing the right student housing that is affordable, high quality and well matched to demand. You will look for ways to grow income from hospitality, conferencing, catering and retail, using data and insight to guide outcomes.
You will provide leadership for student residential services, ensuring they are safe, well run and supportive of student wellbeing. You will also manage key external contracts, holding partners to account for service quality, value for money and sustainability.
A big part of the role is building strong relationships. You will work closely with Student Services, the Students' Union and external partners, especially private student housing providers. You will help create services that feel joined up.
You will also represent BU outside the University and play a role in the Major Incident Group, offering guidance on student welfare and crisis situations.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for someone who enjoys leading complex services and making things better for people.
You might come from higher education, hospitality, student accommodation or another large service organisation. What matters most is that you bring experience of leading teams, managing large budgets and working with partners.
You will be confident working at a senior level, able to influence and build trust across different groups. You will have excellent commercial judgement and feel comfortable using data to support conclusions.
Most of all, you will care about student experience, wellbeing, and sustainability, and believe that commercial services should support these aims, not compete with them.
Why join Bournemouth University?
This role offers a real chance to shape how our campuses work and how students experience university life.
You will have the space to lead, the support to innovate, and the opportunity to make a visible difference to thousands of students and staff.
If you want a role that combines leadership, purpose and impact, we would love to hear from you.
About the department
Our Estates team are a multi disciplinary department that create inspirational and sustainable environments in which teaching, research, sport, enterprise and living can thrive. We offer a range of diverse roles as we continue to develop our sites and help to drive BU's Climate & Ecological Crisis Action Plan. At BU, sustainability is a key component when undergoing works to improve our estate. This involves increasing biodiversity around our campuses and taking inspiration from the non-human world to live in harmony with nature.
About us
Bournemouth University's vision is worldwide recognition as a leading university for inspiring learning, advancing knowledge and enriching society through the fusion of education, research and practice. Our highly skilled and creative workforce is comprised of individuals drawn from a broad cross section of the globe, who reflect a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives and experiences that help to build our global learning community.
BU values and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We seek a diverse community through attracting, developing and retaining staff from different backgrounds to contribute to inspirational learning, advancing knowledge and enriching society. To support and enable our staff to achieve a balance between work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.
A job description for this position is available at the top of this page. If you require this in a different format, please contact us at [email protected].