Cardiff University
Commercial Director
£competitive, commensurate with experience
About us
We are a leading Welsh university, established in 1883 as a founding college of the University of Wales. Guided by our motto, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord – truth, unity and concord – we work together to make a positive and lasting difference to our communities. As Wales’s largest university and a major employer, we deliver outstanding education, research, and student experience while driving an ambitious estates and campus transformation programme focused on sustainability, innovation, and long-term financial resilience, including a multi-hundred-million-pound residential strategy and commercial development of our estate portfolio.
About the role
As Commercial Director, you will lead the strategic development and delivery of our estates and campus services transformation, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the Directors of Estates and Campus Services. You will drive commercialisation initiatives, oversee major residential and infrastructure projects, and structure complex financing arrangements to support large-scale investment. The role combines strategic leadership, financial modelling, funding negotiations, governance, and stakeholder engagement to ensure our estate portfolio is sustainable, commercially robust, and aligned with the University’s academic mission..
About you
The ideal candidate will be an experienced senior leader with a strong background in estates management and commercial development, ideally within higher education or a comparable complex environment. You bring deep expertise in commercial financing, financial modelling, and negotiating funding agreements, alongside a proven record of delivering large-scale transformation projects. A confident communicator and collaborative leader, you understand governance, regulation, and sustainability, and are motivated by the opportunity to shape a long-term institutional legacy.