Global Director of Estates

Role: Global Director of Estates & Facilities (Edinburgh based)

Grade and Salary range: Grade 10, Competitive

FTE and Working Pattern: Full Time, Open Ended

Organisation Name: University Executive (Professional Services) – Estates & Facilities Directorate

Enabling a global university through resilient, future-focused estates and facilities.

Heriot-Watt University is a distinctive, research-led institution with a truly global footprint. With campuses in the UK, Dubai and Malaysia, and a growing portfolio of international partnerships, the University is operating within an increasingly complex academic, regulatory and commercial landscape.

With a history dating back to 1821 and as the University continues to evolve its global operating model and develop future partnerships, the effectiveness of its estates and facilities has never been more critical. We are therefore seeking a Director of Estates to provide senior leadership at a pivotal moment, shaping the operational foundations that enable academic excellence, international growth and long-term sustainability.

Our headquarters is in Edinburgh, with additional UK campuses in the Scottish Borders and Orkney. In Dubai, we operate a flagship international campus that is central to our financial sustainability. In Malaysia, we have a further campus serving a growing student community with flexible transnational education as standard. Both international campuses operate on outsourced Facilities Management models — an arrangement this role will review, challenge and evolve as we begin the transformation towards the University’s Strategy 2035.

You are the executive lead for the University’s Global Estates and Facilities Directorate with core services covering Operational Excellence in service delivery and resilience, capital projects and investment, Commercial Real Estate mgmt., and Campus and Location strategy and transformation. The dual purpose of this role within the first year is to drive change across operational, commercial and transformational priorities across Global Campuses, Locations and Estates, whilst simultaneously restoring and holding the highest standards of operational delivery for the current Directorate’s Services and Commercial Operations.

Serving as a member of the extended University leadership and Global Operations Executive you will contribute to strategy and influence operational decision‑making in the University. You will lead, run and transform a global Estates directorate with accountability, pride in the University, its students, your team and services, and with a future‑focussed commerciality. You will do this by enhancing line management, consistent service standards and a culture of commerciality, accountability, sustainability and excellence in all campuses with an immediate focus on the Edinburgh campus estate.

• Line reporting into the Executive Director of University Global Operations and line management of a global team of c400 Estates and Facilities colleagues in 5 global campuses, incorporating internal and outsourced services valuing ~ £100m, with full budget, P&L accountability
• Lead and transform the directorate towards a world‑class, high performing and engaged global estates capability where high performance is acknowledged and rewarded, and under‑performance is visibly and consistently managed via clear priorities and SMART and appropriate goals within the University’s performance leadership processes
• Develop the strategic transformation and transition to a virtual campus within the next 10 years whilst simultaneously enabling and protecting our core missions of flexible accessible education; signature student experience; world class research and innovation; operational excellence
• Own the University’s pathway to net zero across all estates, campuses and services, embedding sustainability into every commercial and operational decision with student experience front and centre; with prime objective of meeting the University’s commitment to being net zero by 2035.
• Lead and be a key stakeholder in the commercialisation of the…