Interim General Manager, Oxford, Oxfordshire

posted: 26th March 2024

The Interim Domestic Bursar is responsible for leading a large multi-disciplinary team of c.90 staff through four direct reports, delivering a variety of services to a wide range of customers including students, staff, fellows and commercial guests.

The services delivered must be high quality and the role holder should be hands-on and a role model for excellent service delivery.

The team has been through a lengthy period of change, post pandemic, combined with relatively high staff turnover, in common with the wider hospitality sector. The Interim Domestic Bursar will focus on leading the team through a transitional period of stability across the end of the academic year and summer conference business season.

The College first and foremost has an educational mission and the General Manager must fully support prioritisation of this mission alongside pursuit of the operational opportunities and challenges of the role.

Responsibilities

Team leadership

• Be an excellent and consistent role model in the basics of good management
• Work closely and seamlessly with the Bursar to lead the wider non-academic management team
• Provide specific support to the new Head or Rooms division and newly promoted Head of Catering Services
• Build a strong team ethic across all domestic departments and motivate colleagues to work together to provide excellent customer service.
• Lead outstanding communication across the team. Listen to the challenges, concerns and ideas from across the team and provide a comprehensive range of oral and written communications for both individuals and groups.
• Engage with the College Students and Fellows to understand requirements and concerns. Manage expectations appropriately.
• Ensure that departments work together effectively and encourage generation of ideas and improvements in the way the College operates.
• Manage performance across the team. Set objectives and hold regular performance evaluation meetings.
• Oversee staff recruitment, management and development across the team, working with the HR Manager to ensure best practice in HR matters at all levels.

Deliver high quality domestic services to College members and guests
 

• Lead delivery of high quality, value for money services to a wide range of customers.
• Encourage ideas and innovation from the team in how services are delivered.
• Lead consultation with key stakeholders
• Implement standard operating procedures within teams and between teams.
• Ensure full compliance to College SOP’s, policies, procedures and service standards.

Effective management of resources
 

• Responsible for managing a number of major cost centres across the College including salary costs for [90] permanent colleagues, temporary staff costs, food and beverage, energy and utilities, certain contractors and all necessary equipment and materials for the teams to operate effectively.
• Plan levels of staff and non-staff resources to meet anticipated needs.
• Manage the Domestic Account, working with the Bursar and Financial Controller to deliver against annual budget and monitor financial performance across all cost centres and teams.

Further detail on responsibilities

Catering Services

• Ensure that food and service are provided to a high standard and delivers value for money.
• Organise and personally oversee the provision of certain special events as required.
• Serve as Keble’s Designated Premises Supervisor, ensuring the College complies with the terms of its license.

Accommodation

• Work with the relevant managers at both College sites to analyse and project accommodation requirements and develop appropriate plans for meeting demand.
• Work with the Head of Maintenance and Accommodation Manager to maintain a rolling plan for accommodation repairs, renovations and refurbishments.
• Keep abreast of legislation and regulatory developments to ensure that the College remains compliant.

Conference and Commercial vacation business

• Oversee delivery of excellent client relationship management for repeat clients, new clients and all prospective clients
• Champion and support the 2024 summer school trials for Oxford Royale and BVIS
• Ensure the clients receive a high-quality, seamless Keble experience from the conference team client management through to all aspects of service delivery delivered by the various domestic teams.

Security

• Ensure that the College provides a welcoming and efficient ‘front of house’ service to members and guests.
• Ensure that site management and security policies are effectively implemented.

Health and Safety

• Ensure risk assessments are prepared for all domestic departments and reviewed at least annually.
• Ensure that actions identified by such assessments are carried out in a timely manner.
• Ensure compliance with all fire regulations.

External

• Represent the College on the Conference of Colleges Domestic Bursars’ Committee
• Serve as the contact point for the police, the University security service and local authorities.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

• Proven ability to lead, manage and motivate a large multi-disciplinary team in the service sector
• Track record of delivering of excellent customer service for clients
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written. A very good listener with a consultative style.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and a strong record as a people manager including
  • Coaching and support
  • Performance Management
• Strong empathy with the values, customs and aspirations of the College, where the core mission is education and learning
• A ‘can do’ attitude and flexible approach to work, in terms both of responding to changing or unforeseen circumstances and being willing to work outside regular hours as the need arises.
• A professional role model as a mature General Manager
• Hold/willing to become a Personal Licence holder in order to be Premises Supervisor.

Desirable

• Experience of running and developing a commercial business in challenging markets
• Strong marketing skills and evidence of delivering successful client retention and new customer acquisition strategies
• Higher level financial and commercial skills.

Education & Qualifications:

• Hospitality related degree or qualification in hotel management/related field.
• Training or coaching experience in management turnaround

Experience:

• Demonstrable senior management experience in the hospitality industry / other service industry
• The successful candidate may have recent work experience at a senior level in any large organisation where they were responsible for delivering accommodation, catering and security services to staff or clients.
• The ideal candidate is a seasoned and highly intelligent service industry professional with outstanding, management skills and extensive hands-on experience.