The Role

The Divisional Maintenance Manageris a key leadership role within our operations structure, designed to provide expert guidance and hands-on support to Maintenance Managers across multiple clusters. While Maintenance Managers report directly to Cluster General Managers, this role acts as the strategic and technical backbone, ensuring central initiatives are implemented consistently and effectively. You will bring a higher level of expertise to complex maintenance challenges, champion best practices, and embed a culture of continuous improvement. This is an opportunity to shape how maintenance excellence is delivered across our estate, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and exceptional customer experience. Our properties are home to thousands of students, and every maintenance decision impacts their safety, comfort, and success. This role ensures that maintenance standards are not only met but exceeded?"by supporting local teams, driving consistency, and identifying innovative solutions that can be replicated nationally and keep our estate future-ready.

What You`ll Be Doing

Operational Support & Expertise

• Act as the expert for Maintenance Managers, providing guidance on complex issues and best practice solutions.
• Support clusters in implementing central maintenance initiatives, ensuring consistency and compliance across all sites.
• Advise on statutory compliance requirements and processes (fire safety, gas, electrical, water hygiene) and monitor adherence

Performance Improvement

• Use data and insight to identify performance gaps and develop improvement plans for maintenance delivery.
• Monitor and report on key metrics, demonstrating impact and driving accountability.
• Prioritise interventions that have the greatest impact on customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Process & Standards

• Embed standardised maintenance processes and behaviours across all clusters.
• Ensure maintenance standards are integrated into asset management and refurbishment plans.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Build strong relationships with Cluster General Managers, Estates teams, and central operations.
• Act as a liaison between local teams and central functions, ensuring clear communication and alignment.
• Secure resources and collaboration to deliver improvement plans effectively.

Risk & Compliance Management

• Identify and mitigate risks related to maintenance operations, including compliance gaps and capacity challenges.
• Implement robust checks and reporting cycles to ensure sustained improvements.

Training & Development

• Support Maintenance Managers in developing their teams` technical capability and operational discipline.
• Deliver coaching and training sessions to embed best practices and improve performance

What We`re Looking for in You

• Substantial experience in maintenance or estates management within a complex, multi-site environment.
• Strong technical knowledge of building systems and compliance requirements.
• Proven ability to lead improvement programmes and embed consistent processes.
• Excellent relationship-building and influencing skills across multiple stakeholders.
• Data-driven mindset with attention to detail and a focus on measurable outcomes.
• IWFM accreditation or similar professional qualification (desirable but not essential).

What You`ll Get in Return

• A discretionary annual bonus so you can share in the company`s success
• 25 days` paid holiday and an annual holiday buying scheme, with 5 additional days awarded for long service
• A generous pension scheme - employer contributions between 5% and 11% depending on how much you save
• Various benefits to support your health and wellbeing including a Healthcare Cash Plan, an Employee Assistance Programme, a Wellbeing platform and a Gym benefit that you can share with your family and friends
• Enhanced Family Leave including 18 weeks full pay for birthing parents and 4 weeks for non-birthing parents
• Lots of other great benefits including an annual ShareSave scheme, Employee Life Assurance, a discounts portal and more!

About Unite Students

Founded in 1991, Unite Students is the UK`s leading provider of purpose-built student accommodation. You can find us in 23 leading university towns and cities, with 70,000 students calling US home! We are driven by our values, culture, and a commitment to develop diverse and inclusive teams, filled with positive energy and new ideas.

Instinctive inclusion. We know that to create and maintain a happy healthy organisation, we have to work hard to ensure inclusion isn`t just what we do but who we are.

People make Unite Students. Employees, students and neighbours all contribute to building environments where we can all thrive.

Room for Everyone

We`re proud to be an employer that embraces individuality, and we`re passionate about building inclusive teams. We focus on creating a collaborative culture where you can be you, where your voice is heard, and where you can truly belong. We take great pride in being rated Gold Investors in People and are constantly striving to provide the highest standard of learning and development opportunities and professional pathways for our people. Building a home for success, for both our employees and students, requires exceptional people with a passion for creating room for everyone, doing what`s right, keeping US safe, and raising the bar. Join us as we build better experiences for students that live with us.

We are US.