BEMS Assistant Manager - Estates - 108221 - Grade 8
University of Birmingham · United Kingdom
Position Details
Estates
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535 with potential progression once in post to £63,606
Grade: 8
Full Time, Permanent
Closing date: 18th November 2026
Our offer to
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham
Background
The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant City, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge. Professional Services put students at the heart of all they do and enable an exceptional educational experience. They provide outstanding support to our researchers and enable the University to grow its influence regionally, nationally, and globally. They ensure the University’s resources are used wisely, manage and improve the infrastructure which sits at the heart of the institution, and support decisions to be made quickly and based on sound evidence. Our Birmingham Professional programme operates across the University, supporting colleagues to network and collaborate, offering opportunities to learn and develop, contributing to the delivery of the University’s objectives, and helping everyone to understand the broader context within which we work.
Sustainability underpins our Strategic Framework which includes the goal of being net carbon zero 2045.
Department overview
The University of Birmingham Estates Office is responsible for both the master planning and stewardship of our extensive estate. Our team is made up of over 180 dedicated members of staff, including many apprentices studying an extensive range of subjects; all striving to deliver a world class university experience for the benefit of all students, staff, academics and visitors. After our staff, our physical estate is the largest single enabler for our world-class teaching, research and providing a fantastic student experience.
Our estate is large and varied covering 672 acres, with over 200 buildings of different ages, complexities, physical condition and use, ranging from grade 1 and 2 listed properties to brand new state of the art learning and research spaces. It consists of two main campus sites (Edgbaston & Selly Oak) along with properties in Stratford upon Avon, Ansty (near Coventry), Coniston and Dubai. The total gross internal area of the estate is 538,000 m2. Three quarters of the non-residential estate is in building condition A and B and we spend £20M/year on energy and water.
We operate and maintain: -
- our own Energy Centre that generates 75% of our power and provides heat to our buildings via combined heat and power plants, which is distributed by our extensive HV network and district heating systems and
- an extensive OT network which supports a wide range of critical business systems including energy metering, lighting, fire, security, radio, access control in addition to the 660 outstations and 35,000 i/o of the BEMS.
Role Summary
To be the operational lead for the BEMS Team to ensure that the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the Building Energy Management Systems “BEMS” (largely Schneider EcoStruxure Building Operation and Sigma BEMS systems, the latter being phased out) is completed to a satisfactory level. Ensuring that the Team meet all the strategic objectives that have been set out for the Team/Department, including supporting the ambition of the University to:
- Become a top 50 University
- Decarbonisation of the campus
- Increase fiscal efficiency including delivery of energy efficiency and reduce costs of maintenance.
- Supporting the wider team with the development of a secure and intelligent campus
To work with and advise the BEMS Manager to drive improvements in environmental control, energy efficiency, intelligent controls and planned preventative maintenance. Improving how the BEMS Team deliver value.
Provide a responsive and efficient service provision, expert advice and guidance to the wider Estates teams and the end users around campus. Continually developing and improving the reactive and planned maintenance to ensure all the BEMS assets are supported to ensure maximum uptime.
The post holder and team will provide specialist technical and statutory advice on Building Energy Management Systems and controls to the Estates Office colleagues and the wider University.
To lead on contractor management as relates to the BEMS maintenance and small works quotes.
Health and Safety management for the Control Engineers in the Team.
Main duties
- Lead the day-to-day operations of the reactive and proactive maintenance of the BEMS, managing the Team to ensure all works are delivered on time and to the required standard and a service orientated culture.
- Managing the BEMS Team, diagnose and report on defects; ensure its effective operation to deliver operational efficiencies, advise on remedies and additional procedures / practices to limit recurrences, implementing as necessary or when outside direct spear of control working across the office to achieve the result (for example with maintenance and contract management teams). Developing and utilising the capabilities of alarm and reporting procedures to formulate pro-active management strategies.
- Provide expert guidance and advice to the University estates teams and end users in relation to the operation and development of BEMS, and other relevant control systems. This includes advising on and procedures, policy, SOP’s for the operation, maintenance and advancement of the BEMS.
- Assess proposed changes/improvements to service provision and/or legislative requirements. Advise on the resource implications including making detailed proposals (business cases) for improvements to systems, energy efficiency and operations.
- Working with