Background & Client Overview
University College London (UCL), one of the world’s leading multidisciplinary universities, appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit a senior Director of Campus Infrastructure and Operations within its Campus Experience and Infrastructure function.
UCL operates an exceptionally large and diverse estate comprising more than 200 buildings, valued at over £2 billion, encompassing more than four million square feet of academic space and nearly 4,000 student bedrooms.
Managing an estate of this scale requires sophisticated operational leadership. UCL needed an experienced senior professional capable of shaping the strategic direction of campus infrastructure while ensuring Estates and Facilities services remained safe, accessible, efficient and responsive to the needs of a diverse university community.
The successful candidate therefore needed to combine large-scale estate leadership, operational Facilities Management, safety, sustainability, organisational change and senior stakeholder engagement, while strengthening collaboration between the Estates function and UCL’s academic departments.
The Challenge
This was a strategically significant leadership appointment with responsibility for one of the most complex university estates in the UK.
The Director needed to provide clear strategic direction while maintaining a strong understanding of operational performance across hundreds of buildings supporting teaching, research, student accommodation and professional services.
Key requirements included:
Campus Infrastructure Leadership
Providing strategic oversight of UCL’s extensive campus infrastructure and ensuring the estate continued to support the changing needs of students, academics and professional services teams.
Operational Estates & Facilities Management
Leading operational Estates and FM services across more than 200 buildings while maintaining consistently high standards of performance and service delivery.
Campus Experience Strategy
Playing a central role in delivering UCL’s wider Campus Experience strategy and ensuring the physical environment supported academic excellence and an outstanding experience for students and staff.
Integrated Working
Building stronger connections between Campus Experience and Infrastructure teams and academic departments, creating a more collaborative and customer-focused approach to Estates and Facilities delivery.
Safety Leadership
Championing a proactive safety culture and embedding robust health, safety and risk-management principles throughout campus operations.
Accessibility & Inclusion
Ensuring buildings and campus environments remained accessible, inclusive and responsive to the requirements of UCL’s diverse community.
Operational Performance
Driving improvements in service quality, efficiency and consistency across a large and operationally demanding estate.
Sustainability
Integrating sustainability into infrastructure planning, operational decision-making and the long-term management of the estate.
Leadership & Cultural Change
Providing visible and credible leadership while developing a culture centred on accountability, collaboration, service excellence and continuous improvement.
Senior Stakeholder Engagement
Building trusted relationships with academic leaders, professional services teams and senior decision-makers across the university.
Our Recruitment Approach
Given the seniority and complexity of the position, Maxwell Stephens conducted an extensive search for accomplished Estates, Property, Infrastructure and Facilities leaders with experience managing large, complex and operationally intensive portfolios.
UCL required more than an experienced Estates professional. The successful candidate needed the strategic capability to shape long-term direction, the operational credibility to lead complex services and the interpersonal skills to influence culture across a highly diverse organisation.
Our assessment focused on candidates with proven experience in:
- leadership of large and complex estates
- operational Estates and Facilities Management
- campus and multi-building environments
- health, safety and risk leadership
- organisational and cultural transformation
- sustainability and long-term estate planning
- accessibility and inclusive environments
- strategic stakeholder engagement
- service integration and customer experience
- operational performance improvement
- leadership of large multidisciplinary teams
Particular emphasis was placed on identifying candidates able to combine strategic vision with operational credibility, ensuring ambitious plans could be translated into measurable improvements across the estate.
Following a rigorous search and selection process, Maxwell Stephens identified a standout candidate whose experience and leadership approach closely aligned with UCL’s requirements.
Outcome & Impact
The successful appointment provided UCL with senior leadership capable of strengthening both the strategic and operational management of its extensive campus estate.
Stronger Strategic Estates Leadership
The Director brought significant experience managing large-scale property portfolios, strengthening UCL’s ability to connect infrastructure decisions with its wider academic and organisational objectives.
A Stronger Safety Culture
The candidate’s track record of driving cultural change around safety supported UCL’s ambition to embed a proactive, safety-first approach across campus operations.
Greater Integration with Academic Departments
A collaborative leadership style helped strengthen relationships between Estates and Facilities teams and the academic departments they support, creating a more integrated approach to service delivery.
Enhanced Campus Experience
The candidate’s understanding of high-quality campus environments supported UCL’s objective of creating spaces that enable teaching, research, collaboration and an excellent student and staff experience.
Greater Operational Focus
Extensive experience managing large and complex portfolios provided the expertise needed to maintain focus on efficiency, consistency, service performance and operational resilience.
Stronger Long-Term Estate Planning
The appointment brought the strategic perspective required to balance immediate operational requirements with longer-term priorities around infrastructure, accessibility and sustainability.
Outcome
The successful appointment provided UCL with a Director of Campus Infrastructure and Operations capable of combining strategic estate leadership, operational excellence, safety, sustainability, cultural change and stakeholder engagement across an exceptionally complex university portfolio.
The assignment demonstrates Maxwell Stephens’ ability to recruit executive-level Estates and Facilities leaders for major institutional environments, where successful leadership requires more than technical expertise. It demands the ability to influence culture, integrate services with organisational priorities and translate long-term strategy into outstanding operational performance.
Looking for a senior Estates, Property or Facilities leader to transform the performance of a large and complex portfolio? Contact Maxwell Stephens to discuss your recruitment requirements.