Director of Business Development

Candidate Pack – November 2012

University of Warwick

Director of Business Development

Candidate Pack – November 2012

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

You will inject renewed commercial flair and entrepreneurial spirit into the heart of the

University’s income-generating commercial service activities. Reporting to the COO, you will

harness the ambition and creativity of colleagues across the institution. Your remit will involve

generating and developing new and innovative business propositions. You will maximise revenue

yield from the University’s renowned conferencing facilities, and drive significant growth in its

groundbreaking Jobs.ac.uk and Unitemps businesses.

The University of Warwick has over 23,000 students, 5,000 staff, and a turnover of £439 million.

During the last five years some £220 million has been invested in its vibrant and cosmopolitan

campus, which is home to staff and students from 140 different countries. The University is

currently ranked 5th in the UK and has yet to celebrate its 50th birthday. Key to Warwick’s rapid

rise has been its culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Over £102 million of its annual

income is generated through commercial activity led by a suite of wholly-owned businesses.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm on Tuesday 4th December 2012.

THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

Founded in 1965, the University of Warwick has rapidly emerged as a world-class higher

education institution. It is currently ranked 5th in the UK. Key to Warwick’s success is its culture of

being innovative, entrepreneurial and business-friendly. The University has sought to position

itself at the forefront of developments within the higher education sector. It was amongst the first

UK institutions to establish a Science Park and to market its campus facilities for use by

conferences. It has also fostered groundbreaking collaborations with the private sector, not least

through the internationally renowned WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group).

Warwick boasts a distinctive campus community, attracting significant daily footfall from its

cosmopolitan cohort of students and staff, as well as from members of the public. The campus was

established on a green-field site midway between Coventry and Leamington Spa. This has made it

effectively self-contained, with all services, from shops through to restaurants, overseen by either

the University or the Students’ Union.

Today the University has 23,000 students, 5,000 staff and an annual turnover of £439 million. It

is respected as a model of excellence in teaching, research, and enterprise. It also continues to

pioneer new approaches, recently launching high-profile strategic partnerships with Monash

University in Melbourne, Australia, and Queen Mary University in London.

SUMMARY OF UNIVERSITY INCOME (2011/12)

WARWICK’S CURRENT COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS

Warwick generates over £102 million in annual income through commercial activity led by a suite

of wholly-owned businesses. The surplus they provide enables Warwick to deliver academic

courses that might not otherwise be sustainable, to invest in areas of strategic importance, and to

reduce its dependency on central government. The campus services the University provides also

deliver a high-quality experience to the University and its wider community.

The University’s current suite of commercial activities include the following:

Warwick Accommodation

The University provides 6,000 student bedrooms both on and off-

campus to cater for a wide range of requirements and budgets. On-

campus accommodation consists of 14 halls of residence on 30, 39 and

50 week lets. Warwick Accommodation also leases a large portfolio of

houses in Coventry, Leamington Spa and Kenilworth.

Warwick Arts Centre

Situated at the centre of the main campus, Warwick Arts Centre is a

multi-venue complex that attracts around 300,000 visitors a year to

over 3,000 individual events. Its schedule embraces contemporary and

classical music, drama, dance, comedy, film and visual art. The Centre

comprises a concert hall, two theatres, a cinema, a gallery, and a

conference room, as well as hospitality suites, a restaurant, a cafe, two

retail units, and two bars. The site also houses the University Bookshop.

Warwick Conferences

Warwick Conferences is the largest commercial P&L within the

University. It runs three purpose-built centres called Arden, Radcliffe

and Scarman, as well as Conference Park and Events. Taken together

they cater for 65,000 delegates a year, and offer value-added services

such as banqueting and access to the University’s sport facilities.

Student fees and support grants (£166m)

HEFCE grants (£84m)

Research grants and contracts (£85m)

Commercial activities (£102m)

Endowment income and interest (£2m)

Warwick Conferences won in three separate categories at this year’s

M&IT Industry Awards, and has also picked up a Godiva, MIMA and

CCE Chefs Challenge awards.

Warwick Print

Warwick Print is an in-house publishing company and acts as the

University community’s preferred supplier for business cards, posters,

leaflets, booklets and presentation documents created by digital presses.

It also wins business from third party clients across the region.

Warwick Retail

The University runs or leases space to nine cafes and coffee bars around

the campus, as well as two restaurants – Bar Fusion and Le Gusta Oven

& Bar. In addition it operates a range of shopping outlets (including a

Costcutter Supermarket, a bookshop, a travel agents, a post office, a

chemist, and a hairdressers) and numerous vending locations.

Warwick Sports

This innovative collaboration between the University and the Students’

Union oversees more than 70 sports clubs and all the campus sporting

facilities. These include a large leisure centre, containing a 25 metre

swimming pool, two sports halls, a gymnasium, several squash courts

and a rock-climbing facility. Elsewhere on campus there are additional

facilities such as tennis courts, an athletics track and a cricket ground.

Jobs.ac.uk

Jobs.ac.uk is the leading international job board for careers in academic,

research, science and related professions. They have an unrivalled track

record in higher education and help over 700 organisations worldwide

to recruit highly qualified staff. With the strapline ‘Great jobs for bright

people’ their clients include leading global universities, research

organisations, FE colleges, charities, and even MI5.

Unitemps

Warwick founded this temporary employment agency in 1997 as a spin

out from its HR Department. Unitemps helps students and others to

find temporary work, and also fulfils University staffing requirements.

Since 2010 it has opened branches at the universities of Surrey,

Leicester, De Montfort, Staffordshire, Nottingham and Roehampton, as

well as Birmingham City University, and City University London.

THE CAMPUS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES GROUP

As student expectations continue to rise, and the external environment becomes increasingly

competitive and challenging, the University’s commercial team has been tasked with dramatically

enhancing its services and providing growth in surpluses of at least 10% per annum. In order to

help the team achieve this goal, the University has committed to a significant review and

investment that will, for the first time, create a unified Campus and Commercial Services Group

capable of taking a holistic overview of the University’s commercial activities and driving quality,

efficiency, and innovation across the board.

New Group Structure

The new Campus and Commercial Services Group brings together all of the services provided to

the University community and all activities that exist to generate surpluses for investment. The

rationale is to drive improvements in user experience and to enhance the operational efficiencies

between commercial activities and other University services, recognising that all areas of the

business draw on a common operational need for support in Planning, IT, Finance, HR and

Estates.

The new structure gathers together existing services and businesses into three interlinking

divisions which should be mutually reinforcing:

Campus Services

Mature businesses. Specific and direct

contribution to campus experience as well

as requirement to deliver best financial

performance. Mixture of surplus

generating and cost centre.

Warwick Arts Centre

Warwick Sport

Warwick Retail

Warwick Accommodation

Warwick Print

Operations

Underpinning the cross-group

infrastructure to support delivery and

performance. A number of services will

have discrete local operations but this area

provides resilience and maximises scope

for improved efficiencies, effectiveness and

Group-wide developments.

Business Planning

Infrastructure Planning

Estates

IT (to the Group)

Estates (to the Group)

Sales and Marketing

Finance & HR (reporting to

Central Administration)

Business

Development

Mature businesses with significant growth

or development potential. Capacity and

capability for new business development

and market extension. Bid capabilities.

Training & Conference Centres

Conference Park and Events

Jobs.ac.uk

Unitemps

New business growth

Leadership

In addition to the Group itself, the new structure establishes four new posts:

The Directors of Campus Services, Commercial Operations and Business Development will be

Senior Officers of the University. Together with the Registrar & COO, the Group Finance Director,

and the Estates Director, they constitute the Campus and Commercial Services Executive Group.

Other senior staff within the Group will attend these meetings by invitation.

The Executive Group meets frequently, providing regular opportunity for the review of

performance against targets set, and for the rapid consideration of new business developments

and opportunities.

Governance

In order to provide effective critical oversight of the new Division, a Campus and Commercial

Services Steering Group (CCSG) will be created. This group will be chaired by the Registrar &

COO and include the following members:

• Group Finance Director;

• Deputy Registrar;

• One academic member (a Pro-Vice-Chancellor or Faculty Chair);

• One student member (a Sabbatical Officer of the Students’ Union);

• Three lay members (one of which must be a lay member of the Council).

The Steering Group will not only enhance the links between the new Group and the wider

institution, but also engage a broader range of external input to the development of these services

and businesses during the years ahead.

Campus and Commercial Services Group

Chair: Registrar & COO

Deputy Chair: Group Finance Director

Director of Campus Services (Mike Roberts)

Focused on campus service delivery and the user experience

Director of Food and Retail Strategy and Development (To be appointed)

Focused on providing enhanced leadership and strategic vision in this critical area of activity

Director of Commercial Operations (Jonathan Bailey)

Focused on enhancing performance and the effective

delivery of services to the Group

Director of Business Development (To be appointed)

Focused on business-facing services and new business development for the Group

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Reporting to the Registrar & COO, but with a dotted line to the Group Finance Director, this

individual will be responsible for overseeing the University’s renowned Training and Conference

Centres, Conference Park and Events, and its groundbreaking Jobs.ac.uk and Unitemps

businesses. Crucially, they will also take leadership responsibility for generating and developing

new and innovative business propositions.

The core purpose of the role is:

to develop and drive the strategies and plans that will sustain and grow both existing and new businesses

within the Campus and Commercial Services Group;

to bring entrepreneurial flair to the leadership and management of Warwick’s businesses, as an integral

member of the Campus and Commercial Services Executive Group;

to bring exceptional business development capability and commercial flair to the senior officer

management group of the wider University.

Key accountabilities will include the following:

1. Strategic and Tactical Planning

directing the strategic development of the Training and Conferences Centres (TCCs), Conference Park and

Events, Unitemps, and Jobs.ac.uk;

defining and agreeing strategies to ensure improvements in productivity, service, and profitability;

revitalising and encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit across CCSG and the wider University;

conceiving of and seeking out innovative ideas for both new businesses and for business improvements;

working up these ideas and proposals into credible, robust, and executable plans;

ensuring that effective arrangements are in place for competitor and market analysis;

monitoring changes in industry trends, technology, IT and the wider competitive landscape;

continually and restlessly seeking out competitive advantage;

making a contribution to developing the growth potential of other areas of activity outside the Campus and

Commercial Services Group, such as IGGY (www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/iggy).

2. Business Development

acting as the focal point for the screening and evaluation of new ideas within the Campus and Commercial

Services Group;

identifying which propositions should be pursued and invested in, and making recommendations

accordingly;

developing credible and rigorous business plans for new opportunities;

cultivating relationships with a wide range of commercial, HE and not-for-profit organisations (at a very

senior level) in order to negotiate mutually beneficial partnerships or deals;

attending conferences, meetings, or events in order to promote Warwick’s Campus and Commercial

Services, and to build networks of influence for the University.

3. Operational Management

overseeing the business activities of the Training and Conference Centres (TCCs), Conference Park and

Events, Jobs.ac.uk, and Unitemps (with their combined annual turnover of over £37 million);

line managing and mentoring the Directors and General Managers of these businesses;

providing strong, visible and focused leadership of an incubator division;

monitoring businesses to ensure that senior staff are meeting goals/objectives, delivering on both financial

and non-financial KPIs, following policies and procedures, and taking account of customer feedback;

providing professional, enthusiastic leadership in order to maintain quality standards and achieve growth;

effectively communicating the Campus and Commercial Services Group vision and strategy to all staff;

ensuring that all business areas are compliant with policies on disaster recovery, business continuity,

information security and health and safety, and ensuring that where gaps are identified, plans are put in

place to address them;

overseeing the safety of staff, customers and visitors to the business areas;

ensuring a safe and healthy environment for the services provided and complying with health, safety and

hygiene law, rules and regulations.

4. Financial and Administrative

accountability for current businesses turning over circa £37 million;

developing challenging and ambitious financial plans for all these businesses, with a focus on growth,

efficiency, service delivery and cost reduction;

fostering a climate of financial and ethical integrity probity, and upholding the highest standards of

personal integrity at all times;

overseeing the proper allocation of staff and financial resources to optimise efficiency and productivity;

ensuring that all existing businesses maximise their financial and service performance objectives;

preparing and presenting reports to the Campus and Commercial Services Group, the company boards, or

other groups as required;

preparing a variety of written correspondence, including five year plans, sales and marketing literature and

business proposals.

The post holder will be required to travel internationally and within the UK. They will also

contribute to wider University development as a Senior Officer.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate evidence of the following skills,

capabilities and experience:

entrepreneurial flair;

considerable experience of driving significant growth and commercial success through developing and

implementing successful business and marketing strategies;

a good first degree or equivalent, preferably accompanied by a postgraduate business qualification;

significant experience of managing senior managers and professional staff;

experience of providing visionary and motivational leadership to successful and high performing teams;

a track record in delivering commercial success, implementing change, seeking new opportunities and

attaining challenging financial targets;

the proven ability to oversee a significant P&L, to manage budgets, to control and reduce overheads, to

achieve sales targets, and to improve profitability.

excellent commercial acumen;

a strong strategic focus;

strong executive presence and the ability to command credibility with other senior operators;

polished presentational and communication skills, coupled with genuine personal gravitas;

high-level analytical reasoning skills and the ability to identify creative solutions;

strong planning, project management and organisational skills;

strong communication, influencing and relationship management skills;

the ability to develop and implement an effective strategic plan;

the ability to spot and exploit commercial opportunities whilst balancing risks appropriately;

excellence in the areas of personal organisation, time management and prioritisation;

a team oriented mind-set;

the ability to take difficult decisions and implement required changes;

strong oral and written communication skills;

strong computer skills;

a good understanding of legislation, requirements and guidelines in relation to employment matters and

health and safety;

the ability to work under pressure and react to different conflicting priorities.

TERMS OF APPOINTMENT

This is a permanent full-time post. The appointed candidate will be an employee of the University and subject to the institution’s normal terms and conditions of employment.

The University aims to pay a salary that is commensurate with the seniority of the role and the calibre of the successful candidate.

It is hoped that the appointed individual will be able to take up the role as soon as possible, but ideally no later than Easter 2013.

APPOINTMENT PROCESS AND HOW TO APPLY

The University will be assisted in this appointment process by the executive search firm Society (www.impact-society.com).

Applications should consist of a CV accompanied by a brief covering letter addressing the criteria in the Person Specification. These documents can be uploaded via Society’s website by following this link and clicking on ‘Apply’.

The University of Warwick is committed to equality of opportunity. In order to ensure that its policies and procedures are effective in avoiding discrimination, candidates are therefore requested to complete a copy of the University’s standard Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form. The information you provide will be used for monitoring and statistical purposes and will form the basis of the personnel record for the successful candidate. This form can be uploaded along with your application, or emailed to mail@impact-society.com. The information you provide will not be used in the shortlisting process.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm on Tuesday 4th December 2012.

Longlisted candidates will be invited to meet with the consulting team at Society during early

December. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to visit the campus on 7th or 8th January. Formal

interviews will then be held on either 11th, 14th, or 18th January 2013.