Lead with heart. Drive operations. Create communities where students thrive.
Cluster Operations Manager
Location: Durham
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: Competitive + bonus + benefits
As a Cluster Operations Manager, you will oversee the day-to-day operations of a group of properties within your cluster, leading teams to deliver strong operational and commercial performance.
You will take ownership of multiple sites, ensuring they operate safely, efficiently, and deliver a consistently high-quality resident experience. With responsibility for both operational delivery and day-to-day financial performance, you will play a key role in driving results, maintaining standards, and building thriving student communities.
Working closely with the Area Operations Manager and support teams, you will combine hands-on leadership with a proactive, performance-driven approach. This is more than just running buildings?"you`ll create environments where students feel supported, connected, and at home.
Your impact
Whilst no two days are the same at Unite Students, here`s a flavour of what you`ll be responsible for in this role:
- Lead operational performance across your cluster, overseeing multiple properties and ensuring consistent, high standards
- Take ownership of day-to-day financial performance, supporting occupancy, revenue, cost control, and overall cluster results
- Lead, develop and support teams across your cluster, creating a high-performing, engaged and collaborative environment
- Ensure properties are safe, compliant and well-maintained, maintaining strong health, safety and operational standards
- Deliver an excellent resident experience, resolving issues quickly and creating welcoming, inclusive communities
- Work closely with maintenance and operational teams to ensure buildings are presented to a high standard and issues are resolved efficiently
- Build strong relationships with university partners, suppliers and contractors to support operational success
- Act as a key escalation point for operational issues and participate in the Duty Manager rota where required
- Use data, feedback and insight to identify opportunities to improve performance, efficiency and resident satisfaction
Your background
You don`t need to fit a box or follow a traditional path - what matters most is your mindset. We are looking for curiosity, openness to learning, and the drive to make a difference. Whether you`re solving problems, leading teams, or supporting residents day-to-day, it`s your attitude and approach that will help shape something bigger.
To be successful in this role, you will:
- Bring experience in operational leadership within property, hospitality, facilities management, or another customer-focused environment.
- Have experience managing teams and multi-site operations.
- Be confident managing operational performance and service delivery standards.
- Be an excellent communicator, comfortable building relationships with colleagues, suppliers and external partners.
- Be organised, solutions-focused and able to manage priorities in a fast-paced operational environment.
- Experience within property, hospitality or PBSA would be advantageous, but is not essential.
Why it`s great to work with US!
In this values-led organisation, you will do work that makes a difference, helping to shape welcoming, vibrant communities where students can thrive. Whether this is your first step or your next one, we`ll help you build skills, confidence and a career you`re proud of.
We believe that everyone thrives when they are able to bring the best version of themselves to work. So, alongside a competitive salary, we`ve built a culture and a reward package to support you in bringing your full, authentic self to work, including:
- A performance-related bonus paid twice a year
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to buy up to 5 extra days
- A generous pension scheme where contributions range between 4% and 11% depending on how much you save
- Life assurance worth 4 times your salary
- Share save scheme giving you access to purchase Unite Students shares at a discounted rate
- Enhanced Family Leave policies
- Medicash (Health Cash Plan)
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
- One free volunteering day each year
- Retail and hospitality discounts
Alongside these benefits, you`ll also have access to learning and development programmes designed to support your growth and career progression.
If you`re expecting ordinary, think again. We`re US, we`re different - and we`re proud of it.
How far could you go? Join US and find out.
