Head Of Sustainable Logistics – Campus Services – 105838

Overview

As a key leader within Campus Services, the post-holder will drive the University of Birmingham’s strategic mobility agenda, ensuring sustainable, business-focused travel, car parking, and transport services that meet the institution’s evolving needs. This role will oversee a £4m annual budget, delivering efficient, effective, and economical services while ensuring agreed service standards are met.

The role will champion the University’s commitment to sustainable practices, particularly in fleet, logistics, and business travel, contributing directly to the institution’s Sustainability Strategy and air quality improvement goals. This involves developing services, protocols, and policies concerning mobility, accessibility, and transport logistics, ensuring alignment with the University’s sustainable strategy. The post-holder will also monitor and influence business travel expenditure exceeding £10.5m, ensuring car parking and sustainable travel initiatives are strategically aligned to optimise efficiency and minimise environmental impact, directly contributing to the reduction of scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

Main Duties

• Drive the University of Birmingham’s Sustainable Logistics Strategy, aligning transport, car parking, and sustainable travel initiatives with the institution’s core values and sustainability goals. Lead the monitoring and reporting of carbon emissions from all University transport activities, ensuring consistent achievement of reduction targets.
• Working with the Transport Manager provide direction in fleet management and sustainability, optimising energy and economic efficiency.
• Represent the University at local, national, and European transport forums, fostering partnerships and enhancing the University’s profile through commercial and research collaborations.
• Lead, motivate, and develop the Transport, Car Parking Services, and Sustainable Travel departments, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective services. Champion the sustainability agenda across all teams and wider University groups, positioning the University as an industry exemplar in global business travel, fleet, and logistics management.
• Cultivate a culture of continuous learning and professional growth, providing strategic guidance and mentorship to operational managers. Lead by example, promoting a positive and agile work environment.
• Effectively manage operational leads, ensuring delivery of agreed objectives, service standards, and targets, while addressing any concerns in accordance with HR policies.
• Responsible for ensuring all annual review processes, including Performance and Development Reviews are conducted in the service area.
• Identify appropriate opportunities for development and change and encourage other team members to do the same.
• Define departmental priorities and budgets, supporting the University’s strategic mobility goals. Oversee campus-wide sustainable infrastructure projects and initiatives ensuring the mobility needs of the University’s 45,000+ community are met.
• Lead the planning and monitoring of small to medium-scale infrastructure projects, supporting the Sustainable Travel Officer to further development the expansion of cycle hubs; implementation and management of Electric Vehicle charging point networks across campus; and enhancements to pedestrian and micro-mobility infrastructure, promoting safe and efficient movement.
• Collaborate closely with the Estates department to integrate sustainable travel strategies into capital projects, ensuring optimal integration of car parking and alternative transport solutions.
• Manage project timelines, budgets, and resources effectively, ensuring projects are delivered to a high standard and within agreed parameters.
• Collaborate with key University departments, particularly Estates, to ensure a cohesive approach to car parking.
• Develop and implement strategies that align car parking provision with the promotion of sustainable travel, addressing commuter travel challenges and optimizing car parking management.
• Co-Chair the Campus Safety Transport Group with the Director of Facility Services, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations, and resolving safety issues across campus.
• Support the Director of Facility Services develop and maintain departmental health and safety documentation, legislative guidelines, and policies, ensuring University-wide compliance.
• Proactively review and revise internal policies and guidelines, partnering with Human Resources, Procurement, and Estates to address legislative changes and government policies.
• Act as the University’s primary travel liaison with Birmingham City Council, Transport for West Midlands, University Hospital NHS Trust, and industry bodies, addressing air quality, congestion, and infrastructure challenges.
• Represent the University at planning meetings and working groups, ensuring the University’s interests are effectively represented.
• Lead the development of future service offerings, defining operational frameworks to meet the mobility needs of students, staff, and visitors, both on and off campus.
• Working with the Transport Manager ensure full compliance with transport legislation, representing the University in any legal matters. Maintain legal compliance for the University’s fleet of over 100 vehicles, adhering to Department for Transport, VOSA, and University financial policies, and managing comprehensive audit processes.
• Actively manages equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour.
• Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Relevant degree or relevant equivalent professional qualification, plus significant experience in managing transport operations (in increasingly large and/or complex projects) or substantial relevant experience evidencing the experience required in this role
• Authoritative sector knowledge of the global fleet, transport and logistics industry
• Fully conversant in car parking management and its integration with capital projects. Comprehensive understanding of the constraints within car parking legislation and local authority policy.
• Demonstrates a good level of understanding of UK and Global HE and the implications for future and current strategy within sustainable logistics.
• Communicate effectively at senior levels to persuade and influence, keeping abreast of developments to ensure service provision is align with broader agenda
• Able to effectively create partnerships across the sector in order to create opportunities for research and enhance the reputation and profile of the University
• Competence to represent the University externally to industry and other bodies
• Excellent people management skills, with proven experience of leading, motivating and managing team
• Comprehensive experience of managing significant budgets, ideally £4m+
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Substantial degree of independent judgement and professional responsibility
• Experience in long term planning utilising information platforms in order to address trends and environmental factors
• Experienced in coordinating the direction and daily operation of a number of areas ensuring a seamless service is delivered across all
• Excellent co-ordination and leadership skills – this is integral to the role in leading successful departments to encourage growth and development
• Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area.
• Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied.
• Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action
• Competence in evaluating departmental activity and ability to recommend and implement innovative solutions to improve service quality, efficiency and continuity
• Proactive in anticipating market, political or economic challenges, implementing policies and developing initiatives to the advantage of the University and ability to respond to changing priorities as they occur
• Experience in resilience and positive response to change and a strong understanding of University culture and ability to influence the formal and informal organisation
• Aptitude to shape strategic direction, develop, and implement operational plans and policy for Sustainable Logistics to deliver University objectives as set out in its vision
• Ability to develop long term plans and steer a path towards their achievement whilst balancing short term pressures and challenges
• Ability to communicate and form strong working relationships within the University understanding academia and the importance of written and verbal disciplines
• Attending committees and events will be an integral part of the role and the post holder will be expected to deliver presentations and be a confident and engaging public speaker

Informal enquiries to Monica Guise, email: m.l.guise@bham.ac.uk

We believe there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.