Senior Specification Manager

Unite Foundation; Bristol; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading student accommodation provider in the UK is seeking a Senior Specification Manager to drive the development of accurate specifications and quality standards. This role will work closely with various teams to ensure that specifications meet operational, security, and design needs. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong analytical, writing, and interpersonal skills and have a proven ability to foster innovation. Join us in shaping an exceptional living experience for students.

Benefits

Discretionary annual bonus

25 days paid holiday plus extra days for long service

Generous pension scheme

Health and wellbeing benefits

Enhanced Family Leave

Annual ShareSave scheme

Employee Life Assurance

Discounts portal

Qualifications

• Demonstrable understanding of product and property specification.
• Able to learn fast and work with others to gather information.
• Excellent writing skills for crafting specifications.
• Numerically savvy to analyze costs and performance.
• Strong presentation skills for stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to measure product performance and success.
• Strong interpersonal skills to maintain stakeholder relationships.
• Focus on customer needs from the product.

Responsibilities

• Ensure clear and accurate specifications for properties and products.
• Develop a framework for specification management.
• Consider customer needs in specifications.
• Ensure quality and value in product specifications.
• Manage innovative product trials and specifications.
• Collaborate with design and brand teams.
• Lead the Specification Committee.
• Communicate specification decisions effectively.
• Measure success through research and surveys.
• Drive customer satisfaction in operations.

Skills

Product and property specification understanding

Fast learner

Writing and report writing skills

Numerical analysis

Presentation skills

Analytical skills

People skills

Customer-first mindset

Job description

Unite Students are hiring for an exciting opportunity to join our busy and thriving Procurement team as a Senior Specification Manager.

It`s an important time for procurement & specification at Unite Students. We have been through a significant refresh of our specification and the Senior Specification Manager is instrumental in continuing to drive this forward. Accountable for driving, interpreting, and, at times, challenging the business` needs and converting these into detailed and clear specifications, the job holder is a true Business Partner that understands US and can continue to drive quality and consistent products and layouts into our business, with clear referenceable specifications that the business understands and can utilise as the tips of their fingers.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Responsible for ensuring clear, consistent and accurate specifications for properties, spaces and products used across the business, be that a student flat fixtures & fitting, a communal space layout or assets within a boiler room, this role identifies and documents the specifications and performances of importance to us.
• Creating and continually developing a framework for where specification is required and to be followed (and equally where it is not).
• Ensuring wider business and customer needs and requirements are considered with the specifications - not least operational, security, technology, construction, sustainability and maintenance but also durability, lifecycle, aesthetics, warranty, and cost.
• Ensuring quality and value in the products we use and that they meet our needs - working closely with the wider procurement team so they can convert the specification at the relevant time into a sourced product that continues to push whole life cost, quality and innovation.
• Continuing to develop our innovation space and approach to product trials - always maintaining specification and creating an innovative environment where we continue to test new or different products available in the wider market
• Working closely with our Interior Design and Brand teams, challenging each other to maximise design and convert into specifications, including for Unique Spaces.
• Manage the Specification Committee, ensuring decisions are made in a dynamic and timely fashion taking into the consideration all parameters necessary.
• Communicates the specification and specification decisions, ensuring all relevant parts of the business are consulted in order to make a valid and viable decision.
• Identify and measure success of specification - including relevant student research and surveys (NPS/GSLI for example), focus groups, cost, maintenance
• Measure and feedback specification performance, agreeing the roadmap for continual progress with the wider business.
• Play a pivotal role in driving customer NPS, working closely with the Operations Mobilisation team to ensure buildings handed over to the operation, meet the Unite standard and are ready to be exceptional homes for our students from the moment they arrive.

What We’re Looking for in You

• Demonstrable understanding of product and property specification - and evidence of how you have helped to drive innovation in these spaces
• Able to learn fast- it is impossible to be an expert in all areas of specification - be that technical, construction materials, technology or simply paint - but you will demonstrate ability to work with others to tease the information out and learn fast.
• Brilliant writing and report writing skills - a must given the volume of writing specifications this role will lead and document.
• Numerically savvy - able to analyse and interpret numbers, whether costs, technical performances or survey results.
• Presentation skills - ability to present data and facilitate decision making on specification across numerous stakeholder groups
• Analytical skills - ability to set indicators or product performance, and measure achievement against these
• A people person - since this role works across the entire business much like the wider procurement team, ability to work with all people and be a critical friend in establishing great stakeholder relationships is a must.
• A `customer-first mind-set` - a great team player, with the ability to build relationships and rapport with the wider procurement team and a variety of key stakeholders. You understand our customer`s needs from the product.

What You’ll Get in Return

• A discretionary annual bonus so you can share in the company`s success
• 25 days` paid holiday and an annual holiday buying scheme, with 5 additional days awarded for long service
• A generous pension scheme - employer contributions between 5% and 11% depending on how much you save
• Various benefits to support your health and wellbeing including a Healthcare Cash Plan, an Employee Assistance Programme, a Wellbeing platform and a Gym benefit that you can share with your family and friends
• Enhanced Family Leave including 18 weeks full pay for birthing parents and 4 weeks for non-birthing parents
• Lots of other great benefits including an annual ShareSave scheme, Employee Life Assurance, a discounts portal and more!

About Unite Students

Founded in 1991, Unite Students is the UK`s leading provider of purpose-built student accommodation. You can find us in 23 leading university towns and cities, with 70,000 students calling US home! We are driven by our values, culture, and a commitment to develop diverse and inclusive teams, filled with positive energy and new ideas.

Instinctive inclusion.

We know that to create and maintain a happy healthy organisation, we have to work hard to ensure inclusion isn`t just what we do but who we are.

People make Unite Students.

Employees, students and neighbours all contribute to building environments where we can all thrive.

Room for Everyone

We`re proud to be an employer that embraces individuality, and we`re passionate about building inclusive teams. We focus on creating a collaborative culture where you can be you, where your voice is heard, and where you can truly belong. We take great pride in being rated Gold Investors in People and are constantly striving to provide the highest standard of learning and development opportunities and professional pathways for our people. Building a home for success, for both our employees and students, requires exceptional people with a passion for creating room for everyone, doing what`s right, keeping US safe, and raising the bar. Join us as we build better experiences for students that live with us.