Senior Administrator Facilities Management

JobsCloseBy Editorial Insights

An on-site Senior Administrator in Facilities Management at Heriot-Watt University Dubai will oversee daily campus facilities, manage space bookings, coordinate with maintenance and security, ensure safety and accessibility compliance, and lead junior staff while coordinating events. Requirements include a first degree, at least two years in building or property management, proficiency with common IT tools, and the ability to work quickly in a dynamic environment with strong interpersonal and customer service skills. Responsibilities cover vendor contracts, budgets, procurement, post-event reporting, and cross-team collaboration. To apply, submit a CV and tailored cover letter; expect an on-demand video interview and then in-person interviews in Dubai. Tips: tailor your CV to facilities and events, highlight budgeting and stakeholder management, align with Belong Collaborate Inspire Celebrate values, and have immigration documents ready.

Job Posting Title:  Senior Administrator (Facilities Management) 

Grade and Salary: G5 

FTE and working pattern: Full time  

Organisation Name: Estates & Facilities 

Purpose of Role 

Assists the Estates team in ensuring the smooth running of the campus ensuring effective operation, compliance, and presentation of campus facilities while delivering high-quality administrative and logistical support for events. It balances internal and external space demands, maintains health and safety standards, and manages vendor relationships. The role also provides leadership to junior staff, fosters collaboration with stakeholders. Ultimately, it supports a safe, efficient, and engaging environment for staff, students, and external partners.

Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities:  

Facilities Administration 

Oversee day-to-day operations of campus/organizational facilities, ensuring safety, compliance, and efficient use of space. 

Manage facility booking systems, allocate spaces, and coordinate room scheduling to balance internal and external demands. 

Liaise with maintenance, security, and cleaning teams to ensure facilities are fully operational and well-presented. 

Monitor compliance with health, safety, environmental, and accessibility regulations. 

Maintain accurate records of space usage, service requests, and vendor contracts. 

Event Administration  

Lead the planning, scheduling, and coordination of internal and external events, conferences, workshops, and staff activities. 

Supervise event logistics including catering, audiovisual, signage, and room setups. 

Provide on-site oversight for major events, ensuring smooth execution and immediate issue resolution. 

Conduct post-event evaluations and prepare reports to capture lessons learned. 

Support promotion of facilities and event spaces for external revenue generation. 

Leadership and Stakeholder Engagement 

Act as the primary administrative contact for staff, students, and external partners in relation to facilities and events. 

Supervise and guide junior staff, interns, and temporary event personnel. 

Foster collaborative relationships with academic and professional services teams to align facilities support with organizational needs. 

Manage vendor and supplier relationships, ensuring service quality and cost-effectiveness. 

Financial and Administrative Management 

Assist in preparing and monitoring budgets for facilities and events.

Review invoices, track expenditures, and support procurement processes.

Maintain records of contracts, service agreements, and compliance certifications.

Provide regular reports on facilities performance, event outcomes, and administrative metrics.

Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities:  

Education, Qualifications & Experience:

Essential

1. Educated to first degree level 
2. Two years prior experience in a building / property management environment.
3. Experience of working within a similar environment as outlined above 
4. Competent in the use of relevant IT packages 
5. Well-developed interpersonal skills 
6. Demonstrable professional and proactive approach
7.  Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment
8. Demonstrable provision of excellent customer service 

Heriot-Watt University Values

With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and professionally relevant, leading-edge research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry.

We are a vibrant, forward-looking university, well known for the quality of our degrees with employers actively seeking out our graduates.  Heriot-Watt is also Scotland’s international university with an unsurpassed international in-country presence. We deliver degree programmes to circa 30,000 students in 143 countries around the world, have a further overseas campus in Dubai and boast the largest international student cohort in Scotland.

At Heriot-Watt we’ve created an environment that nurtures innovation and leadership - where our researchers, staff and students can realise their potential and develop their ambitions.

We are proud of our collegiate atmosphere and integrated teaching and research approach which has helped to build a community of committed academics and highly motivated students.  Our focus on careers delivers results and we’ve an excellent reputation for graduate employability.

In addition to the Edinburgh campus, we currently have campuses in  the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia.  For all of our campuses we aim to provide stimulating, supportive environments conducive to effective learning and research, where staff and students can excel. At Heriot-Watt, we have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership, and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.

Our values describe our deeply held beliefs and our community spirit. They characterise not only how we are as a higher education institution but also frame how we want to be.

Our values are:

• Belong
• Collaborate
• Inspire
• Celebrate

As learning, living and working institution, we use our values as the building blocks of how we go about doing our work and how we each conduct ourselves as members of Heriot-Watt University. They represent what binds us together as a University community and help us to become the best at what we do.

For full details on our University, please view our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/about.htm

‘How to Apply’

Interested applicants must submit applications attaching an updated CV and a cover letter. 

Shortlisted candidates may be invited to complete an on-demand-video interview as the first stage of the selection process. Successful candidates will then proceed to in-person formal interviews at our Dubai campus.

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team. 

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

The appointment is conditional upon successful completion of all Labour and Immigration formalities.