Universal Gateway Hotel SPV Ltd · IMMEDIATE HIRE
You will be the operational engine of one of the UK’s most strategically positioned hotel development projects — a 200-room, 4-star hotel adjacent to Universal Studios Great Britain, opening two years before the resort itself. You hold the programme together so the Lead Sponsor can hold the relationships together.
Location: Kempston Hardwick, Bedford / Hybrid
Reports to: Lead Sponsor — direct, no intermediary
Team: 29 appointed firms — you co-ordinate all of them
Overview
01 — THE PROJECT
Universal Gateway Hotel SPV Ltd is developing a 200-room, 4-star hotel with leisure spa and 500-delegate conference centre on a 12-acre freehold immediately adjacent to the Universal Studios Great Britain resort boundary. The SDO was granted December 2025, resort construction commenced January 2026, and opens 2031. The hotel targets Q4 2029 — market leadership established before the park and its 12.5 million projected annual visitors arrive.
The project spans 29 professional firms, a £29.15m equity raise from up to 35 HNWI investors, and a £29.15m senior bank facility. This role exists because the Sponsor’s attention is most valuable on investor relationships, fee negotiations, and strategic interventions — not on chasing deliverables.
You are not a conventional BDM. You are a hybrid: programme administrator, investor co-ordinator, project intelligence function. The substance is operational excellence in service of one objective: Financial Close on time.
Workstreams
02 — WORKSTREAMS
- Programme tracking — Maintain the 247-action tracker and 75-condition planning register weekly. RAG report to Sponsor every Monday. Flag amber items 10 days before deadline; escalate red items immediately.
- Professional team co-ordination — Chase all 29 firms against deliverable dates. Issue reminders at 14 and 7 days. Draft Sponsor’s chase letters for high-priority items.
- Planning programme — Co-ordinate EIA sub-consultants with Lichfields (Vectos, RSK, Influence LVIA, Sandy Brown, KDS, AQA, FRA, archaeological consultant). Track pre-commencement condition discharge post-FPP.
- Investor relations — Maintain investor data room. Prepare quarterly updates. Process HNWI/SCSI certificates and NDAs. Track subscription against 35-slot target.
- Financial Close preparation — Maintain FC conditions precedent checklist. Co-ordinate execution readiness: FPP, facility agreement, JCT DB24, HMA, land purchase, SHA, BSA Gateway 2.
- SPV administration — Companies House filings, HMRC, Xero liaison, insurance renewals, board preparation, invoice logging.
Requirements
03 — REQUIREMENTS
NON-NEGOTIABLE
- 3+ years in UK property development, construction project management, planning consultancy, or hotel/hospitality development
- Demonstrated experience managing a multi-firm professional team against a programme — done before, not theoretically
- Fluent in planning terminology: FPP, EIA, S106, S278, pre-commencement conditions, BREEAM
- Advanced Excel — complex multi-tab spreadsheets, formulas, conditional references
- Professional written communication at senior partner level (Howes Percival, Pinsent Masons, Gleeds)
- Right to work in the UK — no sponsorship, no time for a visa process
- Comfortable reporting directly to the Sponsor with no HR, no team below you, no onboarding programme
- Significant advantages — Hotel, leisure or resort development experience — HMA, brand RFP, operator management structures
- RICS AssocRICS, MRICS, MAPM, MCIOB or equivalent professional membership
- FCA financial promotion regime — practical understanding of HNWI certification
- Familiarity with Gleeds, Lichfields, Pinsent Masons, Howes Percival
- Bedfordshire / MK planning regime or Bedford Borough Council experience
- Existing Midlands network in construction, planning or hotel development
- Disqualifying: Candidates with experience entirely in agency or consultancy, without client-side or in-house development exposure. This role requires thinking like an owner, not a fee-earner.
Compensation
04 — COMPENSATION
- Performance Kicker: £5,000 – £14,575 — 0.5% of equity subscribed above £14,575,000 raised by December 2026. Uncapped above midpoint.
- Financial Close Bonus: £3,000 on confirmed FC by 30 September 2027
- Pension: 5% employer contribution from month one
- Holiday: 25 days + bank holidays
- Equipment: Laptop, software, mobile — SPV-issue on start
Contract
05 — CONTRACT
- Year 1: 12-month FTC, 19 May 2026 – 18 May 2027
- Year 2: Renewal offered by 31 March 2027 — RPI + 2% minimum salary uplift
- Year 3+: Potential permanent conversion reflecting shift to construction/operational phase
- Notice: 3 months after 1-month probation. PILON clause. Full IP assignment and 12-month non-solicitation post-termination.
Working pattern
06 — WORKING PATTERN
- Hybrid: 3 days home, 2 days Bedfordshire site / London. Co-working hub in Bedford/Nottingham for in-person days.
- Start urgency: Three live deadlines with no cover — RSK ecological surveys (closes 30 June 2026), bank RFQ credit pack (June 2026), Sandy Brown noise monitoring (April 2026). Candidates able to start before 19 May given priority.
- Weekly rhythm: Monday RAG report, Wednesday Gleeds/EIA calls, Friday Sponsor inbox clear, monthly board update.
- London travel: 2–4 times/month during bank RFQ and equity raise phase (Sep 2026 – Mar 2027), monthly thereafter. All travel costs met by SPV.
Success at 12 months
07 — SUCCESS AT 12 MONTHS
- All planning conditions discharged on programme — no red items at FPP submission
- All 5 EIA chapters delivered to Lichfields by Q3 2026 without a missed dependency
- Bank RFQ credit pack issued to 10 lenders by June 2026
- Investor data room live and compliant before first equity intermediary introduction
- Quarterly investor updates issued within 5 days of quarter-end
- FC conditions precedent checklist complete, all 8 workstreams execution-ready by 1 September 2027
- Sponsor has never had to chase a deliverable that was the PM’s responsibility
- All 29 firm invoices received, checked, and approved within payment terms
How to apply
08 — HOW TO APPLY
- Send a CV and covering letter (maximum one page) to hello@projectmeridian.co.uk
- Your covering letter must address two points:
- Describe a multi-firm development programme you have personally managed and what you did when a key deliverable was at risk
- Confirm availability to start by 19 May 2026
- Applications without a covering letter addressing both points will not be progressed.
- No agency applications — direct candidates only.
- Assessed on a rolling basis. Candidates on notice period encouraged to apply.
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