A day in the life of Liz Agnew, Cluster Operations Manager, Glasgow West

Can you tell us about your career at Unite and your current role? 

I joined Unite Students in 2019 as a Service and Sales Supervisor, and less than six months into the role, we went into lockdown. I had to learn the business in a very different way!

A few years later, I became a Student Experience Manager for Glasgow. Then in spring 2026, when an Operations management restructure was announced, I saw it as a chance to take on a new challenge and applied to be a Cluster Operations Manager.

I now look after Glasgow West, spanning three Unite Students properties and five Hello Student properties. Working across the two brands, there’s plenty to learn and get stuck into – it’s what makes it exciting!

What’s a typical day, and your main responsibilities and routines?  

Most days start with the school run. I’m a mum to a young teenager and my husband works night shifts, so we’re often passing ships in the morning!

I try to work from a different property each day – so I’m visible and accessible to my team. Before I open my emails, I check in with everyone. Our people drive our business, so I take time to see how they are and make sure they’re ready for the day.

Salesforce dashboards and reports from Insights & Analytics help me decide where to focus. I oversee the cluster’s day-to-day operational delivery: sales, income, debt management, student experience and welfare, maintenance, health and safety, and compliance. There’s a wealth of data to dig into, which shapes my decisions and actions.

I also try to give the week some structure. Mondays and Fridays I focus on sales, income and debt; Tuesdays to Thursdays are for maintenance, compliance, and health and safety. But priorities change with the student cycle, and we work in a reactive business, so a day can change at the drop of a hat. That variety is one of the things I love the most about my role.

How far ahead are you planning?  

I’m often looking at least six months ahead. We’ve just completed check-in for the 2026/27 academic year and I’m already thinking about what next year’s check-in could look like. However, health and safety or compliance actions can need attention sooner.

I work closely with my Area Manager who focuses on strategy; I focus on day-to-day delivery – making sure my team understands what we need to do and why, bringing our Area Manager’s strategic vision to life.

My team include two Assistant Operations Managers who I work closely with. We need to stay aligned on the right priorities across both brands. They help each property team deliver in the moment, while I help set the direction and prepare them for what’s coming. Looking ahead means I can identify training needs and prepare for changes.

How have you adapted to your new role and ways of working?  

I’ve had to take a step back and think about the bigger picture more. The resident experience is still close to my heart, but I now consider it alongside the likes of compliance and health and safety.

My customer-centred experience helps me see properties through our residents’ eyes. Working at different properties every few days gives me a fresh perspective. When you see the same space every day, it’s easy to get used to something and walk past it. I can spot where standards have slipped and flag it to the team.

It’s about asking: just because something has always been that way, does that make it right? How would you feel if you lived here?

What difference do you hope your role makes for residents, property teams and the wider business?  

My role brings everything together around the resident experience. A broken item in a room, a dirty kitchen or being locked out in the middle of the night all affect how someone feels about living with us. Resident experience is everybody’s job, not just the responsibility of one person or job family.

What about Unite Group makes your life easier?  

One thing I really value about Unite is being able to ask anyone across the business for help. I can go directly to senior colleagues in operations or someone in a support function, like Finance or Commercial. That openness makes my job easier, and I want to encourage it within my own team too.