Job overview
The postholder is a key member of the Trust senior management and will be responsible for ensuring that the:
Departmental Leadership and Management: You will provide direct line management and strategic direction for four key portfolios:
- Head of Estates: Oversight of all Estates Maintenance and Compliance functions, including specialist maintenance contracts and technical adherence to HTM 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, and 07.
- Head of Projects: Delivery of the Annual Capital Plan, overseeing all major construction and refurbishment schemes to ensure they meet clinical needs while fulfilling all CDM Health and Safety obligations.
- Head of Fire and Health & Safety: Comprehensive management of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order and all statutory requirements under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
- Estates Space Utilisation Manager: Management of the Estates Utilisation Policy and assurance model, ensuring that all Trust assets are used to maximum efficiency and identified underused spaces are reconfigured to support service expansion.
Main duties of the job
Policy Development and Professional Standards: You will lead the development, implementation, and rigorous maintenance of all Estates-related Policies and Codes of Practice.
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI): You will lead the delivery of ongoing service enhancements through the Trust’s CQI programme, embedding a culture of frontline-led improvement and structured problem-solving. By utilising formal CQI methodologies, you will refine estates processes, eliminate waste, and improve service reliability, ensuring the department remains at the forefront of the Trust's journey towards operational excellence.
Operational Resilience and Emergency Response: You will be responsible for the provision of a robust 24/7 reactive engineering response, including the management of the on-call roster for subject matter experts and engineering teams. In partnership with the EPRR team, you will ensure all estates response plans are tested, proven, and underpinned by a comprehensive set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Financial and Capital Stewardship: You will hold direct accountability for the Estates Revenue budget and the Annual Capital Programme. This includes developing a prioritised 5-year rolling plan to eliminate Backlog Maintenance, leading on the annual Cost Improvement Plan (CIP), and managing the tender processes for specialist outsourced contracts to ensure robust KPI and SLA monitoring.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Planning & Organisation
- Responsible for the planning and delivery of a rolling refurbishment and backlog maintenance programme
- As the ‘intelligent client’ and SRO for estates infrastructure and compliance capital projects, develop an annual and 5 year capital and revenue works programme, chairing project board(s), agreeing scope and ensuring appropriate sign off, acceptance and handover processes. Responsible for approving any proposed derogations related to estate infrastructure and engineering systems.
Communication
- Organise, manage and lead safety and compliance related to hospital walkabouts and audits, user groups and other formal review forum as and when required, ensuring environmental awareness is raised, maintaining a record of actions where appropriate
- Review and lead the improvement of communication, feedback and estates related information to user departments and wards related to estates and environment
- Receive and provide complex and commercially sensitive information for analysis for the Director of Estates and Facilities and Executive Directors
- Present service and performance information that may be contentious to large and small groups throughout the Trust
- Chair a number of key assurance/compliance related committees and ensure that reporting obligations are fulfilled
- Lead discussions and gain agreement from a range of stakeholders, often with differing priorities, within the budget limits set; occasionally this will require complex decisions to be made regarding priorities and products and services in the best interests of the Trust, staff and service users
Finance and Use of Resources
- To be the budget holder for allocated budgets, capital and revenue
- Take a pro-active approach to budget setting and management for estates services
- Responsible for the management and effective utilisation of estates revenue budgets (including utilities) and delivering a balanced or surplus year end position
- Responsible for the management of the capital allocation for estates related projects and delivery of contracts within agreed timeframe and budget
- For all areas of EFM, to have input to and influence capital planning decisions related to site service requirements and backlog maintenance.
- To have delegated responsible for raising orders, signing invoices and completing in accordance with the Trust’s Standing Financial Instructions.
- To be responsible for verifying and authorising Estates and Facilities invoices
- Responsible for the management and monitoring of external contracts related to hard FM and engineering services including but not limited to: maintenance, CHP
- Develop, implement and deliver agreed annual savings targets (QIPPs) as required
- Take an innovative approach to identifying appropriate/alternative funding sources and determining appropriateness for specific projects
- Seek opportunities to develop new and improve existing revenue income streams for the Trust
- Ensure systems are in place such that procurement and financial transactions within the estates function meet the Trusts standing financial instructions and scheme of delegation
- Interpret and advise on EFM contract and service standards
- Identify and implement change management processes and practices so as to achieve delivery of Value for money and a first class service provision from the Trusts Hard FM service providers
- To lead, with procurement colleagues, the retendering of the outsourced Hard FM/maintenance service including; the development of specification(s) for service(s), KPIs etc
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- · Extensive experience of strategic Estates management, statutory compliance, operational governance and capital programme delivery.
- · Significant experience of managing Estates revenue and capital budgets, contractor performance, outsourced Hard FM services and organisational change within complex operational environments.
Desirable
- · Experience of working within the NHS acute healthcare sector.
- · Experience of Estates Masterplanning, strategic estate development and business case development.
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- · Educated to degree level in a relevant built environment, Estates, engineering, construction, facilities management or related discipline, or equivalent level of knowledge and experience.
- · Membership of a relevant professional body associated with Estates, engineering, construction, facilities management, project management or the built environment.
- · Management and leadership qualification, or equivalent senior leadership experience within a complex organisation.
Desirable
- · Formal project or programme management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2, MSP, APM or equivalent).
- · Health and Safety qualification relevant to Estates or construction environments (e.g. NEBOSH or equivalent).
Knowledge, skills, Abilities
Essential
- · Strong strategic leadership, organisational and people management skills within complex operational environments
- · Excellent programme, project, commercial and financial management skills, including procurement, tender evaluation, contract negotiation, cost control and budget management.
- · Extensive knowledge of Estates management, engineering infrastructure, Hard FM services and statutory compliance within complex healthcare or comparable environments.
Desirable
- · Ability to lead innovation, service modernisation and organisational change programmes.
- · Knowledge of digital Estates systems, asset management systems and data reporting platforms.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Associate Director of Estates with Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust in Reading, South East, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Estates and facilities role. The advertised salary is £94,356 - £108,814 PA. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 09 Jul 2026.
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