Capital Project Manager

Job overview

We are looking for a forward‑thinking Capital Projects Manager to join our Estates & Facilities team at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Whether based at Bedford Hospital or Luton and Dunstable Hospital, you’ll work across multiple Trust sites and take ownership of delivering a varied portfolio of complex capital estates projects, typically valued between £3–5 million each year.

In this influential role, you’ll report to the Estates & Facilities Business and Compliance Manager and work closely with the Director of Estates & Facilities, playing a key part in shaping the future of our estate. Your expertise will help ensure our buildings and infrastructure fully support outstanding patient care, evolving clinical needs, and the long‑term sustainability of the Trust. This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive, strategic leader with a strong track record in estates project management to drive meaningful improvements across a fast‑moving NHS environment.

Main duties of the job

Act as a Project Manager for Estates capital schemes across the Trust.

Lead the planning, delivery, and monitoring of a diverse range of construction and refurbishment projects.

Manage capital project budgets (£3–5m) and staffing budgets (~£100k), ensuring delivery on time and within budget.

Develop project briefs, analyse tenders, appoint contractors and consultants, and ensure compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements.

Support the Trust’s six-facet survey programme, backlog maintenance planning, and prioritisation of estates investments.

Prepare and support the development of Business Cases aligned to clinical and operational needs.

Contribute to corporate governance, risk management, and strategic estates planning.

Work collaboratively with clinical and operational teams, senior managers, external contractors, and statutory bodies to ensure smooth project execution.

Report progress and risks to the Capital Planning Group and other key governance forums.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsibility for supporting the Capital Program utilising a risk-based framework agreement and backlog maintenance/ 6-facet survey information, to agree this Capital Program with various stakeholders and provide professional evidence to Senior Estates Manager (Building) of the reasons behind the proposed investment decisions.

To administer delegated elements of the Capital program in-line with SFI’s and statutory guidelines including reporting monthly on progress and advising on making decisions as and when conflicting requirements for funding arise.

Responsibility to update the senior management team on a monthly reporting basis.

To act as Project Manager for schemes as required, fulfilling all the professional obligations this experienced role requires to ensure the best outcome for clients.

Develop client brief with clients within the organisations, challenge brief and adapt into a specification for tender.

Analyse complex tender returns in preparation for appointing a competent building contractor.

Interpret and extrapolate information to ensure tender return meets the requirement of the tender specification.

Develop cash-flows for capital schemes.

To manage multiple capital projects at the same time and undertake the role of budget-holder.

To agree variations to construction contracts based upon knowledge and best-practice in the construction industry whilst maintaining direct responsibility for budget control.

Work with departments to develop an Operational Policy before briefing, providing technical and strategic advice based upon best-practice and current legislation.

To provide technical advice to the Senior Management Team in the matter of improvement works for energy management in Capital Projects.

To adhere to NHS-specific protocols for procuring and managing capital projects.

As required, commission capital projects for hand-over to client.

To then utilise skills and knowledge to provide advice on the correct method of procurement from Traditional, Procure21 and LIFT contracts to make best use of finance, assets and resources.

To provide professional advice and assistance on development investment decisions in relation to future proposed capital developments and manage/ assist feasibility studies.

Provide technical and professional support to other members of the Estates Department in the submission of Planning Applications and Building Control Applications.

To provide professional advice and support in relation to Listed Building Issues and Party-wall act issues ensuring relevant legislation is complied with.

Provide technical and professional support to other members of the Estates Department on CDM 2015.

Brief, develop objectives, manage and review the work of professionals including; Project Managers, Planning Supervisors, Quantity Surveyors, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, Healthcare Planners for delegated schemes.

Support the development of an ongoing backlog maintenance delivery program to continually modernise the estate.

Extrapolate information from these surveys to develop backlog maintenance and capital programs.

To assist in production of Strategic Outline Cases and Business Cases.