Head of Estates Services

Job overview

We are looking for an experienced, credible and forward-thinking Head of Estate Services to join our vibrant and cohesive team. This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for the safe, compliant, resilient and cost-effective delivery of operational estates services across the Trust.

You will join a service that works as one team across Capital, Facilities, Technical Services, Estates Maintenance and Health and Safety. We collaborate openly, share information and concerns early, and support each other to find practical solutions. We are proud of what we do and determined to keep improving.

We want an innovative, values-led leader who communicates clearly, builds trust and understands when to act, when to seek specialist advice and when to escalate. You will be passionate about developing people, strengthening capability and putting meaningful succession plans in place for the next generation of our workforce.

This role combines strategic influence with the realities of operational delivery. You will help shape the future of our estate while ensuring that today’s maintenance, compliance, risk, budget and service pressures are managed safely and effectively.

Main duties of the job

As Head of Estate Services, you will provide senior professional and operational leadership for the Trust’s maintenance, engineering and grounds services. You will:

• Lead safe, compliant and customer-focused planned, reactive, minor works and emergency maintenance services, including the estates on-call arrangements.
• Provide credible specialist advice on building and engineering infrastructure, statutory compliance, resilience and operational risk.
• Oversee performance, audits, action plans, contracts, budgets, risk controls and business continuity arrangements.
• Maintain robust Authorised Person and Responsible Person arrangements, working with externally appointed Authorising Engineers
• Develop the service through better systems, reliable information, clear standards, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Recruit, support and develop a capable workforce, ensuring effective supervision, appraisal, training, competency and succession planning.
• Work collaboratively across Capital, Facilities, Technical Services, Health and Safety, clinical teams and corporate services.
• Communicate clearly, make sound decisions and escalate significant risks promptly and transparently.
• Support the Estates Strategy, capital planning, sustainability and the safe operational handover of projects.

You will be a visible and inclusive leader who brings the Trust values to life: we work together, we are respectful and kind, we are inclusive, and we keep improving

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Head of Estate is the Trust’s senior operational and engineering lead for the Estates services. The role is responsible for maintaining safe, compliant, reliable and effective buildings, grounds and engineering infrastructure so that service users, staff and visitors can use our environments with confidence.

This is a broad and influential leadership role. You will balance long-term planning and service improvement with the practical realities of maintenance delivery, infrastructure risk, emergency response, workforce pressures and finite resources. You will work with a high degree of autonomy while maintaining clear communication, sound governance and timely escalation

Key responsibilities

• Lead the operational delivery of Estates services, including planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance, minor works, backlog maintenance, grounds and gardens, emergency response and estates on-call arrangements.
• Ensure buildings, grounds and engineering services are managed in accordance with statutory and mandatory requirements, NHS guidance, Trust policies and appropriate professional standards.
• Provide specialist technical and professional advice on estates maintenance, building services, engineering infrastructure, compliance, resilience and risk.
• Maintain effective Authorised Person and Responsible Person arrangements, working with externally appointed Authorising Engineers and ensuring agreed audit actions are implemented and monitored.
• Oversee external surveys, audits and risk assessments. Maintain the estates maintenance risk register, ensure appropriate controls are in place and provide clear, proportionate escalation where risks cannot be resolved within the service.
• Ensure effective business continuity arrangements are in place for estates infrastructure and support a coordinated response to operational incidents and emergencies.
• Set clear expectations for service quality and performance. Monitor planned and reactive maintenance, contracts and key performance indicators, using reliable information and feedback to identify corrective action and drive continuous improvement.
• Lead and develop the estates maintenance and grounds workforce, supported by the Maintenance Manager. Ensure effective recruitment, supervision, appraisal, training and competency arrangements are in place.
• Build workforce resilience through structured development, knowledge sharing and meaningful succession planning, creating opportunities for people to grow and helping prepare the next generation of estates professionals and craft staff.
• Oversee relevant pay and non-pay budgets, support cost improvement plans and ensure resources are used safely, effectively and transparently.
• Support the development of specifications, tenders, contracts and business cases relating to maintenance, backlog investment, building equipment and service improvement.
• Contribute to the Estates Strategy and long-term planning, identifying practical opportunities to modernise the service, improve productivity, strengthen resilience and support the Trust’s sustainability and Net Zero ambitions.
• Ensure appropriate operational and maintenance records are available and reliable, including information relating to statutory appointments, electrical systems, water quality, asbestos and building management systems.
• Work closely with colleagues across Capital, Facilities, Technical Services, Health and Safety, clinical services and corporate teams. Support the safe and seamless transition of capital projects into operational use.
• Maintain open and constructive relationships with service users, colleagues, contractors, consultants and other stakeholders, responding appropriately to feedback and complaints.
• Deputise for the Associate Director of Estates and Development when required.

We are looking for a visible, approachable and credible leader who creates clarity, builds trust and brings people together. You will encourage openness, constructive challenge and shared problem-solving, recognising that safe estates services depend on strong relationships across the whole organisation.

You will be expected to look ahead, anticipate emerging pressures and turn improvement ideas into deliverable plans. You will communicate clearly, act decisively within your authority and understand when an issue requires specialist input or senior escalation.

Developing people will be central to your leadership. You will create an environment in which colleagues are supported to learn, maintain their competence, share knowledge and take pride in the contribution they make. Your approach will consistently demonstrate the Trust values: we work together, we are respectful and kind, we are inclusive and we keep improving.

The role offers the opportunity to influence both the immediate reliability of our services and the longer-term future of the estate. It is demanding, varied and highly rewarding, with a direct impact on the environments in which care is delivered.

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.