Job overview
The Head of Estates is responsible for the operational delivery, performance, compliance and resilience of Hard FM services across the Trust estate.
The postholder ensures the estate is safe, compliant and fit for purpose, with clear accountability for Estates health and safety, statutory compliance and engineering performance. The role provides leadership to operational and technical teams, manages contracted services and delivers continuous improvement, financial performance, sustainability and digital transformation objectives.
The primary function of the role is to deliver the agreed Estates maintenance revenue budget, ensuring efficient use of resources while supporting the highest standards of environment and experience of care across the Trust.
A key priority of the role is to lead the development of a digitally enabled Estates function, using integrated systems and data to support real time performance, compliance and decision making.
Main duties of the job
Provide leadership for the delivery of Hard FM services, including planned, reactive and corrective maintenance, ensuring safe and reliable estate operation.
Lead and manage Estates Operations and Engineering functions through direct reports, including the Estates Operations Manager, Head of Engineering and Energy Manager, ensuring clear accountability, performance and workforce effectiveness.
Take responsibility for the health and safety of Estates services, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, including the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Manage the day to day performance of contracted Hard FM services, ensuring delivery against agreed KPIs and SLAs through robust performance management processes.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Ensure engineering systems are maintained in accordance with HTM guidance and that Authorised and Responsible Persons are competent and effective.
Maintain effective compliance, audit and risk management systems, ensuring statutory and regulatory requirements are met.
Develop and deliver the annual maintenance programme of works, aligned to the asset register and SFG20, ensuring the programme is cost effective, risk based and efficient.
Lead the development and delivery of backlog maintenance programmes and provide Estates input into capital planning and project development.
Ensure effective soft landings of projects into operational Estates, including commissioning, documentation, training and transition to business as usual.
Maintain and assure the accuracy of the asset register and estates terrier, ensuring alignment with operational and statutory requirements.
Lead the development and delivery of digital estates transformation, including the implementation and optimisation of integrated CAFM systems to enable real time reporting of performance, compliance and risk, accurate asset management and lifecycle planning, improved visibility of PPM, reactive works and backlog maintenance, and data driven decision making and assurance reporting.
Lead on delivery of the Estates revenue financial plan, including management of budgets, Cost Improvement Programmes, and associated tracking and reporting.
Lead the compilation of annual Estates Returns Information Collection and Premises Assurance Model submissions, ensuring accuracy and completeness prior to submission to the Associate Director of Estates for ratification.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- · Significant senior leadership experience in Estates and Facilities within a complex acute healthcare organisation, or equivalent
- · Experience of delivering Hard FM services, including planned preventative maintenance, reactive maintenance and engineering systems
Desirable
- · Experience of working within a Health Care Estates environment
- · Experience of Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response, including business continuity and incident response
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- · Degree in Engineering, Building Services, Estates Management, Construction, Management or related discipline, or equivalent experience
- · Professional qualification or membership of a relevant body, for example CIBSE, IET, IMechE, RICS or Chartered Management Institute, or equivalent
Desirable
- · Higher level health and safety qualification, for example NEBOSH Diploma or equivalent
Knowledge skills and Abilities
Essential
- · Strong leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to operate effectively at senior level, or equivalent
- · Knowledge of statutory compliance and healthcare Estates standards, including HTMs, or equivalent
Desirable
- · Knowledge of NHS Estates assurance frameworks, including ERIC and PAM, or equivalent
- · Advanced digital and data skills, including CAFM systems and performance reporting, or equivalent
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Head 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 £79,504 - £91,609 PA. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 09 Jul 2026.
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