Head of Estates Management

Job Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced professional to lead our Estates and Facilities team at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. As the Head of Estates, you will be responsible for managing the operational estates provision, its managers, trade staff, and contractors, and providing assurance to the Trust Board.

You will be the informed client for the Trust in respect of its engineering systems and services, supporting the Trust's capital team with the capital programme, including backlog maintenance. You will also be responsible for significant budgets for pay, non-pay, utilities, and capital (backlog) allocations, identifying and delivering sustainable efficiency and improvement targets.

The successful candidate will have a strong track record in managing schemes to time and budget, with experience of developing joint and collaborative working with local health and commercial partners. They will also have a detailed understanding of requirements of HTMs and HBNs and all Professional Standards relating to Estate Operations.

Main Duties of the Job

Lead and manage the operational estates provision, its managers, trade staff, and contractors, and provide assurance to the Trust Board.

Be the informed client for the Trust in respect of its engineering systems and services, supporting the Trust's capital team with the capital programme, including backlog maintenance.

Be responsible for significant budgets for pay, non-pay, utilities, and capital (backlog) allocations, identifying and delivering sustainable efficiency and improvement targets.

Deputise for the Director/Deputy Director when necessary and play a full role in the overall management of the Estate function as part of the senior leadership team.

Represent the Estates and Facilities division at key operational and strategic meetings as a subject matter expert and deputise for the Director/Deputy Director as required.

Working for Our Organisation

At East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide, and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.

We run the following hospitals:

• The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
• New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
• Hertford County, Hertford
• Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood

We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation; our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.

We understand that finding and starting a new job is an important life decision. If you need reasonable adjustments for a disability, or a life event, such as menopause, so that we can consider your application fairly and to get the best out of you during the selection process, please let us know.

We are committed to a positive work-life balance for our employees. Employees are entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns, and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.

Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.

Person SpecificationQualifications/TrainingEssential Criteria

• Professional knowledge acquired through degree or equivalent plus specialist knowledge acquired through post-graduate courses or experience to masters equivalent level plus in-depth managerial, financial, and strategic knowledge.
• Membership of an appropriate professional body (IMechE, CIBSE, IET, IHEEM, etc.).
• Evidence of continuing professional development.

Desirable Criteria

• Recognised Project Management qualification.

Previous ExperienceEssential Criteria

• Working in a similar role within an Estates or Facilities team. Demonstrable experience of having managed senior teams, operational budgets, and multiple construction or refurbishment projects.
• Leading a senior team of engineering managers.
• Managing reactive and planned preventative maintenance systems and the development and delivery of minor capital projects.
• Managing a significant workforce in disciplines ranging from electrical, engineering, mechanical engineering, and trades staff.
• Managing significant budgets for all areas relating to the role for both pay, non-pay, and capital, including the identification and delivery of savings targets.
• Providing expert advice at a senior level on engineering and construction matters, in accordance with national and local policies and standards.
• Successful negotiation and contract management.
• Completing business cases for Capital investment.
• Planning and delivery of complex maintenance programmes.
• Strong track record in managing schemes to time and budget.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of developing joint and collaborative working with local health and commercial partners.
• Experience within an NHS healthcare environment.

Skills & QualitiesEssential Criteria

• Significant knowledge in all engineering-related matters to a level of subject matter expert.
• Knowledge of current legislation and guidance for NHS properties, such as HBNs and HTMs.
• Good knowledge of industry standard building construction contracts, along with the ability to effectively manage contractual relationships with Contractors and Consultants.
• Good working knowledge of the Building Regulations.
• Knowledge and understanding of public sector construction frameworks and EU procurement regulations.
• Detailed understanding of requirements of HTMs and HBNs and all Professional Standards relating to Estate Operations.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of Health & Safety legislations and requirements of working within a built environment – CDM regulations and IPAC requirements.
• Specialist technical knowledge including legislation relating to construction, development, and property management of Healthcare Buildings.
• Good understanding of Public Procurement Regulations.
• Formal engineering management training.
• Sound financial acumen and highly developed commercial and contract negotiation skills.
• Complex problem-solving, decision-making, and analytical skills.
• Good judgment and analytical skills and able to process facts, interpret, and provide appropriate advice, often balancing conflicting demands.
• A proven ability to come up with flexible and creative solutions to difficult problems. Excellent collaborative working skills and able to work across Departments, with multiple stakeholders, and within multidisciplinary teams.
• Able to prioritise, schedule, and monitor to completion, multiple projects often running in parallel, understanding key priorities, meeting deadlines, and maintaining a consistent high-quality output, by allocating time effectively.
• Effective oral and written skills in the presentation and interpretation of complex information to directors, senior managers, and clinicians, including the effective chairing of meetings.
• Ability to think strategically and develop practical plans to implement to estate and facilities strategies.
• Ability to identify, plan, and undertake research and development initiatives to inform strategic objectives.
• Evidence of achievements in a complex environment, including effective management of change.
• Understanding risk management and implementing quality management systems.

Other RequirementsEssential Criteria

• Able to provide unsocial hours attendance, either in times of crisis, or on the Duty Estate Officer roster.

Physical Requirements of PostEssential Criteria

• Health and physical abilities sufficient for the post (if necessary with reasonable adjustments with respect to the Equality Act/Disability Discrimination Act).
• Able to climb ladders or access confirmed spaces or sewers for surveys, inspections, or assessments.
• Able to accurately read manufacturers' plates & drawings.

Our values

We want our staff to believe in, demonstrate, and live our values in everything we do.

Include
We value the diversity and experience of our community colleagues and partners, creating relationships and climates that provide an opportunity to share, collaborate, and grow together.

Respect
We create a safe environment where we are curious of the lived experience of others, seek out best practice, and are open to listening and hearing new ideas.

Improve
We are committed to consistently delivering excellent services and continuously looking to improve through a creative workforce that feels empowered to act in service of our shared purpose.

Committed to our Community

East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion for all job applicants, staff, patients, and the wider community. We want to create a workforce which represents the communities we serve. We are on a journey to become a more inclusive organisation and we welcome applications from everyone regardless of their background. In particular, we encourage applications from candidates with disabilities, and candidates from Black, Asian, and Minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who are currently under-represented in various parts of our workforce.

We understand the importance of balancing work and home life. We are committed to support flexible working for our staff wherever possible and all our employees are given the opportunity to discuss potential for flexible working.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and achieved our status in 2019.

We will remove barriers that prospective candidates might face at any stage of our recruitment process. If you have a disability and would like the advert in an alternative format, or would like to talk about how we can adjust the interview process to best support you, please contact us by emailing resourcing.enh-tr@nhs.net

We are also proud to support our UK armed forces by supporting Reservists, Cadet Instructors, Veterans, and military spouses/partners into employment and offering supportive policies that value their contribution to the community and to our Trust.

We are committed to being a carer-friendly environment, addressing the complex needs of families with caring responsibilities. In partnership with Carers in Hertfordshire, all our working carers have access to support from recruitment. We are also a member of Carers UK, providing resources to make balancing work and caring easier. Our approach is inclusive, recognising diverse challenges and creating a supportive environment where carers feel valued.

---