Head of Estates

Are you an experienced estates professional looking for a role where your work really makes a difference? Were seeking a Head of Estates to join our Team and ensure our Hospice sites, retail shops, vehicles, and wider estate provide safe, welcoming, and well-maintained environments for patients, families, staff and volunteers.

Main duties of the job As Head of Estates, you will:

Lead the development and delivery of our Estates Strategy and long-term maintenance plans.

Oversee building maintenance, health and safety compliance, and estates-related contracts across all Hospice properties and our retail network.

Manage capital projects and sustainability initiatives, ensuring our estate supports both patient care and our Green Plan ambitions.

Act as the estates lead for fire safety, security and statutory compliance (e.g. legionella, asbestos).

Line manage and develop the Estates team, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.

Were looking for someone with:

Proven experience leading estates services across a multi-site, regulated environment (healthcare experience desirable).

Strong knowledge of health and safety legislation and estates compliance.

Experience delivering capital/building projects and managing budgets.

Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills.

A full UK driving licence.

In return, youll play a key role in our Hospice Leadership Team, shaping the future of our estate and ensuring our facilities support the outstanding care we deliver every day.

If youre a strategic thinker with a hands-on approach and a passion for making a positive impact, wed love to hear from you.

About us TheHospice is committed to the development and education of all its staff, sothere are excellent opportunities for professional development. We haveeducational links with local higher education institutions and have a greattrack record of career progression within the organisation.

Membership of the NHS pension scheme is available for existingmembers or a stakeholder pension scheme for all other staff.

We are an equal opportunitiesemployer and are committed to inclusion. We celebrate and embrace diversity andthus encourage applications from a variety of backgrounds, perspective,knowledge and skills

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy in the event werceive a high volume of applications.

Job responsibilities About the role

The Head of Estates plays a vital rolein ensuring that our Hospice buildings, shops, vehicles and wider estateprovide safe, welcoming and well-maintained environments where outstanding careand support can flourish.

Working across the Bostall Hill site,our retail network and all other Hospice properties, the post holder will leadthe development and delivery of the Hospice Estates Strategy. They will overseeplanned preventative maintenance, repairs and estates procurement, ensuring ourbuildings, machinery and equipment remain reliable, efficient andcost-effective.

The Head of Estates will make sureevery site is fit for purpose, legally compliant and cared for to a highstandard supporting the comfort, safety and wellbeing of patients, families,staff and volunteers. They will also take day-to-day responsibility for firesafety, security and health and safety procedures across the estate.



Key Responsibilities Develop and implement strategic plans for Estates and SiteServices, including the Estates Strategy, long-term maintenance plan andservice improvements.

Lead on capital building projects, ensuring they are deliveredon time, within budget and to the highest standard, working with externalcontractors as needed.

Ensure all sites provide a safe, comfortable and welcomingenvironment for patients, visitors, staff and volunteers.

Promote and deliver environmental improvements through theestate, leading on the organisations Green Plan to reduce carbon impact andencourage sustainable practices.

Buildings and Site Services Oversee buildings and grounds maintenance, ensuring compliancewith statutory and regulatory requirements.

Manage the vehicle fleet, site security and estates-relatedcontracts.

Support the statutory duty holder by undertaking responsibilitiesof the responsible person in line with relevant regulations (e.g. legionella,fire safety, asbestos).

Lead competitive tendering for estates and site services,ensuring value for money and high standards.

Manage expenditure within agreed budgets, maintaining efficiencyand accountability.

Maintenance & Compliance: Ensure all retail shops meetstatutory building regulations, health and safety requirements, and charitypolicy, addressing issues in collaboration with the Head of Retail.

Repairs & Facilities Support: Oversee planned and reactivemaintenance across the retail estate, liaising with contractors, landlords andshop managers as needed.

Projects & Sustainability: Lead or support property-relatedprojects such as refurbishments, shop fit-outs or sustainability initiatives,ensuring works are delivered efficiently and with minimal disruption.

Lease Advice & Negotiations: Support the Head of Retail byadvising on property aspects of shop acquisitions, relocations or closures,including lease terms and dilapidations.

Liaison & Representation: Act as estates point of contactfor landlords, agents and contractors, ensuring clear communication andalignment with the Head of Retail on estates-related matters.

Working with Others Collaborate with managers and teams across the Hospice to ensureestates and site services align with organisational strategy and priorities.

Work closely with the Director of Finance & Resources onannual budgeting for Estates and Site Services, including capital projects.

Contribute to major incident planning and represent the Hospiceat relevant local estates forums.

Actively seek feedback on Estates and Site Services frompatients, families, staff and volunteers, using insights to improve standardsand experiences.

Learn from complaints, compliments, risk assessments andincident reviews, embedding improvements into practice.

Line manage Estates staff and volunteers, supporting theirwellbeing, performance and professional development.

Provide coaching, mentoring and training to colleagues,including fire warden training and estates-related learning.

Build a strong team spirit through regular communication andsupportive leadership.

Play an active role as part of the Hospice Leadership Team,contributing to governance and organisational development.

Ensure Estates and Site Services policies and procedures are upto date, effectively implemented and approved through appropriate governancechannels.

Lead the organisations response to estates-related emergenciesacross Hospice buildings and grounds (including out of hours), coordinatingsupport in line with the Business Continuity Policy.

Professional Development Take responsibility for maintaining and developing professionalknowledge and expertise, engaging in CPD, reflection and trainingopportunities.

This jobdescription is intended as an outline of the general areas of activity and willbe amended from time to time in the light of the changing needs of theorganisation. It will then be reviewed in association with the jobholder.

Person Specification Experience

• Proven experience of leading an Estates team of comparable size and scope, with responsibility for:
• Building management and maintenance
• On-site health and safety
• A strong track record of working within a large, complex organisation, with clear evidence of navigating statutory frameworks and multiple stakeholder needs.
• Experience of developing and implementing an Estates strategy and long-term infrastructure plans
• Successful delivery of capital and building projects
• Experience in staff leadership, including appraisals, coaching and supporting staff development.
• Strong knowledge of Health and Safety legislation across a multi-site organisation.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage productive relationships with external contractors and service providers, ensuring high standards and value for money.
• Experience of financial management, including budget planning, monitoring and control.
• Experience of working within a healthcare environment, with an understanding of the specific challenges and sensitivities involved.
• Experience of leading estates services in a healthcare setting or similarly regulated environment.

Skills and Abilities

• A strategic and innovative thinker, able to develop creative solutions while ensuring continuity of services.
• A confident and supportive people leader, with the ability to motivate, hold to account, and bring out the best in others.
• Skilled in resolving workplace conflict in a fair and constructive way.
• Naturally collaborative, with a strong solution-focused approach.
• High levels of IT competence, with the ability to use and adapt to a range of software packages.
• Ability to learn from customer and stakeholder feedback, using insights to drive positive change and continuous improvement.
• Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise, balance competing demands and manage multiple projects effectively.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills . click apply for full job details