Director of estates

Overview

This is a rare opportunity to shape the infrastructure of a large and ambitious Trust and ensure that our estate actively enables high-quality teaching, learning, and pupil experience. As our senior professional lead for estates, you will be responsible for delivering a coherent, forward-looking strategy that ensures our environments are safe, compliant, sustainable, and aligned with our educational priorities and future growth.

About the role

This is a strategically significant post at the heart of our organisation. Reporting directly to the Executive Team, you will lead all aspects of estates strategy, capital planning, compliance, and operational delivery across a diverse and growing estate.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a Trust-wide estates strategy aligned to our long-term ambitions and growth plans
• Lead a high-performing estates function, driving service quality, consistency, and system-wide improvement
• Ensure robust health and safety compliance and provide assurance to the Executive and Trustees
• Oversee capital programmes and major projects, ensuring disciplined planning, prioritisation, and delivery
• Lead the Trust’s approach to sustainability, embedding environmental responsibility and long-term resilience

This role extends beyond operational delivery. It requires a leader who can balance strategic coherence with local responsiveness – working closely with school leaders to ensure estates services are practical, efficient, and valued, while maintaining strong central oversight of risk, compliance, and investment.

Who we are looking for

We are seeking an experienced and credible leader who can operate effectively at scale and across complexity. You will bring:

• A strong track record of strategic estates leadership in a complex organisation
• Deep expertise in compliance, health and safety, and risk management
• Experience of capital planning, asset management, and major project delivery
• The ability to lead and develop high-performing teams and services
• A clear commitment to sustainability and long-term estate resilience

Above all, you will be both strategically astute and operationally credible – able to see the whole system while ensuring rigorous attention to detail.

Why join Archway Learning Trust?

At Archway, we are ambitious for our schools and communities. Our estate is central to that ambition. This is an opportunity to lead at scale, influence strategic direction, and make a lasting impact on the environments in which thousands of pupils learn and thrive.