Job Overview
NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Senior Operational Estates Manager to lead the delivery of a safe, compliant and high-performing estates service across all Trust-owned, leased and managed sites.
This is a pivotal senior operational leadership role with responsibility for ensuring that the Trust’s estates infrastructure supports excellent patient care and staff experience. You will provide assurance that statutory and planned preventative maintenance is delivered effectively, reactive works are prioritised appropriately, and risks are managed in line with NHS and legislative requirements. Working across acute and community settings, you will lead and develop a multidisciplinary estates workforce, shaping modern, flexible and mobile ways of working to meet the evolving needs of the Trust and the wider Integrated Care System. Main duties of the job: You will lead the Trust’s Operational Estates function, embedding strong governance, assurance and continuous improvement across all estates activity. The role includes developing and maintaining estates policies and procedures aligned with the NHS Premises Assurance Model, Health Technical Memoranda, Health Building Notes and relevant legislation. Working closely with senior colleagues, including specialist estates and sustainability leads, you will ensure accurate performance reporting, effective asset management and compliance with national data returns. You will manage significant revenue budgets, oversee contracts and consultancy support, and deliver value for money in line with Standing Financial Instructions. As a visible leader, you will support, develop and engage a multidisciplinary team of approximately 25 employees, promoting a positive safety culture, inclusive leadership and ongoing professional development. You will represent the estates function at Trust forums and deputise for senior colleagues as required.
Working for Our Organisation
There’s never been a more exciting time to build your career at Frimley Health, one of the country’s largest and most respected trusts. Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available. Here at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, we know how important it is to have a healthy work life balance; this benefits not only individuals but the patients we care for too. We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users. Frimley Health Trust benefits on Vimeo.
Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities
* Deliver a safe, effective and legally compliant estates service across all Trust sites, in line with statutory duties, NHS guidance and recognised technical standards.
* Provide robust assurance that statutory and planned maintenance programmes are fully implemented, monitored and reported through clear KPIs, minimising equipment failure and service disruption.
* Plan, prioritise and oversee reactive maintenance, minor works and backlog programmes, ensuring risks are controlled and patient safety remains paramount.
* Lead estates staffing resources to provide a responsive, priority-based service 24/7, including the development of a mobile, multiskilled workforce.
* Support operational and strategic risk management for estates assets, coordinating service interruptions with clinical and corporate stakeholders.
* Undertake quality, safety and compliance audits, ensuring issues are reported, addressed and escalated appropriately.
* Participate in the Trust’s senior estates on-call rota, providing out-of-hours leadership and decision-making.
Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the role and requirements. We reserve the right to close the advert early if sufficient applications have been received.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
* Educated to Masters level or appropriate bachelor’s degree combined with experience
* Membership of a professional body, MIET, CIBSE, SOE etc
* Health and safety qualification such as NEBOSH, IOSH
* Project management qualification such as PRINCE
* Management qualification such as CMS, DMS.
* Evidence of continuous professional development.
Desirable Criteria
Postgraduate management qualification.
Experience
Essential criteria
* Significant senior management experience either in the NHS or private sector environment.
* Significant complex budgetary management experience, financial awareness, and the ability to meet defined budgetary targets for both revenue and capital expenditure.
* Proven ability to manage change in a multi-skilled workforce.
* Able to work under pressure and to balance competing priorities.
* Good interpersonal skills with a high level of integrity to deal with difficult situations
* Knowledge of legislation and guidance affecting areas of responsibility.
* Substantial Estates operational management experience either in the NHS or private sector environment.
* Experience in writing detailed reports to be presented at Trust Board.
* Experience of developing and implementing policies and standard operating procedures.
* Proven record of leading, co‑ordinating and developing a multi‑skilled workforce across different sites.
Desirable Criteria
* Experience of managing large contracts in either the commercial or public sector
Skills
Essential criteria
* Effective negotiator to achieve required outcomes in a complex environment.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Excellent numerical and analytical skills.
* Excellent project management skills.
Special Requirements
Essential criteria
* Required to work out of normal hours and be part of an on‑call rota for services across sites.
About Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.
Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future, and being a modern, compassionate, Healthcare Organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.
We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across our sites. We have already delivered a brand‑new £100m state‑of‑the‑art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services.
We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient, and future‑proofed, featuring on‑site renewables energy and intelligent energy systems. Through our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to help us deliver on our ambition and to ensure sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations.
Alongside estates’ investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched in 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected, and more effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. Our electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, savings time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care.
Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues, and build a sustainable future for healthcare together.
Apply Online Now
Apply online now
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