Job summary
Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) is seeking an exceptionalEstates leader to take on a pivotal role at one of the largest and busiest acute teaching hospital trusts in the country. AsDeputy Director of Estates & Facilities (Estates Services), you will provide strategic and operational leadership for Hard FM and Fire Safety services, ensuring ourEstate enables safe,high qualitycare for the millions of patients we serve.
This is a rare opportunity to shape both the stewardship ofa highly complexexistingEstate and the future design of our hospitals as part of theNationalNew Hospitals Programme.
We are seeking aSeniorEstates professional who can bring:
- Inspirational leadership and the ability to motivate large, diverse teams
- Deepexpertisein engineering, Hard FM, statutory compliance, and fire safety
- A strong track recordof delivering strategic change in complex environments
- Excellent judgement, resilience, and the ability to manage competing priorities
- A commitment to patient safety, service quality, and continuous improvement
This is a role withreal strategicinfluence.If you are driven by the challenge of leading one of the NHS's most complexEstates through a period of significant transformation, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
The Carter and Naylor reports set out significant expectations for EFM services nationally. You will provide both operational and strategic leadership in delivering NUH's response, ensuring our services are efficient, resilient, and aligned with best practice.
You will also work closely with Clinical Care Groups and senior operational leaders to ensure theEstate fully supports safe and effective clinical care. This includes business continuity planning, enablinghigh qualitypatient pathways, and ensuringEstates relatedrisks are understood, escalated, and managed appropriately.
You will lead the operational management of Estates Services across NUH, covering a wide and diverse portfolio including engineering, infrastructure, statutory compliance, risk management, resilience, and fire safety. Working closely with the Director of Estates & Facilities, you will also deputise across the full range of EFM services whenrequired.
As a key member of theEstates & Facilities Directorate Leadership Team, you will work alongside senior colleagues responsible for Soft FM, Capital Development, and Property & Regulatory Services. Together, you will provide strategic and operational governance for a Directorate with a budget of £123m and a workforce of around 1,300 staff.
About us
With over 19,000 staff, we are one of the biggest employers in the city with a central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local population. We play a leading role in research, education and innovation.
Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!
We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.
Job description
Job responsibilities
In addition to the below, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specifications attached to the advert for full details.
NUHsEstate is recognised as one of the most challenging in the NHS. Ageing primary infrastructure, complex distribution systems, and significant backlog maintenance require strong leadership, rigorous governance, andrisk basedinvestment planning.
You will:
- Lead the strategic development and operational delivery of Estates Services
- Define engineering strategies for both currentEstate challenges and future redevelopment
- Act as the Trusts lead professional advisor for engineering and statutory compliance
- Shape theEstates contribution to major business cases for the New Hospitals Programme
- Oversee fire safety compliance, governance, and continuous improvement across the Trust
- Ensure robust assurance frameworks that protect patients, visitors, and staff
With the New Hospitals Programme now expected to deliver from 2035, you will also playa central rolein developing a new interimEstates strategy, informed by a full condition surveycommencingin 2026.
Job description
Job responsibilities
In addition to the below, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specifications attached to the advert for full details.
NUHsEstate is recognised as one of the most challenging in the NHS. Ageing primary infrastructure, complex distribution systems, and significant backlog maintenance require strong leadership, rigorous governance, andrisk basedinvestment planning.
You will:
- Lead the strategic development and operational delivery of Estates Services
- Define engineering strategies for both currentEstate challenges and future redevelopment
- Act as the Trusts lead professional advisor for engineering and statutory compliance
- Shape theEstates contribution to major business cases for the New Hospitals Programme
- Oversee fire safety compliance, governance, and continuous improvement across the Trust
- Ensure robust assurance frameworks that protect patients, visitors, and staff
With the New Hospitals Programme now expected to deliver from 2035, you will also playa central rolein developing a new interimEstates strategy, informed by a full condition surveycommencingin 2026.
Person Specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential
- Degree/Masters level qualification and Chartered membership of a Technical Estates institution or demonstrating willingness to fast track an application for chartership.
- Equivalent level of in depth and specialist knowledge and significant experience at Director, Deputy Director or very senior manager level in Estates and Facilities Management area. Level of experience required to attain registration as a Chartered Engineer or equivalent professional.
- Evidence of ongoing CPD and membership of appropriate professional body e.g. IHEEM.
- oUp to date knowledge of Estates and Facilities standards, best practice and leading-edge developments through training or qualification.
Desirable
- Doctorate/master's in leadership or management related discipline.
- Partnership working with other healthcare providers
Experience
Essential
- Significant proven and demonstrated experience in Estates and Facilities management at a Senior level within the NHS or similar environment for several years.
- Experience of developing estates strategies and service development across a range of Estates and Facilities services.
- Specialist knowledge for more than one Estates and Facilities discipline or function together with associated healthcare services provision, with several years' experience and proven freedom to act and make decisions at senior level on behalf of the contracting authorities.
- Experienced in monitoring highly complex contracts, projects and programs, and auditing and compiling corporate documentation and reports.
- Experience in managing contentious situations and influencing diverse stakeholders, including clinical and non-clinical staff, to achieve consensus
- Ability to make judgements involving highly complex facts or situations, which require the analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
- Direct senior staff management experience, demonstrating an ability to develop staff and competencies.
- High level budget setting, forecasting and financial acumen..
Desirable
- Deputy or Director level experience.
- Experience of developing estates strategies and service redesigns within the NHS.
- Understanding of clinical services, health service design guidance, health service procurement guidance and regulatory standards.
Communication and Relationship Skills
Essential
- Highly developed interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships at all levels
- Excellent communications skills, written and oral
- Proven track record of building successful teams
- Able to work collaboratively with partner organisations
- Ability to present highly complex data.
- Proven negotiating skills
- Ability to communicate in a hostile or emotive atmosphere
Person Specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential
- Degree/Masters level qualification and Chartered membership of a Technical Estates institution or demonstrating willingness to fast track an application for chartership.
- Equivalent level of in depth and specialist knowledge and significant experience at Director, Deputy Director or very senior manager level in Estates and Facilities Management area. Level of experience required to attain registration as a Chartered Engineer or equivalent professional.
- Evidence of ongoing CPD and membership of appropriate professional body e.g. IHEEM.
- oUp to date knowledge of Estates and Facilities standards, best practice and leading-edge developments through training or qualification.
Desirable
- Doctorate/master's in leadership or management related discipline.
- Partnership working with other healthcare providers
Experience
Essential
- Significant proven and demonstrated experience in Estates and Facilities management at a Senior level within the NHS or similar environment for several years.
- Experience of developing estates strategies and service development across a range of Estates and Facilities services.
- Specialist knowledge for more than one Estates and Facilities discipline or function together with associated healthcare services provision, with several years' experience and proven freedom to act and make decisions at senior level on behalf of the contracting authorities.
- Experienced in monitoring highly complex contracts, projects and programs, and auditing and compiling corporate documentation and reports.
- Experience in managing contentious situations and influencing diverse stakeholders, including clinical and non-clinical staff, to achieve consensus
- Ability to make judgements involving highly complex facts or situations, which require the analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
- Direct senior staff management experience, demonstrating an ability to develop staff and competencies.
- High level budget setting, forecasting and financial acumen..
Desirable
- Deputy or Director level experience.
- Experience of developing estates strategies and service redesigns within the NHS.
- Understanding of clinical services, health service design guidance, health service procurement guidance and regulatory standards.
Communication and Relationship Skills
Essential
- Highly developed interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships at all levels
- Excellent communications skills, written and oral
- Proven track record of building successful teams
- Able to work collaboratively with partner organisations
- Ability to present highly complex data.
- Proven negotiating skills
- Ability to communicate in a hostile or emotive atmosphere
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.