Associate Director of National Estates Operations (Hard and Soft FM)
The closing date is 03 December 2023
Job summary
Transforming our estate for the future
There’s never been a more exciting time to join the NHS as we transform our estate to deliver 21st century care and the best possible outcomes for our patients.
Estates are at the centre of the government’s plans for transforming the NHS. The NHS Long Term Plan outlines the need to ‘accelerate the redesign of patient care to future-proof the NHS for the decade ahead.’ We have laid the groundwork for fundamental change to enable us to deliver on this commitment across our estate and we now need you to help us reap the rewards of this work.
We have big ambitions, such as becoming the world’s first net zero health system by 2040, setting global standards for healthcare providers, building 40 new state-of-the-art hospitals, and channelling investment to accelerate community-based care for patients.
This is a pivotal time in the history of the NHS and a once in a lifetime career opportunity to be part of transforming the largest estate in the country. Join us as we embark on this seismic shift to future proof our estate.
The NHS Estate
Our hospital estate spans 25 million m with 1.4 million NHS staff working across 17,000 buildings, including 1,140 hospitals and 7,500 primary care sites, our c100k staff are responsible for maintaining and running all EFM services.
With £5 billion of operational capital funding and annual expenditure of £10 billion across estates and facilities management, there’s scope to make real change across our estate.
Main duties of the job
About the role
As part of the leadership team, you will be responsible for the operational effectiveness of hard and soft FM including productivity, digital transformation, and workforce and the delivery of transformational objectives.
An NHS champion of EFM careers, you will help to raise the profile of our career pathways, with a particular focus on engineering and STEM subjects.
Your focus will be leading your team to deliver the EFM Workforce Action Plan and key hard and soft FM services.
You will champion a national estates digital programme to deliver PropTech and work alongside our Insights Lead to streamline our data collections, and communicate findings effectively.
Reporting to and deputising for the Deputy Director of Estates, you will act as the national operational interface between key stakeholders and the team, in addition to managing risks and the team budget.
About you
You will have a deep knowledge and understanding of hard and soft FM, digital and workforce. Your operational experience in a hospital or large, complex FM organisation will be matched by your ambition to implement change to, future proof our services and drive digital efficiencies.
A strategic thinker, you’ll bring a fresh perspective to this role and have the energy and tenacity to drive change. Able to work at pace, you’ll build trusted relationships and a positive team culture.
You’ll also be passionate about your professional development, which we will support and encourage.
About us
The National Estates and Facilities Team
The purpose of our team is to provide a clean, safe, and sustainable estate and patient environment across the NHS.
The team of c120 people is made up of a diverse mix of skills and expertise but we have a common purpose – to provide the best possible services and outcomes for our patients. We work across all aspects of estates and facilities functions from national policies and workforce strategy to regional and local delivery through local healthcare systems.
Why join us
People are central to what we do – both in terms of our patient-led care but just as importantly, our brilliant team. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and compassionate workforce supporting everyone to reach their full potential.
This means we care about your professional development and training as well as your personal health and wellbeing. You’ll be joining a supportive and friendly team where you can truly be yourself. You’ll also have access to fantastic benefits such as our pension scheme, great annual leave entitlement and flexible working opportunities to give you the work/life balance that suits your lifestyle and caring responsibilities.
If you are passionate about estates and facilities and want to make a tangible difference to people’s lives, join us on this exciting journey.
Job description
Job responsibilities
You can find further details about the job, organisational structure, recruitment profile, expected outcomes and benefits information in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
How to apply
For an informal discussion please contact Fiona Daly, Director of Estates Sustainability and Workforce and National Deputy Director of Estate at Fiona.Daly1@nhs.net.
Closing date: 3 December 2023
Application Form Supporting Statement Guidelines
We would like you to respond to the following questions in the Supporting Statement section in the job application form:
- What values, behaviours and leadership expertise will you bring to our team and how will this help us in achieving our goals?
- What expertise do you have in healthcare or higher education operations and transformative change?
- What experience do you have in leading large scale/national change programmes in areas such as digital PropTech, infrastructure innovation and/or productivity?
- What is your knowledge and understanding of NHS compliance in both hard and soft FM?
- What experience do you have in leading and delivering large scale (100k+) workforce improvements?
- How does this role fit with your career so far and your long-term career aspirations?
- What sets you apart from the other candidates?
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Chartered status in relevant profession
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- GM or estates leadership experience in operational healthcare or higher education facility.
- Experience in leading large scale/national programmes in Digital PropTech, Infrastructure Innovation and Productivity.
- In-depth knowledge and understanding of NHS compliance in both Hard and Soft FM
Skills and Experience
Essential
- Experience in leading and delivering estate, or similarly large scale (100k+) workforce improvements
- Ability to interface across government including with ministers and the New Hospital Programme
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details
Employer name
NHS England
Address
Any ofice
London
SE1 8UG
Employer’s website
https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/ (Opens in a new tab)