Head of Estates

Nigel Wright Recruitment; North East; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday

Pension scheme

Job summary

Nigel Wright Recruitment is partnering with North East Learning Trust to recruit an ambitious Head of Estates in County Durham. You will lead estates, facilities, catering and site services across 15 academy sites, reporting to the Director of Estates.

This senior role covers maintenance, compliance, capital projects and improvements, with strategic input on planning and delivery across a multi-site estate.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading hard and soft FM services.
• Strong knowledge of compliance, health & safety and estates governance.
• Experience managing budgets, contracts and suppliers.
• Track record of delivering operational improvements and efficiencies.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills across senior and operational levels.
• Relevant qualification in Facilities, Construction or related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Leading estates operations across maintenance, cleaning, security, catering and site services.
• Driving compliance across health & safety, fire safety and statutory obligations.
• Managing contractor performance, procurement and service delivery standards.
• Supporting the delivery of capital projects and planned maintenance programmes.
• Leading and developing estates and site teams across multiple locations.
• Working closely with senior stakeholders to ensure estates support high-quality service delivery.

Skills

FM leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder engagement

Compliance knowledge

Contract & supplier mgmt

Multi-site leadership

Education

Facilities/Construction qualification

Job description

The Opportunity

Nigel Wright Group has partnered exclusively with North East Learning Trust to recruit an ambitious and experienced Head of Estates in County Durham.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a senior estates, facilities, property or construction professional to take a Trust-wide leadership role, overseeing estates operations across 15 academy sites.

Reporting to the Director of Estates, you will lead the delivery of maintenance, compliance, facilities management, catering, cleaning and capital projects, ensuring safe, efficient and high-performing learning environments.

Whether you are currently an Estates Manager, Senior Facilities Manager or leading a multi-site estate, this role offers an excellent pathway into executive-level estates leadership, with exposure to strategic planning, capital investment and organisational improvement

The Role

Reporting into the Director of Estates, you will lead the delivery of estates and facilities services across multiple locations, ensuring operational excellence and full statutory compliance.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading estates operations across maintenance, cleaning, security, catering and site services
• Driving compliance across health & safety, fire safety and statutory obligations
• Managing contractor performance, procurement and service delivery standards
• Supporting the delivery of capital projects and planned maintenance programmes
• Leading and developing estates and site teams across multiple locations
• Working closely with senior stakeholders to ensure estates support high-quality service delivery

About You

You will be a commercially aware estates leader with experience operating within a complex, multi-site environment.

Key requirements:

• Proven experience leading hard and soft FM services
• Strong knowledge of compliance, health & safety and estates governance
• Experience managing budgets, contracts and suppliers
• Track record of delivering operational improvements and efficiencies
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills across senior and operational levels
• Relevant qualification in Facilities, Construction or related discipline

Why Join?

• Strategic leadership role with real influence across a growing organisation
• Opportunity to shape estates strategy and operational delivery
• Flexible, agile working across a regional portfolio
• Strong benefits package including generous holiday and pension