Head of Estates (GRH), GMS Band E2

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 68,000 - 79,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development

Generous leave

Pension scheme

Discounted travel

Wellbeing support

Childcare options

Job summary

Gloucestershire Managed Services (GMS) is seeking an experienced Head of Estates to provide strategic and operational leadership for Estates Services at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and associated sites. This senior role ensures safety, compliance, and resilience of the hospital estate.

You will manage a large workforce and oversee safety-critical systems while contributing to long-term planning and capital projects within a complex NHS environment.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Post-graduate management qualification.
• Membership of CIOB/RICS/RIBA/IHEEM/CIBSE/IWFM or equivalent.
• Senior estates management experience in healthcare or large complex environments.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience managing safety-critical engineering infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of Estates Services across engineering, compliance, fire safety, energy, environmental management, and building maintenance.
• Ensure statutory compliance and NHS standards across estates.
• Oversee CAFM systems, asset management, and maintenance records.
• Manage budgets, contracts, and resources for cost-effective delivery.
• Provide strategic estates planning, lifecycle asset management, and continuity arrangements.
• Participate in senior on-call rota and respond to emergencies.

Skills

Estates leadership

Team leadership

Safety-critical systems

Contract management

Strategic planning

NHS compliance

Education

Master’s degree

Post-graduate management qualification

Tools

CAFM systems

Job description

Current jobs at Gloucestershire Hospitals

Site Trustwide Town Gloucestershire Salary £67,993 - £78,542 (pa, pro rata if part-time) Salary period Yearly Closing 08/09/2026 23:59

GMS provides the estates, facilities, sterile services and materials management services for the Trust. We provide services such as clinical equipment management, provision of facilities services such as catering, domestics, portering and linen, manage the construction and development of new and existing healthcare buildings and manage the building, engineering and grounds services.

GMS aims to provide a best value customer service which ensures a safe, compliant and sustainable environment, and that supports our customers to be efficient and effective in patient care.

Job overview

Gloucestershire Managed Services (GMS) is seeking an experienced and ambitious Head of Estates to provide strategic and operational leadership for Estates Services at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and associated sites. This is an exciting opportunity to influence the future development, sustainability and resilience of a complex acute healthcare estate.

This senior leadership role supports the Associate Director of Estates in ensuring hospital properties are safe, operational, and compliant with statutory, regulatory and NHS requirements. You will provide visible leadership, manage a large workforce, oversee specialist contractors, and take responsibility for safety-critical systems, including heating, ventilation (HVAC), air conditioning, decontamination, medical gases, fire detection, fire safety, water, electrical LV, electrical HV, pressure systems, lift systems, air pod systems, environmental and energy management.

You will contribute to strategic estates planning, lifecycle asset management, sustainability and Net Zero initiatives, service improvement programmes, and the effective management of significant budgets, contracts and resources. Flexibility is essential, including participation in the senior manager on call rota.

Please note this job will attract GMS Terms and Conditions of Service (TCS)

Please see attached TCS for reference

Main duties of the job

• Ensure facilities remain safe, compliant, and operational in accordance with statutory, regulatory and NHS guidance.
• Lead a multi-disciplinary workforce and specialist contractors, ensuring effective performance and delivery.
• Take responsibility for safety critical hospital systems such as fire detection and alarm systems, fire safety, HVAC, lift systems, safe water, medical gases, LV and HV electrical systems, pressure systems, decontamination POD systems and other engineering infrastructure.
• Manage budgets, contracts, and resources to support high-quality, cost-effective Estates Services.
• Lead strategic estates planning, service improvement programmes, lifecycle asset management and business continuity arrangements across GMS-managed sites.
• Contribute to the senior manager on-call rota, responding to incidents and emergencies as required
• Provide estates leadership and assurance for capital projects, reviewing design proposals and ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, technical standards and operational needs.

Working for our organisation

At GMS, we support frontline healthcare by keeping hospitals and healthcare facilities safe, functional, and welcoming.

This is an opportunity to play a key role in supporting patient care by ensuring critical healthcare infrastructure remains safe, resilient and fit for the future.

As part of our senior management team, you will:

• Shape the estates strategy and lead its operational deliver
• Lead a multi-disciplinary estates team across multiple sites
• Engage with a wide range of stakeholders including contractors, regulators, and internal departments.

We offer:

• Professional development opportunities and specialist estates training.
• Work-life balance with 24 days’ annual leave plus 8 bank holidays (increasing with service) and an extra paid volunteering day each year.
• Pension scheme with a total contribution of 10% (4% employee, 1% tax relief, 5% GMS).
• Employee benefits, including salary sacrifice schemes, discounted travel, childcare (subject to availability), and wellbeing support.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As Head of Estates, your responsibilities will include:

• Lead delivery of Estates Services across engineering, compliance, fire safety, energy, environmental management, and building maintenance.
• Ensure compliance with statutory legislation, NHS standards, NHS Health Technical Memoranda (HTMs), NHS Health Building Notes and British Standards.
• Ensure robust asset management, compliance reporting and maintenance records are maintained through CAFM systems.
• Oversee risk management processes, providing advice and implementing mitigation strategies.
• Lead estates risk management, lifecycle planning and infrastructure improvement programmes to support long-term operational resilience.
• Manage budgets, contracts, capital projects and resources to ensure cost-effective delivery.
• Deliver Estates Services that achieve agreed KPIs and SLAs.
• Provide visible and effective leadership, ensuring staff are motivated, skilled and aligned with GMS values.
• Support sustainability and decarbonisation programmes aligned to NHS Net Zero objectives.
• Liaise with Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GHNHSFT) colleagues, regulators, and contractors to maintain high levels of service.
• Support the Associate Director of Estates in strategic planning, operational decision making, and organisational change.
• Participate fully in the senior manager on-call rota and respond effectively to emergencies or major incidents.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to Master’s Degree level or equivalent experience
• Post-graduate management qualification or equivalent knowledge
• Membership of a relevant professional body/bodies e.g. CIOB, RICS, RIBA, IHEEM, CIBSE, IWFM
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Relevant specialist estates management, sustainability or statutory compliance training

Experience

• Senior estates management experience within healthcare or another large complex operational environment
• Experience leading and developing multi-disciplinary teams
• Experience managing safety-critical engineering infrastructure
• Experience delivering estates change programmes, service improvements or capital projects
• Experience managing major contracts, procurement activity and external suppliers

Knowledge/ Skills

• Knowledge of statutory compliance, health & safety legislation and governance requirements applicable to Estates Services
• Knowledge of safety-critical engineering and building infrastructure systems
• Ability to provide strategic leadership, risk management and operational decision-making within a complex environment
• Ability to analyse complex information and communicate recommendations to senior stakeholders
• Knowledge of NHS Health Technical Memoranda (HTMs), Health Building Notes (HBNs) and healthcare estates standards

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.