Building Services Manager, North Region (Maternity Cover) in Sunderland

Location: Bessie Surtees House, 41-44 Sandhill, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 3JF

Salary: From £40,852 p.a., dependent on skills and experience / 36hrs per week / Maternity cover

Job type: Fixed-Term Contract

Ref: 16571

Heritage is for everybody, and we are here for heritage. Heritage lives in places and people, memories and stories, artefacts and traditions. It can connect us all to the past, and to each other. It can make us happier, strengthen every community, and help shape society for the better. Everybody should be able to enjoy the benefits it brings.

That's why, as a charity, we care for over a million objects and hundreds of historic sites in every part of England, from international icons to local treasures. And it's why we open them up, share their stories and find new ways for everybody to enjoy, learn, play and create.

We are looking for a Building Services Manager to join our team. The role is full-time and on a fixed-term basis to cover maternity leave (starting around late October 2026). You'll be working 36 hours per week (Monday - Friday).

We offer flexible working arrangements where the role allows. This role can be based at one of our offices (Newcastle or York), at home, or worked on a hybrid pattern. You will be required to travel across a network of sites in Lancashire, Cumbria, County Durham and Northumberland on a frequent basis, meaning that independent travel is essential.

The Benefits

• Salary from £40,852, depending on skills, experience and location
• 25 days holiday per annum plus bank holidays
• Matched pension contributions up to 10%
• Flexible hours
• The opportunity to progress your career within the heritage sector
• Apprenticeship opportunities
• Subscriptions to professional bodies
• Free access to all English Heritage sites for you and up to six friends and family members
• 25% discount in our shops and cafes
• Enhanced maternity, paternity or shared parental leave
• Options to buy additional leave
• An inclusive working atmosphere where everybody is supported from all backgrounds, religions and with different needs
• Opportunities to go to some of our great live music and history events

This is a great opportunity for a dedicated Mechanical and Electrical or FM professional to join the North Team as Building Services Manager supporting our North regional sites including Lancashire, Cumbria, County Durham and Northumberland. This role brings together building services, conservation maintenance and project management, providing building conservation expertise to a team that delivers a holistic estates service to the region.

You will actively champion Building Services and lead the maintenance and management of Mechanical and Electrical systems across the region. The sites within the portfolio vary considerably in complexity and scale, ranging from Castles such as Carlisle, Dunstanburgh and Aydon to Roman Forts at Housesteads and Chesters and modern visitor centre buildings, as well as historic heritage properties.

Are you passionate about caring for some of England's most important historical buildings and landmarks? If so, this is a great opportunity to join English Heritage Trust's North-based Estates Management team. The Building Services Manager's primary purpose is to provide high-quality conservation maintenance and associated facilities services for the National Collection of Historic Properties and Estates. It is a busy and varied role which makes the everyday interesting, with no two days the same.

As Building Services Manager, you will manage mechanical and electrical assets across historic properties and modern visitor facilities. Working with the Estate Manager and Senior Estate Manager, site colleagues and the Facilities Coordinator at Housesteads, you will use condition information to prioritise maintenance and plan the timely replacement of end-of-life infrastructure, keeping services safe, compliant and reliable.

To do this, the role requires strong project/contract management skills and a working understanding of health and safety regulations in a construction environment (CDM Regulations, etc.). It also requires competence in operating within the constraints of heritage and planning policies and statutory requirements, as well as being able to demonstrate a robust understanding of historic building conservation best practice principles.

As a confident communicator, you will work collaboratively with Estate Managers, the Senior Estate Manager and site colleagues across the North portfolio. You will build strong working relationships to coordinate maintenance, projects and day-to-day building services priorities.

You will have experience working with internal stakeholders and managing contractors to procure, administer and supervise M&E measured-term contracts and budgets. You will also be confident preparing work instructions and managing and auditing on-site work quality.

You will also ensure that asset information, maintenance schedules, service records and statutory certifications are accurately recorded and kept up to date in the K2 CAFM system, in line with statutory compliance requirements and English Heritage Safety Critical Reporting standards.

To be considered as a Building Services Manager, you'll need:

• Minimum HNC/HND level qualification in mechanical and/or electrical engineering and/or equivalent relevant experience in Building/Construction.
• Experience of client-side administration of M&E term maintenance contracts and schedules of rates, including budget control and management of KPIs.
• Experience of developing and delivering small to medium M&E capital projects such as a boiler or fire alarm system replacement.
• Ability to prepare schedules of work, specifications, simple working drawings and diagrams.
• Working knowledge of current legislation and regulations covering an extensive range of mechanical and electrical systems, including fire safety/firefighting equipment, gas safety, pressure systems, legionella controls, security systems and works and other relevant statutory regulations and byelaws.

Interviews will be held during the week commencing 12 October 2026 on MS Teams.

If you would like to talk to us e.g. about workplace adjustments or working patterns, please contact Philip Hill. Contact details are available via the apply button. No agencies please.

Find out more about us and what we do on our website. You can also meet some of our people and hear about why they enjoy working with us.

Everybody's welcome at English Heritage. Forget the stereotypes. It takes thousands of people from every background to care for England's heritage and open it up for everybody to enjoy. We're looking for every type of person with every kind of skill and experience, and we're committed to making sure that English Heritage is an equitable, diverse and inclusive place to work. You can connect with others through our EDI networks as a member or ally. These include Ethnic Diversity, Faith & Belief, Social Equity, LGBTQ+, Neurodivergence, Age, Disability and Gender Health and Wellbeing.

We take wellbeing seriously. We are committed to ensuring everyone feels safe at work and can carry out their role. To support this, we have a network of Mental Health First Aiders, regular information and awareness events, unlimited access to an Employee Assistance Programme and work with our people to implement reasonable adjustments.

Closing date: 04/10/2026 23:59:59