Director Of Estates

Education Partnership North East (Northumberland, Sunderland or Ashington College) – (Recruiting through The Supply Register)

Salary: GBP51,295 – GBP53,128 per annum; Contract: Full Time Permanent; Location: Any EPNE Campus (Northumberland, Sunderland or Ashington)

The Supply Register is delighted to be supporting Education Partnership North East in the appointment of a Director of Estates to lead the strategic and operational management of the college's estates function across all sites. This is a key leadership role within the organisation, reporting directly to the Vice Principal Corporate Services and working as part of the wider senior leadership structure. The successful candidate will provide vision, direction and expertise across estates, facilities management, compliance, sustainability and capital development, ensuring the college continues to provide safe, inspiring and high-quality environments for students, staff and visitors.

This opportunity comes at an exciting time for the organisation, as the college continues to develop its estates strategy and invest in its future. The successful candidate will build on strong foundations, leading a skilled estates team and working collaboratively with senior leaders, curriculum teams and external partners to deliver an effective, sustainable and forward-thinking estates service.

The Role

As Director of Estates, you will take overall responsibility for the leadership and performance of the estates function across all college campuses. You will provide strategic oversight while ensuring the effective delivery of day-to-day operations, compliance requirements, planned maintenance, facilities management and estates improvement programmes. You will lead and support a number of Heads of service areas, creating a culture of excellence, accountability and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Developing and delivering the college's estates strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and future ambitions.
• Providing strategic and operational leadership across estates, facilities management, compliance and sustainability.
• Ensuring all college buildings and facilities are safe, compliant, fit for purpose and support an outstanding learning environment.
• Leading on statutory compliance including health and safety, fire safety, building safety and relevant legislative requirements.
• Managing estates budgets, forecasting, procurement activity and ensuring value for money.
• Overseeing capital projects, refurbishment programmes and estates developments in partnership with internal stakeholders and external contractors.
• Driving improvements in environmental performance, sustainability, energy management and waste reduction.
• Building strong relationships with senior leaders, staff, contractors, consultants and regulatory bodies.
• Ensuring robust reporting, governance and assurance processes are in place across the estates function.

About You

We are seeking an experienced estates professional who can combine technical expertise with strong leadership capability and strategic vision. You will have significant experience of managing complex estates and facilities operations, ideally within a large, multi-site environment. You will understand the challenges of leading estates services within a customer-focused organisation and have a proven ability to deliver improvements through effective leadership, collaboration and innovation.

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Significant experience leading an estates or facilities management function.
• Experience managing large and complex property portfolios across multiple sites.
• Strong technical knowledge of estates management, compliance and statutory requirements.
• Experience of developing and delivering estates strategies and capital programmes.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, procurement processes and external contracts.
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing multidisciplinary teams.
• The ability to influence and build effective relationships with senior stakeholders.
• A proactive approach to sustainability, environmental improvement and continuous development.

Qualifications and Experience

Applicants should ideally hold:

• A relevant degree or professional qualification in Estates, Facilities Management, Property, Building Services or a related discipline.
• Membership of an appropriate professional body such as IWFM, RICS or CIOB.
• A recognised management or leadership qualification.
• A valid driving licence.

Desirable qualifications include project management qualifications such as PRINCE2/MSP and a recognised health and safety qualification such as NEBOSH or equivalent.

Safeguarding Statement

The Supply Register and Northumberland College are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. All applicants will be subject to appropriate safeguarding checks, including an enhanced DBS.