Senior Estates Manager - Wakehurst in England

Lead a complex, nationally significant estate in one of the UK’s most inspiring environments. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) is seeking to appoint a Senior Estates Manager at Wakehurst to provide strategic and operational leadership across a unique and diverse estate. This is a senior role with responsibility for delivering high-quality Estates services across planned and reactive maintenance, asset management, compliance, sustainability, and facilities management within a heritage and visitor-facing environment.

Reporting to the Head of Estates Operations & Maintenance, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the safe, compliant, and resilient operation of the Wakehurst site, supporting capital projects, historic assets, and long-term sustainability objectives. You will lead multidisciplinary teams and external partners, embedding a culture of excellence in service delivery, customer experience, and continuous improvement. As Senior Estates Manager, you will act as a key internal stakeholder, working closely with scientific, visitor operations, conservation, and capital development colleagues to ensure Estates services enable the organisation’s mission to protect plants and fungi for the benefit of people and the planet.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for all Estates services, including PPM, reactive maintenance, asset management, and hard and soft FM
• Ensure full compliance with health & safety legislation, statutory requirements, and best practice across a complex, mixed-use estate
• Lead, motivate, and develop in-house teams and manage contractor and supplier performance across multiple disciplines
• Support capital projects, sustainability initiatives, utilities management, and critical building systems
• Develop and implement robust maintenance and lifecycle strategies that support historic and heritage assets
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and deliver customer-focused, resilient Estates solutions
• Oversee Estates budgets, performance reporting, and continuous improvement activity

About You

You will bring significant experience leading Estates or Facilities Management operations within a complex environment, ideally across large or multi-disciplinary sites. You will have strong technical knowledge of building services and infrastructure, alongside a proven track record in contractor management, compliance, and operational leadership.

You will demonstrate:

• Degree-level qualification in Building or Facilities Management, or equivalent professional experience
• Proven success managing medium to large Estates or maintenance operations
• Strong expertise in health & safety, statutory compliance, and contractor performance management
• Experience developing maintenance strategies and supporting historic or heritage buildings
• A collaborative, consultative leadership style with excellent stakeholder engagement skills
• Strategic operational thinking combined with hands-on delivery focus

Why Join Us?

This is a rare opportunity to take on a senior Estates leadership role within a world-renowned organisation and UNESCO World Heritage context. You will contribute directly to RBG Kew’s global mission, working in a values-driven organisation that champions sustainability, inclusion, learning, and long-term impact. Alongside meaningful work, you will benefit from a comprehensive benefits package, including generous annual leave, flexible working, a competitive pension, wellbeing support, and access to the exceptional gardens at Kew and Wakehurst.

The role is based at Wakehurst, with the option of regular home working subject to operational requirements.

To learn more about the role, you can view the candidate brochure at: Candidate Brochure.

How to Apply

To arrange a briefing discussion, please contact our retained advisors Michael Hewlett, or Joe Glendon, at The Management Recruitment Group (MRG). Applications should consist of a CV and supporting statement and can be sent to The closing date for applications is Sunday 3rd May 2026.