Hard FM Lead

Job overview

Transforming Our Estate for the Future

There has never been a more important time to join the NHS. We’re transforming our estate to deliver 21st-century care and the best possible outcomes for patients. Estates are central to the government’s 10-Year Health Plan and Infrastructure Strategy, placing the built environment at the heart of NHS transformation. We’ve laid the groundwork for fundamental change, now we need visionary leaders to help us realise the benefits and drive lasting impact.

Our ambitions are bold: becoming the world’s first net zero health system by 2040, setting global standards for sustainable healthcare, building 40 new state-of-the-art hospitals, and accelerating investment in community-based care. This is a pivotal moment in NHS history, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help shape the future of the largest estate in the UK.

The NHS estate spans 27 million m², with 1.4 million staff working across 17,000 buildings, including 1,140 hospitals and 7,500 primary care sites. Around 100,000 estates and facilities professionals keep our services running. With £7 billion in operational capital and nearly £14 billion in annual EFM spend, the scale is vast and the potential for transformation even greater.

Join us as we work to future-proof our estate and deliver care fit for generations to come. We’re looking for passionate individuals ready to lead, innovate, and make a lasting difference in healthcare infrastructure and patient experience.

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Reporting to the Head of Hard FM, you will provide technical advice to support operational safety and drive the development of technical guidance.

Ensuring that safety regulations and legislation are understood and reflected in guidance, your focus will be on critical aspects of patient safety and improvement.

Your responsibility for developing robust and progressive hard FM assurance guidance that meet legislative requirements, will ensure a safe and fit for purpose estate. You will be adept at developing strategic and operational policies and reports to promote innovative ways of delivery.

You will work as part of a wider team creating a positive working culture to drive reforms for safety and excellence, representing the engineering community and engaging with key stakeholders and professional bodies.

You will have experience working in a healthcare environment, with a proven ability to implement and apply HTMs and HBNs in practice. You will also demonstrate a strong understanding of EFM technical guidance and standards, alongside specialist expertise in one or more areas relevant to the NHS. Additionally, you will have a clear understanding of the operational challenges faced within NHS Trusts

You'll bring innovative new ideas to the role, with communication skills and energy to drive change and build trusted relationships. You'll be able to translate complex, technical information into simple clear reporting, documentation, and advice to the Senior Leadership Team.

Working for our organisation

Our work supports the NHS to deliver high quality services for patients and best value for taxpayers.

Our staff bring expertise across hundreds of specialisms — including clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.

We lead the NHS in England by:

• Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities
• Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential
• Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
• Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
• Delivering value for money

Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, leading to full integration. The aim is to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and eliminates waste.

If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the recruitment process.