Associate Director of Estates

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Job Purpose: 

The Associate Director of Estates will provide senior leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for the Trust’s new consolidated estate across the East of England, shaping a modern, safe, sustainable, and compliant built environment that enables high quality community health and care. 

The postholder will ensure the estate meets statutory, regulatory, and NHS requirements; aligns with long term clinical strategies, capital programmes, the NHS Long Term Plan’s shift toward integrated, preventative, community based care; and supports the development of neighbourhood hubs. 

As the new Trust unifies multiple legacy estates, the role will lead major transformation while ensuring the estate is effectively managed, fit for the future, and responsive to evolving service models and population needs.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Development and implementation of the Trusts estate strategy aligned to the clinical and corporate strategies.

Providing comprehensive professional and technical support and advice on relevant matters to the relevant departments and its stakeholders

Developing and implementing strategies, policies and procedures for the effective management of the Trusts infrastructure and capital resources

Overall responsibility for compliance with relevant planning, building, environmental health & safety legislation and regulation.

Hold corporate responsibility for Estates and Facilities policies and provide assurance to Board with respect to compliance with these policies. Formulate appropriate policy and governance arrangements. Accountable for relevant legislation and regulatory compliance and production of supporting evidence.

Capital project planning for redevelopment, backlog and estate investment, including major projects

Be the trust expert, lead and accountable officer ensuring that the trust and legal requirement of the Equality Act for both the public using our estate and staff working in it are met. 

Communication

Communicate highly complex, sensitive and contentious information in highly emotive situations concerning estates, facilities and capital projects involving high level negotiations to all levels of internal and external stakeholders.

Advise the Executive Directors and Trust Board on all matters relating to estates and facilities, attending and participating in meetings as required.

Conduct highly complex discussions and negotiations with external consultants, contractors and organisations on a wide range of subjects including capital projects, commercial projects, service level agreements and property leases.

Analysis and Judgement Analyse, interpret and present highly complex data and build business cases supported by clear evidence using analytical techniques.

Produce relevant reports which provide assurance on the performance of all aspects of estates and facilities, including adherence to professional standards and legislation.

Present data and analysis to a wide range of audiences, tailoring the content to match the requirements of the audience, both internally and externally.

Hold corporate responsibility for all information systems that are used to deliver estates and facilities services, ensuring that robust business continuity plans are in place.

Provide highly complex, sensitive information relating to strategy, policy and technical systems to directors and senior managers. Responsible for change management ensuring that appropriate staff communication mechanisms are in place including discussion forums and team briefing. 

Budgetary Responsibility

Budget holder and authorised signatory for the Trust revenue and capital budget for estates and facilities, delivering within annual financial targets (2025/26 budget: £40m).

Deliver financial accountability and services in line with Standing Financial Instructions. Ensure that there is an appropriate scheme of financial delegation in place across estates and facilities.

Develop and deliver cost improvement programmes which mitigate cost pressures and reduce the overall cost of delivery of estates and facilities services.

Overall, financial responsibility ensuring controls are in place for revenue and capital budgets including contracts and purchasing in compliance with the Trust’s Standing Financial Instructions. 

Monitor and review expenditure ensuring budgets and establishment plans are prepared and managed which reflect the requirement of the service and workforce plan, are consistent with available resources and take any corrective action as necessary.

Develop and implement productivity and efficiency measures in support of cost improvement plans and continually seek best practice and value for money.

Benchmark services against other similar NHS providers to ensure optimum service delivery.

Manage services within budgetary constraints and achieve agreed savings and efficiency targets.

Commit and realign resources to meet key priorities and make cases as appropriate, for the resources to meet the Trust’s objectives. 

People Management

Responsible for multiple staff teams across a wide range of functions and disciplines comprising senior managers, professional officers, administrators, estates and facilities teams, technical skilled staff and contractors.

Management of contractors working across the Trust Estate. Responsible as the professional lead for estates and facilities across all departments and teams.

Promote professional standards and attitudes throughout the estates and facilities functions.

Be a role model promoting a positive culture for estates and facilities that actively encourages the success and achievements of the team.

Support and drive projects to improve performance and satisfaction levels of estates and facilities staff based on staff survey, engagement and feedback.

Deliver effective appraisals and personal development plans for staff in line with best practice to develop the team to their full potential.

Responsible for the professional and personal development and training of estates and facilities staff including the provision of in-house and external training.

Responsible for implementation of the Trusts disciplinary policy, grievance policy, etc. in relation to staff processes, complaints and issues. 

Clinical and Practice Governance

Observe and maintain strict confidentiality with regards to any patient/family/staff/records and information in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act.

Any data that is taken/shared as part of a phone call or transported, faxed, or transferred electronically must be undertaken with regard to the Trust Information Governance and Information Security policies.  

The post holder must adhere to the Trust risk assessment and risk management processes

The post holder must adhere to infection control policies and procedures

Undertake mandatory training and any other training relevant to the role as required by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust.

The post holder must participate in clinical and safeguarding audits as required

The post holder is required to participate in relevant emergency preparedness process for their team.

General

Safeguarding people responsibility

Safeguarding children and adults at risk of abuse or neglect is a collective responsibility.

There is an expectation that all staff develop and maintain their role relevant safeguarding people competencies and comply with local safeguarding partnerships practice. Alongside this employee who are registrants are reminded of their professional duty of care.

Safeguarding means protecting a citizen’s health, wellbeing, and human rights; enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. It is an integral part of providing high-quality health care.

Those most in need of protection include:

1. Children and young people
2. Adults at risk, such as those receiving care in their own home, people with physical, sensory, and mental impairments, and those with learning disabilities.

The post holder must at all times carry out their duties with regard to Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Policy.

To be aware of the responsibilities of all employees to maintain a safe and healthy environment for patients, visitors, and staff.

All post holders must adhere to the code of conduct on confidentiality and be aware of and adhere to all Trust policies and procedures.

This job description is intended only as a guide to the range of duties involved. The post holder will need to be flexible and adaptable in order to respond to other duties that may be required from time to time and the changes and developments within the Trust. 

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exemptions) Order 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure of Barring Service to be made to check for any previous criminal convictions. Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff, or users in line with its equal opportunities policy and policy statement on the recruitment of ex-offenders.