Associate Director of Estates

Job Title: Associate Director of Estates

We are recruiting on behalf of a leading healthcare support services provider for an Associate Director of Estates. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for overseeing and directing estates operations across multiple sites, ensuring compliance, safety, operational excellence, and long-term strategic planning.

The role sits on the Senior Leadership Team and is ideal for a candidate with the ability to lead teams, manage complex estates portfolios, and drive service improvement within a regulated environment.

Role Overview As Associate Director of Estates, you will:

• Lead the strategic and operational delivery of estates and facilities management services.
• Ensure services are compliant with all legal, regulatory, and organisational standards, including HTM requirements.
• Provide professional advice to senior leadership and board members on estates-related matters.
• Manage internal teams and external service providers to ensure quality, safety, and value for money.
• Support the delivery of long-term business plans, aligning estates strategies with corporate objectives.
• Drive performance improvement initiatives and maintain robust risk, governance, and business continuity processes.
• Oversee operational budgets, service contracts, and workforce planning across a diverse estates portfolio.

• Lead and manage estates operations, ensuring safety, efficiency, and legal compliance.
• Contribute to strategic planning at board level, and deliver against estates elements of the business plan.
• Provide visible leadership to estates teams and promote a culture of continuous improvement.
• Manage performance, financial accountability, and reporting through KPIs and service-level targets.
• Develop and implement estates risk management strategies and emergency preparedness plans.
• Oversee procurement, contract management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ensure staff development, succession planning, and appropriate training structures are in place.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, sustainability, and improvement in service delivery.

• Degree-level qualification in Estates, Property or Facilities Management (or equivalent experience).
• Significant experience (8+ years) in managing complex estates within healthcare or commercial sectors.
• Demonstrable record of managing large teams, budgets, and external service contracts.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in estates/facilities leadership.
• Experience in driving operational improvements, managing change, and supporting strategic goals.

• Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g., CIOB, RICS, RIBA, CIBSE, IWFM, IHEEM).
• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Experience in policy development and implementation.

• Strong leadership and people management skills, including handling of appraisals, absence, and performance.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Financial literacy with experience managing estates budgets and cost-saving initiatives.
• High-level understanding of both hard and soft estates services.
• Knowledge of compliance standards relevant to healthcare and facilities environments.
• Ability to present complex or sensitive information clearly to varied audiences.