Head of Estates and Operations

Location: Central Trust Office, Guildford, with regular travel to schools across the Trust.

Grade / Salary: GST Grade L (£67,732 - £78,968 FTE)(6 scale points within banding for progression)

Hours / Working Pattern: 36 hours, All Year Round

Contract Type: Permanent

Reporting to: Chief Finance & Operating Officer (CFOO)

Responsible for: Strategic leadership of estates and premises operations across the Trust, working through school-based premises teams and external providers. Direct line management responsibilities may evolve as the Trust continues to grow and develop.

This is a senior leadership opportunity to shape the future of estates and operations across a growing, values-led Multi-Academy Trust of 23 schools. The postholder will provide strategic leadership for a diverse estate serving thousands of pupils and staff across Surrey and Hampshire, ensuring that investment, compliance and operational delivery support the Trust's long-term educational objectives.

Reporting to the CFOO, you will lead the development and delivery of the Trust's estates strategy, ensuring that our sites are safe, compliant, well-maintained and fit for the future. You will provide professional leadership across estates planning, premises compliance, health and safety, capital investment, major works programmes, contractor management and operational assurance.

Working closely with Headteachers, School Business Managers, trustees and external partners, you will lead through influence, establishing consistent standards, systems and assurance processes across school-based premises teams and external providers.

You will be expected to exercise sound judgement, manage competing priorities across multiple sites, support and develop colleagues, and hold contractors and consultants to account for the safe, cost-effective and timely delivery of services and projects. You will also provide clear, evidence-based advice and reporting to senior leaders and trustees, helping to ensure that estates investment and operational decisions deliver the greatest benefit for pupils, staff and local communities.

Act as the Trust's designated professional lead for estates compliance, health and safety and fire safety assurance.

• Establish and lead a Trust-wide estates, health and safety and compliance assurance framework, providing robust monitoring, action tracking, performance reporting and assurance to senior leaders, Trustees and committees, ensuring statutory risks are identified, controlled and resolved across all schools.

• Set and deliver the Trust’s estates strategy, including condition priorities, accommodation needs, planned maintenance, capital works and future site requirements.
• Ensure all school sites are safe, compliant, well maintained and able to support high-quality teaching and learning.
• Lead the Trust's estates compliance and assurance framework, establishing systems for monitoring, verification, action tracking, escalation and reporting to ensure statutory responsibilities are consistently met across all schools.
• Establish and oversee Trust-wide systems for tracking, monitoring and reporting actions arising from audits, inspections, incidents, compliance reviews and risk assessments, ensuring timely completion and effective assurance.
• Plan, procure and oversee building projects, major works and estates contracts, ensuring value for money, safe delivery, budget control and minimal disruption to schools.
• Manage School Condition Allocation and other estates-related funding streams through transparent prioritisation, evidence-based reporting and strong governance.
• Provide strategic oversight of premises operations, maintenance, building systems, Trust vehicles, incident response and school…