Regional Head of Estates South & East

Title:
Regional Head of Estates South & East (known internally as Senior Estate Manager South & East)
Location:
South & East Region
Salary:
Salary from 59,922 depending on skills, experience, and location / 36 hours per week / Permanent
Job type:
Permanent
: 16534

Heritage is for everybody, and we are here for heritage.

Heritage lives in places and people, memories and stories, artefacts and traditions. It can connect us all to the past, and to each other. It can make us happier, strengthen every community, and help shape society for the better. Everybody should be able to enjoy the benefits it brings.

That's why, as a charity, we care for over a million objects and hundreds of historic sites in every part of England, from international icons to local treasures. And it's why we open them up, share their stories and find new ways for everybody to enjoy, learn, play and create.

Our Estates Department plays a central role in making that possible. Through four regional teams, we provide the professional leadership and technical expertise needed to conserve, maintain and develop a wide range of historic properties, from country houses and ruined castles to hill forts, Roman temples, gardens and archaeological landscapes.

We are looking for a Regional Head of Estates (internally, this role is known as Senior Estate Manager) to join our team. The role is full-time and permanent, working 36 hours per week.

You must be based within the South & East region, as travel across the region is an essential requirement of the role. Leading a multidisciplinary team, you will provide visible leadership and support across a diverse portfolio of sites. You may work from home or from one of our site-based offices (Dover Castle or Wrest Park), but you will be expected to spend a proportionate amount of time at key sites, including Dover, Osborne, Wrest Park and Audley End House, and travel regularly throughout the region to attend meetings, site visits and engage with colleagues.

The Benefits

- Salary from 59,922, depending on skills, experience and location
- 25 days' holiday plus bank holidays, pro rata, rising to 28 days after 3 years
- Matched pension contributions up to 10%
- Flexible hours
- The opportunity to progress your career within the heritage sector
- Apprenticeship opportunities
- Subscriptions to professional bodies
- Free access to all English Heritage sites for you and up to six friends and family members
- 25% discount in our shops and cafes
- Enhanced maternity, paternity or shared parental leave
- Options to buy additional leave
- An inclusive working atmosphere where everybody is supported from all backgrounds, religions and with different needs
- Opportunities to go to some of our great live music and history events

The South & East region is one of English Heritage's largest and most diverse portfolios, covering 119 historic sites across 17 counties, including 31 paid visitor attractions and an annual estates and maintenance budget of more than 4.5 million. In this role, you will lead a large multidisciplinary Estates team across an exceptional heritage portfolio spanning prehistoric monuments, Roman settlements, medieval fortresses, monastic ruins, Tudor coastal defences, historic houses, gardens and archaeological landscapes.

This is a significant senior leadership role at the heart of English Heritage's work, shaping how some of the country's most significant historic places are cared for, maintained and developed for the future.

You will lead priorities, programmes, budgets, compliance and risk across a large and complex operational portfolio, working with a multidisciplinary team of around 22 colleagues across estates, conservation, building services, landscapes, facilities and operational support. You will bring strategic direction, professional judgement and visible leadership to a role with scale, variety and influence.

We are looking for a confident and experienced estates, property, building conservation or facilities leader who can bring strategic focus, sound judgement and positive leadership to a large and varied regional portfolio. You will have experience of managing substantial work programmes and budgets, leading multidisciplinary teams, overseeing property-related risk and compliance, and procuring and managing construction or maintenance contracts. This role would suit someone who can build strong relationships, make informed decisions and drive improvement across a geographically dispersed estate, with experience of historic buildings, conservation-led estate management and the use of estate management systems such as GIS or CAFM.

To be considered for the role, you'll need experience of:

1. Building and managing large and complex work programmes and budgets.
2. Working at a senior level contributing to national and departmental strategy and policy.
3. Procuring and managing construction and maintenance contracts.
4. Leading teams managing an estate with a range of property related issues, including safety, legal and…