Head of Facilities

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job description

Recruiting 4 vacancies, HCAS will be allocated based on the site.

RLH & SBH : Inner HCAS

NUH & WXH : Outer HCAS

Barts Health NHS Trust runs one of the largest estates in the NHS, supporting some of the busiest and most complex hospitals in the country. With a strong group model and senior leadership embedded at each site, we're focused on safe, effective, high-quality environments that enable outstanding care across East London.

We're now seeking to recruit to four Head of Facilities (Band 8C) roles to join us at a pivotal time. This is a senior leadership role with real scope -- overseeing a wide range of Soft FM services at your base hospital while supporting delivery across the wider group. From cleaning and catering to waste, linen, reception and security, you'll be responsible for services that are vital to safety, experience and wellbeing.

But this is also a transformational role. The NHS is under pressure, and we must deliver more with less -- driving innovation, unlocking efficiencies and reshaping services for the future. You'll help lead that change, working with hospital teams, Estates & Facilities, and Trust-wide transformation partners.

Interview to be held between 12/05/25 and 15/05/2025

Main duties of the job

You'll need strong facilities management experience, operational insight, and a passion for improvement. A confident, collaborative leader, you'll navigate complexity and build strong relationships across clinical and corporate teams.

This is more than a management role -- it's your chance to shape the future of care at Barts Health. If you're ready to lead with purpose, we'd love to hear from you.

1. Lead the delivery of Soft FM services and project programmes across your hospital site, including clinical service-led and mobilisation projects.
2. Provide operational leadership to site-based service managers and teams, ensuring consistent performance management, workforce support, and delivery against Trust standards.
3. Manage external contractors, consultants and suppliers, ensuring delivery is aligned with Trust values, policies, and compliance frameworks.
4. Hold delegated responsibility for operational and capital budgets, procurement activity, and invoice approvals.
5. Work closely with Estates & Facilities Directors, Soft FM Associate Directors and site leads to ensure services meet KPI outcomes, PAM targets, and compliance with national standards including CQC.
6. Ensure service models support safe, patient-focused care without compromising clinical delivery.

About us

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band.

Job responsibilities

Provide strategic input into EFM service planning, digital transformation, and Trust-wide project delivery. Represent Soft FM at senior forums, act as a key escalation point, and deputise for the Director of Soft FM where required.

Lead risk management, incident investigations, and Datix reporting for Soft FM. Champion workforce development through training, recruitment, and staff engagement. Maintain a senior leadership presence via a 7-day operational rota to ensure robust site support.

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.

Please note: When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included for non-medical roles. This ensures fairness and consistency within our organisation, as some of our sites fall under inner HCAS, while others are classified as outer HCAS.

Person Specification

Experience

• Estates and Facilities senior management experience, gained within the NHS or equivalent environment
• Extensive post graduate experience in the facility management / real estate environment
• Extensive experience at a senior management level of working collaboratively with other organisations to deliver successful outcomes
• A successful track record in negotiating and influencing others at a senior and professional level.
• Proven experience of effective budget management
• Proven success in business planning and in the development and effective implementation of strategic plans
• Proven record of success in managing operational change while also developing and maintaining high standards of quality
• Significant experience of managing teams and individuals successfully
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary Project Management environment
• Significant operational experience in Estates and Facilities; delivering frontline services to patients / users / customers. Delivering high standards of service
• Proven and demonstrable experience of leading and implementing complex service reviews which result in improved performance and service improvement
• A demonstrable track record of leading, motivating and managing a multidisciplinary team
• Commercially aware, with a strong understanding and experience of managing outsourced service providers
• Facilities senior management experience gained within the
• Experience with using digital programmes and systems to drive efficiency and productivity in a Soft FM area

Skills

• A perfected ability to prioritise, organise and manage a demanding workload and resources
• To use skilled and informed judgement that could involve highly complex facts or situations, for example being responsible for the resolution of live project financial pressures as they may arise whilst ensuring the delivery of clinical and technical compliance and business case objectives. This may involve significant negotiation and decision making to resolve complex, contentious and sensitive problems achieving a balanced outcome to satisfy the needs of the organisation and the project
• The ability to think creatively at a strategic and operational level
• To structure and deliver our future strategic direction whilst embracing operational challenges
• The ability to use innovation, creativity and flair to deliver a high quality environment
• Ensure a detailed focus on delivery is achieved and maintained
• Ability to use and interpret the NHS England, CQC and National Guidance and Standards
• Excellent staff management skills, with the ability to lead and work as part of a team
• Excellent communication skills, including negotiation, with the proven ability to liaise effectively within a multidisciplinary team based environment.
• Ability to prioritise a busy workload, meet deadlines and complete tasks within agreed time scales
• Experience and skill in presentation and training
• Excellent digital & ICT skills including Microsoft 365 and Synbiotix Facilities Management system

Knowledge

• Excellent all round technical knowledge of catering, helpdesk, cleaning, waste, security and portering services
• Understanding of food hygiene, national cleaning standards and Health and Safety at Work Act.
• Sound experience of delivering 24/7 demand-led services, incl. emergency responses to user needs
• A sound knowledge of the application and use of risk and issues assessment techniques
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of NHS targets and other topical NHS issues
• A clear understanding of the components of governance, compliance and risk and how these contribute to an integrated and quality-driven service
• An understanding of NHS guidance and policy, particularly in relation to patient care and how that may influence delivery programmes
• Knowledge and understanding of interpreting programme planning tools

Qualifications

• Degree in related subject (facility management, real estate); or relevant extensive experience and knowledge
• A formal graduate qualification, ideally in management or equivalent senior level experience preferable gained in customer-facing environment

Other

• High standard of written and spoken English
• IT literate: proficient in common systems including in the use of Word, Excel and Email packages
• Ability to manage staff training and to ensure statutory/mandatory staff training is carried out, recorded and kept up to date
• To have a proven record of inspiring people to think and act innovatively and to challenge established practices.
• Evidence of political awareness and sensitivity to the high profile of the Directorate and the Trust.
• Demonstrate a commitment to the professional development of self and others.
• An ability to demonstrate in-depth Knowledge of current thinking and policy affecting health and public sector
• Knowledge of equalities issues and strong commitment to the promotion of equality in employment
• Sound knowledge of team management and how to achieve the best for staff
• To use initiative and common sense to foresee what work needs to be done
• To set a high-quality standard, and work in a positive and mature manner.
• To seek appropriate advice and help when issues cannot be dealt with at own level.
• Strong attention to detail in all aspects of work

Other

• Personal and professional integrity
• Professional outlook and approach

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.