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Job summary

Main area
Estates
Grade
VSM: Leadership-Gp7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
349-COR-7551296-RL4
Employer
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Cobbett House
Town
Manchester
Salary
Attractive Remuneration Package
Closing
04/12/2025 23:59
Interview date
20/01/2026

Employer heading

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust logo

Director of Estates and Facilities

VSM: Leadership-Gp7

Job overview

Reporting to our Chief Delivery Officer, this is a high-profile leadership role, responsible for driving the long-term estate strategy across acquisitions, divestments, and capital investment.  You will be both a highly credible and inclusive leader with a natural ability to influence at scale, working closely with senior leaders in Clinical Groups, Estates, Finance, Strategy, and Commercial teams to deliver a masterplan that supports clinical excellence and future growth. 

MFT is the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester is the largest health academic campus in Europe, with a workforce of over 30, 000, and a turnover of £3.0 billion. We are, by definition, a big and complex organisation, and as our Director of Estates and Facilities, you will be at the heart of MFT’s strategic ambitions - ensuring our estate is fit for purpose, commercially sound, and aligned with our values, purpose, commitment to patients, and workforce. 

Join MFT, and work alongside some of the best people in the NHS and be part of an organisation on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts, with countless opportunities. If you thrive on complexity, collaboration, and making a lasting impact, this is your chance to lead change at scale.

Main duties of the job

  • With a clear vision and sense of direction, and the ability to identify and focus on key issues, you will lead the development and delivery of MFT’s estate masterplan - identifying opportunities, driving investment, and unlocking value across our sites.
  • Working with cross-functional teams, you will lead estate reviews, capital planning, and multi-site assessments.
  • With a track record of leading or participating in successful applications for major strategic commercial opportunities, you will oversee strategic projects, site acquisitions, and location planning, ensuring every decision supports our long-term goals.
  • It goes without saying, you will possess exceptional analytical expertise and a talent for translating data into action - spotting patterns, uncovering insights, and driving meaningful improvements. With a clear understanding of market dynamics and performance metrics, you will help shape strategic decisions and spark positive change across the organisation.
  • This role demands strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, and a passion for improvement. 

Working for our organisation

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester, the largest health academic campus in Europe.   We are an ambitious organisation, serving over 1 million patients and users annually through our 10 hospitals and extensive community services. With a workforce of 30,000 plus, we are a driving force for innovation, clinical excellence, and system leadership across Greater Manchester.

As a senior leader at MFT, you will shape strategy and transformation at scale, working alongside a diverse, high-performing executive team. Our £3bn plus turnover and leading-edge digital infrastructure, including the Hive EPR, enable us to deliver integrated, patient-centred care and drive continuous improvement.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, values-led culture where your expertise, vision, and leadership will directly influence organisational direction and population health outcomes. You will have the opportunity to lead complex change, champion research and innovation, and develop future talent in a supportive, collaborative environment.

Join us to make a lasting impact- on our Trust, our communities, and the future of healthcare.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

On this page, you will find a Role Profile which provides information about MFT and full details of the role. We recommend that you review this and refer to it as you complete your application. For more information or to apply,  please visit http://www.odgers.com/94825

Person specification

Qualifications - Academic/Professional

Essential criteria
  • Professional / academic qualification at Masters level or equivalent experience in technical or E&F discipline
  • Appropriate qualification in a property discipline and/or professional accreditation of a relevant property body or equivalent experience
Desirable criteria
  • Willingness to obtain accreditation upon appointment

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Extensive experience in property, estates, or facilities management within a complex delivery environment with a proven track record of senior leadership experience in strategic planning and performance management.
  • Demonstrable track record in influencing high-level agendas.
  • Understanding of digital transformation and modern workplace strategies within large-scale organisational change contexts.
  • Demonstrable expertise in change management and transformation programmes, with evidence of successfully leading multi-stakeholder initiatives.
  • Proven analytical and data interpretation skills with demonstrable ability to drive performance improvements through evidence-based decision making.
  • Experience in formulating and delivering a strategic plan whilst being accountable to several stakeholder partners.
  • Evidence of understanding of commercial, governance, operational, and legal structures and their application.
  • Track record of leading or participating in successful applications for major strategic commercial opportunities
  • Experience in working with internal and external stakeholders and commercial partners.
  • Experience in establishing new structures and procedures based on networks of influence and persuasion in a commercial environment
Desirable criteria
  • Significant director experience in a similarly complex organisation or system.

Skills, Knowledges & Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Highly credible and inclusive leader with the ability to influence at all levels.
  • Ability to influence a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to bring about change and improvement.
  • Strong partnership engagement and development skills.
  • Effective leadership skills, able to communicate vision and lead change effectively. Able to inspire others and lead by example.
  • Clear vision and sense of direction with ability to identify and focus on key issues.
  • Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.

Other

Essential criteria
  • Able to work across sites and flexible to meet the needs of the role

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareApprenticeships logoArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardDisability confident employerStep into healthHappy to Talk Flexible Working

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Carmel Gibbons
Job title
Partner and Head of the Healthcare Practice
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0161 498 3413
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