Estates Manager

ESTATES MANAGER

Overview

Ellesmere College is seeking an experienced, proactive and highly organised Estates Manager to lead the strategic and operational management of the College estate. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring that the College's buildings, grounds, sports facilities and residential properties are maintained to the highest standards, providing a safe, compliant and welcoming environment for pupils, staff and visitors.

Reporting to the SLT, the Estates Manager will lead the Estates Department and oversee all aspects of maintenance, grounds management, caretaking, cleaning services, health and safety compliance, capital projects and environmental sustainability across the College estate.

This is a key role requiring strong operational management, financial awareness, technical knowledge and excellent people-management skills.

About the Estate

Ellesmere College occupies a diverse campus of approximately 150 acres in the Shropshire countryside. The estate includes:

• Academic buildings serving pupils aged 7 to 18.
• Seven boarding houses.
• Staff houses and residential accommodation.
• Sports facilities including sports halls, swimming pool, indoor tennis centre, golf course, cricket facilities and floodlit pitches.
• Historic buildings including Big School and the Chapel of St Oswald

Key Responsibilities

Estates Management

• Provide leadership and direction for all estate-related operations.
• Lead, motivate and develop the maintenance, grounds, caretaking and cleaning teams.
• Promote a culture of professionalism, accountability, continuous improvement and excellent customer service.
• Ensure the estate supports the educational, boarding, sporting and commercial objectives (including Lettings) of the College 
• Preparation of a rolling maintenance and capital investment plan.
• Reporting regularly to Governors and relevant committees.
• Estate risk management and resilience planning.
• Energy and carbon reduction planning.

Maintenance and Facilities Operations

• Oversee reactive, planned and preventative maintenance programmes across all College buildings and facilities.
• Ensure effective management of building services, infrastructure and residential properties.
• Maintain accurate maintenance schedules and records.
• Identify and prioritise maintenance requirements and improvement projects.
• Ensure facilities remain safe, functional and well-presented at all times.

Grounds and Sports Facilities

• Oversee the maintenance and presentation of the College grounds, sports pitches, landscaped areas and outdoor facilities.
• Ensure grounds and sports facilities are maintained to a high standard throughout the year.
• Support the delivery of sporting fixtures, events and commercial activities.

Compliance, Health and Safety

• Lead the College's estates-related health and safety compliance programme.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, regulations and best practice guidance.
• Oversee fire safety, asbestos management, water hygiene, electrical testing and other statutory compliance requirements.
• Maintain accurate records through College compliance systems: Smartlog and WorkNest.
• Undertake risk assessments and implement appropriate control measures.
• Work closely with external advisers and regulators as required.

Contractor and Project Management

• Procure, manage and monitor external contractors and service providers.
• Ensure contractors comply with safeguarding, health and safety and site procedures.
• Lead refurbishment projects, maintenance programmes and capital developments.
• Monitor project budgets, timelines and quality standards.
• Deliver projects on time and within approved budgets where possible.

Financial Management

• Prepare, monitor and manage estates budgets and expenditure.
• Ensure effective financial planning and budget control across all areas of responsibility.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and achieve value for money.
• Prepare reports and recommendations for senior leaders when required.

Security and Emergency Response

• Oversee site security arrangements and emergency procedures.
• Coordinate responses to estates-related emergencies and out-of-hours incidents.
• Participate in an on-call rota and provide support during emergency situations when required.
• Ensure business continuity arrangements are maintained and regularly reviewed.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people.
• Maintain an awareness of safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Report concerns promptly in accordance with College policy.
• Undertake safeguarding training as required.

Team Structure

The Estates Manager directly manages, coordinates, and evaluates the performance of the following distinct operational teams:

• Maintenance Team: Multi-skilled operatives and technicians responsible for planned and reactive maintenance.
• Grounds team: Responsible for campus landscaping, arboriculture, sports pitches, and outdoor estate management.
• Caretaking team: Responsible for site opening/closing, daily logistics, security patrols, porterage, and immediate reactive support.
• Cleaning and Laundry team: Responsible for the indoor cleanliness, housekeeping, and sanitation of all academic, boarding, and communal areas.

For further information and an application pack please click "Apply on our website"