Head of Estates

Role overview

NHS Forth Valley is looking for a seasoned, highly driven Head of Estates to take responsibility for the management of estates across all sites. This senior leadership position sits within the Facilities Directorate and has a key remit to make sure hospitals, health centres, and other facilities remain safe, resilient, and suitable for purpose.

In this role, you will help define and deliver the Estates service for NHS Forth Valley, supporting the organisation’s focus on excellent care and ongoing estate improvement.

What you will do

• Set the direction for all Estates activities, making sure the built environment is safe, compliant, and run efficiently.
• Oversee planned and reactive maintenance services, keeping operations stable in a demanding 24/7 healthcare setting.
• Make sure work aligns with statutory duties, regulatory expectations, and NHS Scotland technical standards.
• Manage a varied portfolio of minor capital works and backlog maintenance programmes, with strong governance, cost control, and quality outcomes.
• Guide, develop, and motivate engineering, maintenance, and technical staff, while encouraging professionalism, responsibility, and wellbeing.
• Offer specialist advice to senior leaders, clinical teams, project boards, and external stakeholders.
• Maintain effective control of finances and resources, including planning budgets, monitoring spend, and reporting.
• Develop productive relationships with clinical staff, operational leaders, contractors, and regulators.

What we are looking for

The ideal candidate will be a strategic estates specialist with strong operational credibility and well-developed leadership capability. You should bring a practical understanding of complex estates environments and the confidence to work at senior level.

Additional information

This post requires membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. Further information is available from Disclosure Scotland.

For an informal discussion, please contact Morag Farquhar, Director of Facilities, at morag.farquhar@nhs.scot.

From 1 April 2026, the full-time working week under Agenda for Change will reduce from 37 hours to 36 hours. Part-time hours will reduce on a pro-rata basis. Pay will remain unchanged because the hourly rate will rise accordingly.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applicants needing sponsorship to work in the UK should review the eligibility rules for the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa routes. Sponsorship may be available for some roles if the post meets the required salary threshold and any other applicable criteria. If you are already in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa, transitional arrangements may apply. Sponsorship is not assured and is considered individually after interview and during pre-employment checks. Candidates are also encouraged to review official UK Government guidance for health and social care workers applying from overseas.

Application integrity

Applicants must submit original and genuine answers in the application form. Use of artificial intelligence, automated tools, or other third-party help to draft, generate, or substantially alter responses is strongly discouraged. By applying, you confirm that your answers are your own work, reflect your own knowledge and experience, and have not been solely produced or edited by AI or similar tools. Failure to meet this requirement may lead to withdrawal from the selection process.

Communication

Most correspondence will be sent by email, so candidates should check inboxes, including junk folders, as well as their Jobtrain account for updates.

Disability and equality commitments

NHS Forth Valley operates a positive approach to disabled people and guarantees an interview to disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria. If you need adjustments to support your application or interview, please contact the Recruitment Office on 0330 041 4694.

NHS Scotland is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, and aims to create a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, where everyone feels respected and able to contribute fully.

Candidate profile

We are seeking a strategic estates professional with strong operational experience and excellent leadership skills. The successful candidate should be able to work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and bring a forward-thinking approach that reflects NHS values.

Education and experience

A relevant estates-related degree at master’s level, or equivalent experience, is required. You should have substantial experience managing complex estates or facilities functions, ideally in the NHS or a similarly large organisation. A strong understanding of healthcare technical standards, compliance systems, and engineering arrangements is important. Experience of PPP/DBFM contract monitoring is also required. Experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams is essential, and a proven background in delivering capital projects and infrastructure improvements would be an advantage.

Skills and attributes

The role requires excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder-management ability, along with strong leadership, planning, and decision-making skills. You should be comfortable managing budgets, overseeing compliance, and working across multiple teams and external partners.