DIRECTOR OF ESTATES
CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK
WELCOME LETTER
Thank you for your interest in the post of Director of Estates at United Learning.
and for leading the development and implementation of the Group’s technological strategy, ensuring that schools have the necessary expert guidance and support to make appropriate investment decisions. We are looking for an experienced estates professional, a skilled leader with a strong track record of developing and implementing estates strategies, who will facilitate the delivery of an outstanding support service for schools managing the Group’s Estates and Technology departments. We would particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic candidates, who are currently under-represented at the most senior levels in the Group. We always appoint on merit and are open to discussing flexible working options.
We were founded over 130 years ago as a group of independent schools at a time when Victorian Britain had realised that the lack of educational opportunity for girls and young women was a serious social problem. Over the last 20 years, we have taken on the challenge of turning around some of the most problematic schools in the country and grown to be the country’s largest academy trust. By September, the Group will have over 100 schools – predominantly state funded academies. In 2023, our estate consists of land, buildings and IT infrastructure at 81 academies and 13 independent schools, and 2 central offices, with total fixed assets of £1.1billion. In line with our strategic aim to be a great place to learn and work, this role will be responsible for leading and managing the property portfolio across the United Learning estate, ensuring that high-quality environments are developed for all our pupils and staff,
3
WELCOME LETTER
4
ABOUT UNITED LEARNING
6
OUR ETHOS & VALUES
8
JOB DESCRIPTION
12
THE CANDIDATE
I very much look forward to hearing from you.
14
APPLICATION PROCESS
With best wishes, Louise Johnston Chief Financial Officer
ABOUT UNITED LEARNING
Our Independent Schools portfolio spans the country from Cumbria to Hampshire. We are inclusive and welcoming schools, welcoming children of all backgrounds, all faiths and none, all abilities and giving over 55,000 children an inspiring education. Uniquely, our Group includes significant numbers of schools in both the independent and state sectors, working together for mutual benefit. Through being a group, we can offer more to both staff and young people than any single school could offer alone. Our approach is underpinned by a sense of moral purpose and commitment to doing what is right for children and young people, supporting colleagues to achieve excellence and acting with integrity in all our dealings within and beyond the organisation, in the interests of young people everywhere. We seek to improve the life chances of all the children and young people we serve and make it our mission to bring out ‘the best in everyone’ – students, staff, parents and the wider community.
Chief Financial Officer
Director of Estates
Estates Manager Academies Midlands & South West
Estates Manager Independent Schools
Executive Assistant
Estates Manager Academies - North
Estates Manager Academies South
Estates Manager Academies South
Head of IT
Estates Technical Assistant
Technology Specialists x 4
Information Security Graduate
Office Administrator
Group IT Systems Manger
Service Desk Manager
Energy Manager
Service Desk Analysts x 3
OUR ETHOS AND VALUES
Our ethos of bringing out ‘the best in everyone’ underpins our core values:
• Ambition – to achieve the best for ourselves and others. • Confidence – to have the courage of our convictions and to take risks in the right cause. • Creativity – to imagine possibilities and make them real. • Respect – for ourselves and others in all that we do. • Enthusiasm – to seek opportunity, find what is good and pursue talents and interests. • Determination – to overcome obstacles and reach success. Our values were selected in consultation with United Learning students and staff across the country. As a single organisation, we seek to bring together the best of independent and state sectors, respecting both traditions and learning from each. We believe that each of our schools is and should be distinctive – each is committed to developing its own strengths and identity while sharing our core values as institutions which promote service, compassion and generosity. The ‘Framework for Excellence’ sets out the key principles our schools work to. They are designed to be meaningful and clear without being a straitjacket and to give school leaders space to meet the needs of their community.
JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE:
COMMUNICATIONS AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS INTERNAL ▪ Chief Financial Officer. ▪ School contacts within the Group, in particular Heads, Business Managers and Governors. ▪ Executive Board members. ▪ Trustees through the Estates Committee and reporting, as required, to Finance and or other Boards. EXTERNAL ▪ Professional organisations working with the Group i.e., Agents, Architects, surveyors etc. ▪ Schools, Local Authority and Department of Education contacts. ▪ Landlords of leasehold properties. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES STRATEGIC ▪ Develop the overall vision and estates strategy for United Learning in support of strategy and growth plans. ▪ Develop, monitor, and manage capital and maintenance expenditure plans. ▪ Manage and provide the strategic and technical lead on all aspects of the property portfolio, ensuring that United Learning complies with all legislation and regulations. ▪ Develop and refine our approach to energy usage, review energy usage and generation and develop policy and implementation proposals ▪ Promote our aim to be carbon neutral by 2030, identifying decarbonisation projects across the schools. ▪ Review the emerging standards and services of similar organisations and make appropriate recommendations to ensure development of market position. ▪ Develop a quality and value-based framework for services, contractors and suppliers and review existing contracts for services, works and material supply. ▪ Develop standards for accommodation, design, and construction to deliver national
and United Learning requirements to ensure compliance to educational needs, flexibly, extendibility, low maintenance and low running costs. ▪ Manage and procure value for money Group contracts for Energy, Construction and Maintenance Supplier frameworks. PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Best practice management of the estates and facilities functions including supplier and financial performance, project delivery and customer satisfaction through monthly and annual KPI reports. ▪ Responsibility for ensuring compliance across all sites in respect of insurance policies, health and safety regulations and legislation working in collaboration with the Company Secretary and the Group Health and Safety Manager. ▪ Responsibility for the oversight of maintenance and improvement in respect of fire and life systems, security, and CCTV. TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE Leading the development and implementation of the Group’s vision and strategy for technology ensuing that schools have the necessary expert guidance and support to make appropriate investment decisions to successful embed technologically enabled teaching and learning and efficient systems and processes. ▪ Leading on the Group’s Information Security strategy and policies, working closely with the Data Protection Officer. ▪ Oversight of the Head of Schools’ IT Strategy and overall responsibility for the management, development, and quality of the Group’s Technology departments. ▪ Oversight of all capital projects for schools, ensuring the procurement and delivery of suitably designed, cost-efficient systems. ▪ Co-ordinating Group technology training services, both those delivered by central, and school employed staff, commissioning new content and assuring its quality and relevance.
Director of Estates
REPORTS TO: Chief Financial Officer RESPONSIBLE FOR: Estates team (9) and Tech team (11) OVERVIEW The Director of Estates is a key member within the CFO team. This role facilitates the delivery of an outstanding support service for schools, where the post holder manages the Estates and Technology departments. This is achieved primarily through the leadership of the end-to- end estates and technology business partnering. The post holder will have responsibility for leading and managing the property portfolio across the United Learning Estate, ensuring that high quality environments are developed for all our pupils and staff. This includes overseeing the management of the freehold and leasehold properties across the independent schools’ and Academies’ property portfolio, together with the central office sites. The role has responsibility for development and implementation of the Group’s technology strategy, ensuring that our schools have the necessary expert guidance and support to make appropriate investment decisions to successfully embed technology-based teaching and learning, as well as efficient systems and processes. STRUCTURE The United Learning Estate as of June 2023 consists of land and buildings and IT infrastructure at 81 academies and 13 independent schools, and 2 central offices with total fixed assets of £1.1billion. The Group wide premises operational budget was £50m in 2022, with each school managing their own site budget and the central estates team managing the central budget and overseeing the Group position.
▪ Providing leadership and coordination for schools in the areas of eSafety and Computer Science. ▪ Introduce innovative and creative technological solutions to enhance the delivery and quality of technology services. SCHOOL SUPPORT ▪ Provide a business partnering service to schools on estates and technology matters. ▪ Develop programmes for the engagement and training for staff in the development of and implementation of sustainable approaches and estates management. ▪ Provide schools with appropriate support and
▪ Assess scale, cost, and complexity to propose delivery options through either the school/ academy business manager or through the central office. ▪ Provide financial and technical support and monitor projects delivered by schools or academies. Project manage projects delivered centrally for schools or academies. ▪ Evaluate completed projects and provide structured feedback to colleagues and boards. Implement any appropriate agreed revisions to policies and procedures for future projects. ▪ Ensuring new schools are brought into the Group efficiently and successfully.
SCOPE FOR IMPACT ▪ New schools and expansion projects. ▪ Regularly reviewing the property management process and recommending changes. ▪ Ensuring customer and property data is kept up to date at all times. ▪ Ensuring that sustainability and environmental improvements are promoted and implemented wherever possible. ▪ Ensuring compliance with all health and safety legislation and risk management policies.
guidance to manage delegated budgets and programmes of work. ▪ Provide schools with appropriate support to ensure that buildings are compliant with all legal and statutory obligations, maintained to the required standard within their budget.
PROJECT DELIVERY ▪ Liaise with school/academy in the
development of the business cases and prepare an initial assessment of viability including the collation of necessary information to enable the project to be designed and costed leading through to Board commitment.
THE CANDIDATE
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
DESIRABLE • Experience of the education sector and awareness of the strategic challenges faced by schools in the use of technology. • Proven track record in managing and developing technological strategies and implementation of major technology projects.
ESSENTIAL • A professional/chartered qualification in a property, engineering or facilities management discipline (e.g., architecture, estates management, construction or surveying) • Proven track record of success of working at a senior level within a complex organisation with a committee structure. • Proven track record and substantial experience of responsibility for managing a complex property portfolio, multi- disciplinary team, and significant budgets. • Demonstrable experience of delivering major building projects on time and to budget, communicating effectively with a wide range of stakeholders. • Substantial experience of managing estates operations and maintenance. • Detailed and up-to-date knowledge of the legal, environmental, and financial aspects of both building projects and estates management. • Knowledge of the technologies deployed in schools, including wireless, and wired networking, connectivity, audio-visual, and end-user devices. • Experience of developing a quality and value-based framework for services, contractors, and suppliers.
SKILLS / ATTRIBUTES
• Excellent leadership and management skills and the ability to develop and lead high-performing multi-disciplinary teams. • Strong strategic capability, with proven ability to create clear and effective leadership in a complex environment. • Collaborative influencing and negotiating skills. • Experience of developing briefing
documents, analysing curriculum and accommodation schedules and procurement/delivery methods.
• Flexible and adaptable to a changing environment, strategic in their thinking and reasoning bringing innovation and creativity to the team. • Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to express themselves clearly and succinctly both orally and in writing. • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. • Credible, resilient committed and self- motivated.
APPLICATION PROCESS The Management Recruitment Group has been retained as our exclusive advisor for this appointment and any third party or direct applications will be forwarded to them.
Closing date for applications: Sunday 30th July 2023
First Stage Interviews: w/c 15th August 2023
For a confidential discussion and/or the full job description, please contact:
United Learning is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its pupils and expects all employees to share this commitment. All employees must be willing to undergo child protection training and screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. United Learning strives to be an inclusive workplace and value diversity in our team. Applications from minority ethnic colleagues and from majority ethnic colleagues who share our commitment to race equality in the education workforce are welcomed.
Melanie Pye E: melanie.pye@mrgpeople.co.uk M: 07530 734 568 Michael Hewlett E: michael.hewlett@mrgpeople.co.uk M: 07972 579 938
To apply, please send your application consisting of a CV and supporting statement to Melanie Pye.
Page 1 Page 2-3 Page 4-5 Page 6-7 Page 8-9 Page 10-11 Page 12-13 Page 14Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease