Head of Estates

Highgate Care
Location: Multi-site – Care Homes
Reports to: Estates Director
Salary: Competitive, depending on experience

About the Role

Highgate Care is looking for an experienced Head of Estates to take responsibility for the leadership, management and performance of our property portfolio across our care homes.

This is a key leadership role, responsible for ensuring our homes are safe, compliant, well-maintained and fit for purpose, while also supporting the continued growth and development of the organisation.

You will support the Estates Director in delivering the estates strategy across the business, with responsibility for compliance, facilities and maintenance, capital investment, property development and sustainability. Working closely with the Estates Director and wider senior leadership team, you will help ensure our estates function supports the delivery of high-quality care.

Key Responsibilities

Estates Leadership

• Provide expert advice to the Estates Director on property, infrastructure, and asset management
• Manage a team including engineers, decorators, flooring fitters and helpdesk

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure full compliance with all statutory regulations, including health & safety, fire safety, and building compliance
• Maintain robust systems to monitor compliance across all sites
• Support adherence to care sector regulatory requirements, including those set by the Care Quality Commission

Facilities & Maintenance

• Oversee planned preventative maintenance (PPM) and reactive maintenance programmes
• Ensure consistent service delivery standards across all locations
• Implement asset lifecycle management and condition surveys

Capital Projects & Development

• Lead the delivery of capital investment projects, including refurbishments and new builds
• Manage project budgets, timelines, and quality standards
• Oversee contractor selection, procurement, and performance

Financial Management

• Drive cost efficiencies while maintaining high-quality environments
• Monitor financial performance and provide regular reporting to the estates director

Sustainability & Energy Management

• Drive energy efficiency initiatives and carbon reduction programmes
• Ensure compliance with environmental legislation and best practice

Leadership & People Management

• Lead, motivate, and develop the estates and facilities team
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability and continuous improvement
• Ensure appropriate resourcing and succession planning

Stakeholder Management

• Work collaboratively with operational, clinical, and support teams
• Build effective relationships with external stakeholders, contractors, and regulators
• Support due diligence and integration of newly acquired properties

About You

We are looking for an experienced estates, property or facilities professional with a strong understanding of multi-site property management, ideally gained within the care sector or another highly regulated environment.

You will have a strong understanding of compliance, maintenance, capital projects and contractor management, together with the commercial awareness to manage budgets and identify opportunities for improvement.

You will be a confident leader and communicator, comfortable working at both strategic and operational levels, with the ability to build effective relationships across the organisation.

Experience of working across residential and/or nursing care homes would be highly advantageous, as would experience of working within a regulated environment.

Key Skills & Experience

• Experience in an estates, property or facilities management role, ideally within a multi-site environment.
• Strong knowledge of statutory compliance, health & safety and building requirements.
• Experience of planned and reactive maintenance programmes.
• Experience managing contractors, suppliers and external service providers.
• Experience of capital projects, refurbishments and property improvements.
• Good financial and budget management skills.
• Strong organisational and project management abilities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities across a geographically dispersed estate.
• A proactive approach with strong attention to detail and a focus on delivering high standards.

Our Values

At Highgate Care, our values underpin everything we do:

Compassionate
Sensitive to and understanding of the needs of others.

Approachable
Easy to talk to, open, honest and transparent.

Respectful
Attentive to each other’s dignity and well-being, promoting and never undermining an individual’s self-respect.

Enabling
Supportive to allow individuals to develop and reach their full potential.

Why Join Highgate Care?

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in the continued development and management of Highgate Care’s estate and to make a tangible difference to the environments in which our residents live and our teams work.

Working alongside the Estates Director, you will have the opportunity to contribute to estates strategy, drive standards across multiple locations and support the continued growth and development of the organisation.

If you are an experienced estates professional looking for a senior opportunity where you can make a real impact across a growing care organisation, we would love to hear from you.

Salary: Competitive, depending on experience, to be discussed at interview.