Head of Estates

Job summary

Step into a leadership role where you’ll shape the future of EHRC’s workplaces and make an organisational impact. As our Estates & Facilities lead, you’ll recommend the strategic direction of our estate, champion high quality operational delivery, and ensure we maintain the highest standards of health and safety. You’ll play a central role in delivering our long term Estates Strategy, aligned with our organisational change programme, and lead critical projects including office options appraisals and planning for future accommodation needs. Working closely with landlords, the Government Property Agency, and senior leaders, you’ll help secure modern, efficient workspaces that enable our people to thrive.

This is a fixed-term role, and is available full-time, however we would welcome part-time, flexible working, or job-share applications.

Job description

You will:

• Develop a comprehensive Estates Strategy for EHRC, offering clear, evidence‑based recommendations to secure stable and sustainable office accommodation. Ensuring the strategy aligns with EHRC’s Change Programme.
• Lead the options appraisal for EHRC’s office space to prepare for office leases due to expire in 2027-28. This includes engaging with landlords, the Government Property Agency where required, and integrating findings into the overall Estates Strategy.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with landlords, internal stakeholders, and external partners, ensuring EHRC’s estate is managed proactively, efficiently, and in line with strategic priorities.
• Provide leadership and management support to the Facilities team, ensuring continued development of their capability to manage day‑to‑day estates and facilities operations effectively and independently.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with all statutory obligations and organisational health and safety requirements, maintaining robust governance, processes, and assurance mechanisms to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees, visitors and contractors.
• Oversee planning, budgeting, and reporting for estates and facilities activities, ensuring resources are used effectively and that risks, issues, and opportunities are clearly documented, managed and escalated where needed.
• Take on a leadership role during a period of change within EHRC, supporting both your own team and the organisation to navigate the change programme.

Person specification

Full details, including the criteria you will be assessed on, can be found in the Candidate Pack at the bottom of this advert.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £71,426, Equality and Human Rights Commission contributes £20,692 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

In return you can expect to receive a competitive salary, 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays (full time FTE) and access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme and partnership pension schemes.

We will provide investment in your career, giving you access to Civil Service Learning, our peer learning programme, specialist training and mentoring.

We offer a range of family friendly benefits, such as enhanced parental leave, flexible working including non-contractual hybrid working.

You will also have access to our wellbeing offering, including our employee assistance programme, mental health supporters, health checks, discount gym membership and retail discounts, cycle to work scheme and other salary sacrifice options. In addition, we have a range of staff networks and social groups.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

To apply, please complete and submit both parts of the application form. These are available to download at the bottom of this advert.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Recruitment team
• Email : recruitment@equalityhumanrights.com
• Telephone : 0161 829 8100

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@equalityhumanrights.com

Further information

Appointment to the Equality and Human Rights Commission is overseen by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email the Commission’s People Helpdesk in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Head of Estates - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (docx, 76kB)575_Part 1 - Personal details Opens in new window (docx, 121kB)575_Part 2 - Application form Opens in new window (docx, 43kB)

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