Schools Estate & Strategy Manager
About the job
Salary: £53,460 - £56,681 a year plus £3,203 car benefit allowance
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent
This is an exciting opportunity to take a leading role in shaping the future of our schools’ estate. As Schools Estate & Strategy Manager, you will be responsible for directing and managing the Council’s Schools Capital Building and Maintenance Programmes, ensuring that resources are targeted effectively and that projects deliver real benefits to children, schools and the wider community.
You will commission and oversee both in-house and external construction and design teams, guiding the development of project briefs, budgets and delivery programmes. Working closely with senior colleagues, headteachers and governors, you will help to deliver the Council’s Educational Asset Management Plan and ensure that school premises are safe, sustainable and fit for the future.
This role will see you leading on the development of the Children & Learning Capital Strategy, ensuring that sufficiency, suitability and condition needs are met across mainstream, special and alternative provision. You will also play a key role in developing and supporting bids for external funding, maximising investment in our schools, and contributing to the national conversation on capital priorities.
The work is fast paced, varied and high-profile. You will represent the Council in meetings with Members, government departments and school communities, and play a central role in initiatives such as school expansions, mergers and the development of new facilities. Your leadership will ensure that projects meet statutory duties, reflect community needs and contribute positively to the learning environment.
Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.
About you
We are looking for an experienced and highly motivated professional with a strong background in capital strategy, asset management and project delivery. You will be educated to degree level in a relevant construction or educational profession and ideally hold professional membership such as RIBA or RICS.
You will bring substantial experience of policy and strategy development, alongside a track record of successfully managing budgets, preparing funding bids and working collaboratively with senior managers, headteachers and external partners. With excellent communication and negotiation skills, you will be confident in presenting complex information, building consensus and influencing decision-making at the highest level.
Your ability to think strategically and problem-solve creatively will be essential, as will your capacity to manage competing demands in a challenging and evolving environment. You will also have a deep understanding of equality issues and the role they play in shaping inclusive, accessible school environments.
This is a role for a leader who can combine technical expertise with vision, diplomacy and determination. If you are passionate about creating high-quality learning environments and ensuring that every child has access to the right facilities to succeed, we would love to hear from you.
About us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough
Application Process
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.
On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.
Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:
- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
How to apply
We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!
Our ‘How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply
Available documents
Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.Salary range
- £53,460 - £56,681 per year