Associate Director of Core Services

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Please be aware that, due to current allocation constraints, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are being prioritised for registered roles at this time.

Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk.

We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.

You'll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive.

The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.

We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years.

We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.

We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.

Join us and you'll do the best work of your life - and make a difference to other people's lives. What we do together, matters.

Job overview

Associate Director of Core Services
Band 8c - £79,504 - £91,609 per annum
37.5 hours per week
Pride House, Basildon

We are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Associate Director of Core Services (B8c) to join our Estates & Facilities senior leadership team. This brand-new role has been created to strengthen the governance, assurance and core business infrastructure that underpin Hard and Soft FM across the Trust, at a time when our estate, regulatory environment and service expectations are increasingly complex.

The post holder will provide strategic leadership and professional accountability . They will lead and integrate our Business Performance and Compliance, Contracts & Assurance functions, owning key frameworks and returns such as PAM and ERIC, and ensuring robust, accurate and insightful data drives decision making, risk management and assurance from operational level through to the Trust Board.

As a standing member of the Estates & Facilities Senior Management Team, the AD of Core Services will be responsible for significant budgets and major Hard and Soft FM contracts, leading on governance, performance, contract and financial management. The role will work closely with clinical and corporate colleagues, regulators and external partners to maintain a safe, compliant, resilient and sustainable estate that supports excellent patient care and optimises the use of resources.

If you're shortlisted for this role, your interview will take place on 11 June 2026

Main duties of the job

This is an excellent opportunity for a senior estates and facilities professional with a strong background in compliance, governance, contract management and performance to shape how we manage our estate.

The Associate Director of Core Services is a senior Estates & Facilities leader, responsible for the governance, performance, compliance and core business functions that underpin safe, efficient and high-quality Hard and Soft FM services across the Trust.

Hold professional accountability for statutory and mandatory Estates & Facilities compliance (Hard FM and Soft FM), ensuring alignment with HTMs, HBNs, National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2025 and other relevant legislation and standards.

Lead, coordinate and assure the provision of accurate, integrated performance, risk, contract, lifecycle and financial information, including ownership of PAM and ERIC processes and reporting.

Be responsible and accountable for budgets associated with compliance, contracts and core business functions, ensuring robust financial control, value for money and effective contract management.

Provide direct line management and senior leadership to the Business Performance Manager and the Compliance, Contracts and Assurance Manager and their teams, ensuring cohesive, high-performing core services.

Working for our organisation

Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.

• Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
• Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
• If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.

Benefits

• 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years' service.
• Excellent pension of up to 14.5% of your pensionable pay.
• Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
• £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us
• Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

Work that wraps around your needs

• Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership and Governance
• Compliance, Risk and Assurance
• Performance, Data, PAM and ERIC
• Financial and Contractual Management
• People Management and Leadership
• Policy, Service Development and Change
• Information, Systems and Digital
• Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
• Risk, Audit and Continuous Improvement
• Continuous Improvement and Innovation

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Master's degree (or equivalent level qualification) in a relevant discipline (e.g. Estates/Facilities Management, Engineering, Building Services, Construction, Business/Management) or demonstrable equivalent senior level experience.

Desirable criteria

• Postgraduate management or leadership qualification (e.g. MBA, ILM/CMI Level 7).

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Advanced knowledge of Estates & Facilities management in a large, complex organisation, including both Hard FM and Soft FM services.

Desirable criteria

• Detailed knowledge of national and regional NHS estates policy, strategy and benchmarking data.

Skills/Experience

Essential criteria

• Substantial senior management experience in Estates & Facilities or closely related field within a large, complex organisation.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of managing large-scale estates or FM contracts across multiple hospital sites or regional estates portfolios.

Please be aware that, due to current allocation constraints, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are being prioritised for registered roles at this time.

Important note: please ensure that as part of your application, you include professional references with business contact information covering your last three years of employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.

As a newly appointed employee, you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post; the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.

Our Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of using mental health services. We also hold the Disability two tick symbol and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities, we encourage people with a disability to apply. If you require this application form in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape etc, please contact the Recruitment Department on 01375 364513 or email epunft.recruitment.adverts@nhs.net and we can arrange for this to be dispatched to you.

The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.

Important Notice: Recently the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) which amended on 22 July 2021 and come into force on 11 November 2021 that anyone directly employed to work in a Care Home or who are required as part of their role to be deployed to a CQC registered care home are required to have had both their COVID vaccinations, unless they are exempt. This is therefore a requirement of this role and will form part of our pre-employment checks.

Please note - staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered 'suitable alternative employment' to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

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