Group Deputy Director Estates and Facilities Management

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We are seeking a Group Deputy Director of Estates and Facilities Management to provide strategic and operational leadership to our estates and facilities service.

The role will see you working closely with the Group Director and be responsible for a broad portfolio including facilities management, across 6 colleges, various business sites as well as supporting our sister Trust organisation EKC Schools Trust, our 4* Hotel and growing income via commercial lettings.

You will be responsible for the strategic and operational management of the Group's Estates and Facilities functions to support the delivery of high-quality learning and working environments. Providing strategic direction and advice on the estate, you'll ensure that the built environment is safe for students, visitors and staff, is fit for the future, is managed effectively and efficiently adapts to the East Kent College Group's changing needs.

Other key areas of the role include:

• Leading the establishment of additional facilities management functions, group cleaning arrangements and lettings.
• Ensuring the provision of a modern, appropriate and inspiring working environment for all our staff and students.
• Planning to meet future needs of the organisation, in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Enhancing the quality and diversity of infrastructure and our ability to control and affect the managed environment.

You will play a key role in ensuring there is clear alignment between our strategies, goals and plans, the delivery of first-class services, high-quality facilities and a safe and secure environment.

Alongside our priority of excellent student experience, we also focus on our employees. Here are just some of our benefits when working for the East Kent Colleges Group:

• Competitive salary and holiday entitlement (38 days FTE + bank holidays)
• Access to 100's of online discounts via our Rewards Scheme (Inc. Restaurant, Grocery, Retail, Gym, Holidays)
• Access to cycle to work, car leasing and tech purchasing schemes
• Generous pension scheme with 18% employer contribution
• Being part of and leading the company with a Eco-Sustainability focus of being Net-Zero
• Additional time off for your child's first day at school, moving home and for interviews
• My 10 Days initiative - bid for up-to 10 days off work to pursue voluntary work
• Being part of a community focused employer, with charity Community Days, and an Annual Staff Celebration Day

About You

The successful candidate will have experience at a senior level of managing a large and complex estate, including a proven ability to compile and manage budgets and carry out cost/benefit analyses.

You will be a self-motivated, calm and positive individual with great interpersonal and communications skills and a positive drive to deliver and tenacity to see the planned facilities management project through to conclusion.

All of the skills, experience and qualifications that we assess against this role can be found on the Job Description within the Job Specification. However please see some of the essential criteria below:

• Facilities Management qualification (IWFM or equivalent)
• Experience in estates and facilities management, preferably in education or large scale/multi-site setting
• Experience in developing estates strategies and delivering outcomes
• Experience managing contractors for maintenance
• Project management experience
• Sustainability and energy efficiency solution experience

No need to spend time updating your CV, just click apply and complete our short application form. You can save your progress as you go, and we'll review all applications and get back to all candidates after the closing date.

If you are interested in an informal chat about the role, or have any queries, please email us on [email protected]

About Us

Outstanding Ofsted Provider

East Kent Colleges Group is an Ofsted Outstanding rated provider. It is proud to be the first General Further Education college organisation in the country to have received the Outstanding grade against each of the strands under the new Ofsted inspection framework. An inclusive provider, our colleagues place our students and the communities we serve at the heart of everything they do across EKC Group and this is illustrated in our 'Strong' skills grading by Ofsted.

Commitment to Safeguarding

EKC Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and we ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for upholding these principles. The Group's designation as a 'designated establishment' means that all posts within EKC Group are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. We therefore have an obligation to carry out robust checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults; applicants are therefore advised that appropriate safeguarding checks (including an enhanced DBS check) will be undertaken on all successful applicants; job offers will be made on the basis of satisfactory DBS and other checks, including the receipt of two references. If you are successful in obtaining an interview, your suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults will be explored as part of the interview process. Applicants should note that it is a criminal offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so. All applicants are required to complete and submit a self-declaration of their criminal record or information that would make them unsuitable to work with children and vulnerable adults.

Commitment to Equal Opportunities

EKC Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of our communities. We are particularly keen to increase the diversity of our staff body and encourage applications from candidates where there is underrepresentation in our workforce. We are proud to hold the Positive About Disability Award; this confirms our commitment to interviewing all applicants who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. Similarly, our commitment to Care Leavers means that we will interview applicants who meet the minimum criteria and who have declared on their application that they are a Care Leaver.

We welcome applications from anyone wishing to work flexibly and those considering a return to work from a career break.

We do not engage with agencies for permanent staff and have an in-house recruitment team.