Estates Technical Manager

Job purpose
The Estates Technical Assurance Manager will provide technical assurance, analysis and additional management capacity across the Estates and Engineering portfolio.
Reporting directly to the Assistant Director, Estates and Engineering, the postholder will act as a trusted technical resource to the wider management team. They will review statutory compliance, maintenance delivery, asset information, safe systems of work, engineering resilience and the performance of Hard FM and directly contracted services.
The role will establish the position behind reported performance, identify technical and operational risks and take ownership of agreed investigations and improvement activities through to completion.
The postholder will support Heads of Maintenance and Engineering Managers without removing or replacing their accountability for their respective services.

Main duties and responsibilities
1. Provide technical assurance across the University's mechanical, electrical, controls, building fabric and other Estates and Engineering services.
2. Review statutory and mandatory compliance arrangements, maintenance records, certification and supporting evidence to confirm that requirements are being met and reported information is accurate.
3. Review safe systems of work, permits and operational controls, identifying and escalating material weaknesses or failures.
4. Investigate technical failures, recurring defects, service interruptions and performance concerns, establishing the underlying causes and recommending practical corrective action.
5. Support the management and assurance of Hard FM contractors and specialist services contracted directly by the University, challenging incomplete, inconsistent or unsupported information.
6. Oversee insurance inspections and maintain the statutory inspection register, ensuring inspections, reports and associated remedial actions are recorded, allocated and progressed within the required timescales.
7. Analyse maintenance, compliance, asset, defect and performance information to identify gaps, trends, recurring issues and emerging risks.
8. Review engineering resilience, critical infrastructure, single points of failure and operational contingency arrangements.
9. Use asset condition, maintenance and performance information to support maintenance priorities, lifecycle planning and recommendations for investment.
10. Provide technical assurance during project commissioning, handover and operational acceptance, including the transfer of technical records, asset information, training, warranties and maintenance requirements.
11. Interface with project teams and Estates and Engineering managers to ensure that business as usual activity and project works are properly scheduled and coordinated within the live estate.
12. Maintain and communicate a weekly campus wide activity plan, providing visibility of planned maintenance, project works, shutdowns and other activities that may affect campus operations.
13. Take ownership of agreed technical investigations, assurance reviews and improvement activities, ensuring actions have clear owners and timescales and are progressed to an evidenced conclusion.
14. Produce clear and concise technical reports, analysis and supporting documentation for senior stakeholders, setting out the current position, principal risks, actions required and decisions needed.
15. Provide technical support and constructive challenge to Heads of Maintenance, Engineering Managers, contractors, consultants and project teams.
16. Support audits, incident reviews, service mobilisation, operational recovery and service improvement activities where technical oversight is required.
17. Support the development and consistent application of technical standards, procedures, controls and assurance arrangements across the estate.
18. Work flexibly across campuses, technical disciplines and services according to priorities agreed by the Assistant Director, Estates and Engineering.
Person specification
Essential criteria
Qualifications and experience
1. A recognised qualification in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, building services engineering, facilities management or another relevant technical discipline.
2. Substantial experience within an estates, engineering, maintenance or technical facilities management environment.
3. Strong working knowledge of statutory compliance, planned maintenance and safe systems of work within a complex operational estate.
4. Experience reviewing technical records, compliance evidence, statutory inspection information, asset data and maintenance performance.
5. Experience investigating technical or operational problems and progressing corrective actions through to completion.
6. Experience managing or providing oversight of Hard FM contractors, consultants and specialist service providers.
7. Experience coordinating operational maintenance activity and project works within a live and operationally sensitive environment.
8. Experience using maintenance management, compliance or asset information systems.

Knowledge and skills
9. Broad technical knowledge and sufficient credibility to challenge engineers, managers, contractors and consultants.
10. Strong report writing, analysis and document compilation skills, with the ability to produce clear and concise reports for senior stakeholders.
11. Ability to assess technical, compliance and operational risks and communicate their significance clearly.
12. Ability to take ownership of investigations and improvement activities with limited supervision.
13. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical matters clearly to non technical audiences.
14. Strong planning and coordination skills, with the ability to maintain visibility of business as usual activity and project works across a live campus.
15. Ability to work effectively across multiple campuses, technical disciplines and competing priorities.
16. Confidence to challenge constructively and escalate concerns where required.
17. Competence in Microsoft Excel and relevant reporting and data analysis tools.

Desirable criteria
1. Membership of a relevant professional body.
2. Experience within higher education, healthcare or another complex and operationally sensitive estate.
3. Experience auditing statutory compliance or maintenance delivery.
4. Experience supporting project commissioning, handover and operational acceptance.
5. Experience reviewing engineering resilience, asset condition or lifecycle requirements.
6. Experience using Power BI or equivalent reporting tools.
7. Experience supporting service mobilisation, operational recovery or contract improvement