Senior Divisional Facilities Manager – Caretech Childrens Services, Education

Role Description

Senior Divisional Facilities Manager – Caretech Childrens Services, Education

CareTech Group– Estates & Facilities

About CareTech and Cambian

CareTech Group provide specialist Education / residential care across the UK. We support some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities. Our Schools exist to provide safe, stable and nurturing environments where children and young people can recover, develop and thrive. For the children in our care, the quality of the physical environment is not a ‘nice to have’ – it is fundamental. Our estates must be compliant, safe and resilient, but also warm, homely and dignified. Put simply: we should feel comfortable placing our own children in these environments.

Role purpose

The Senior Divisional Facilities Manager will lead the estates function for the Children’s residential division (44 Sites). The postholder is accountable for statutory compliance, health and safety (premises), property condition, service continuity and the overall quality of the estate across a multi-site portfolio. The role provides divisional leadership to Regional Facilities Managers (RFMs 3Nr. & Maintenance Operatives 46. Nr) and works in close partnership with Principals, Regional Operations Managers and senior leadership (including Managing Directors) to ensure that standards are consistently achieved and sustained.

Reporting lines

Responsible to

Director of Facilities / Group Estates Leadership (as

applicable) Group Executive Director - Childrens services

Direct reports

Regional Facilities Managers (RFMs) and any

divisional estates support roles

Key interfaces

Home Managers, Regional Operations Managers, Quality/Compliance, Finance, Procurement,

Contractors/Suppliers

On-Call

Participates in an on- call Rota (e.g., one week in

every Fifteen) to support critical incidents and business continuity

Extraordinary days every day

Registered address: Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge UB8 1UX Registered no. 04457287 info@caretech-uk.com

Key accountabilities

This is a leadership role. Success is measured through safe compliance, quality of environments, predictable delivery and high-performing teams. The postholder will:

Lead and develop the divisional estates operating model: cadence, standards, escalation routes and performance rhythm.
Create a culture of ‘right first time’ delivery, where safety, quality and dignity are non-negotiable.
Set clear expectations for RFMs and hold accountability through coaching, field leadership and structured performance management.

1.Statutory compliance, health and safety, and risk

Act as the senior premises professional for the division, ensuring all sites are safe, compliant and fit for purpose.
Own the divisional compliance position across statutory requirements (e.g., fire safety actions, water hygiene/legionella controls, asbestos management, gas and electrical safety, lifting equipment where applicable) and ensure robust evidence trails.
Commission, review and drive closure of audits, inspections and risk assessments; ensure actions are prioritised by risk and closed to a defined quality standard.
Provide decisive incident response leadership (e.g., floods, alarm activations, heating failures), implementing immediate controls and directing permanent remediation.

2.Quality of environment and customer experience

Drive consistent, high-quality standards for repair, decoration, cleanliness and presentation so homes are safe and genuinely homely.
Work with Operations to understand the lived experience of children and staff, ensuring estates solutions support safeguarding, privacy and dignity.
Introduce and enforce divisional standards/specifications that reduce repeat failures and raise

3.CAFM system leadership and reactive maintenance control

Take divisional ownership of the CAFM system (including job logging governance, triage, prioritisation and closure quality).
Ensure RFMs and teams are using the system correctly: accurate categories, appropriate priorities, strong descriptions, and evidence on completion.
Implement controls to prevent aged backlogs and repeat callouts; ensure jobs are closed properly with clear resolution notes and supporting evidence where required.
Use CAFM data to drive performance: reactive ageing, first-time fix rates, repeat defects, contractor performance and compliance KPIs.

4.Planned works, projects and capital programme (CapEx)

Build, maintain and deliver a rolling programme of planned works and property improvement, aligned to risk reduction and service needs.
Develop clear scopes and high-level specifications; obtain competitive quotations/tenders in line with procurement policy.
Control project delivery end-to-end: scope, programme, cost, quality, commissioning, handover, defects and warranties.
Contribute to strategic asset planning and annual CapEx budgeting, prioritising based on risk, compliance, condition and operational impact.

5.Commercial management and budget control

Own divisional R&M and CapEx budget governance, forecasting and cost-to-complete reporting.
Maintain strong variation control and challenge scope creep; ensure value for money and whole-life cost thinking.
Work closely with Finance and Procurement to ensure correct coding, approvals and a clean audit trail.

Provide clear, board-ready reporting to senior leadership (including Managing Directors) on compliance, performance, key risks, projects and spend.
Represent the estates function professionally with regulators, inspectors, external agencies and visitors where premises matters arise.

7.People leadership, capability and performance

Line manage RFMs and relevant estates staff: objectives, supervision, coaching and development.
Build a divisional capability plan (skills matrix, training plan, competency checks) covering technical triage, compliance awareness and leadership behaviours.
Measure and manage staff KPIs (quality of close-outs, responsiveness, compliance closure rates, stakeholder feedback, budget discipline).
Promote a culture of accountability, learning and continuous improvement; manage underperformance fairly and promptly.

Performance measures (examples)
The role will be measured on a balanced scorecard. Typical divisional KPIs include:

Statutory compliance: PPM completion rate; overdue statutory items; audit action closure (by risk rating).
Fire safety: FRA action closure times; fire door and compartmentation remediation progress (where applicable).
Reactive maintenance control: job ageing profile; first-time fix; repeat defects; quality of closure evidence.
CAFM data quality: correct prioritisation, categorisation, notes, attachments and timely closure.
Financial control: spend vs budget (R&M/CapEx), forecast accuracy, variation control, value for money outcomes.
Project delivery: on-time/on-budget delivery, commissioning quality, defects rate, stakeholder

Skills and experience Essential:

Proven senior facilities/estates leadership across a multi-site portfolio, with direct line management of managers (e.g., RFMs).
Strong working knowledge of UK statutory compliance for premises and the governance required to evidence it.
Demonstrable ability to triage building issues and challenge contractor proposals with confidence (fabric and M&E literacy).
Strong commercial acumen: budgeting, forecasting, procurement, supplier management and variation control.
Excellent stakeholder management and communication, including board-ready reporting and confident escalation.

Desirable:

Experience within children’s residential care, education, healthcare or similarly regulated environments.
Experience building divisional operating rhythms, dashboards and compliance assurance frameworks.
Track record of improving CAFM data quality and reducing reactive backlogs through process and capability improvements.

Qualifications and professional requirements

Relevant professional qualification in facilities/estates, construction, building services or engineering, or equivalent demonstrable experience.
Health & Safety qualification (e.g., IOSH/NEBOSH or equivalent) – strongly preferred.
Working knowledge of CDM principles, contractor management and safe systems of work.

Behaviours and standards

Sets and maintains high standards: safety, quality, dignity and professionalism.
Takes ownership and drives outcomes; uses data and evidence to make decisions.
Builds trust through visibility, consistency and fair accountability.
Maintains confidentiality and acts with integrity at all times.

Safeguarding, equality and compliance

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. The postholder must remain vigilant and take appropriate action to protect children and young people from harm. The role has a direct and significant impact on the quality and safety of the service. The postholder must uphold CareTech and Cambian policies, ensure equal opportunities, and promote environments that are safe, respectful and inclusive.

Working pattern and practical requirements

The postholder is expected to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service and the children and young people in our care.

Maintain and develop professional competence through CPD, supervision and appraisal; identify training needs for self and team.
Maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately, in line with company policy and data protection requirements.
Reliable and punctual attendance, with flexibility to work additional hours where operationally required.
Participation in the divisional on-call Rota to support critical incidents and business continuity.
Regular travel to sites across the designated division and attendance at estates governance meetings (virtual and in-person).

This job description is not exhaustive and may be reviewed periodically to reflect service needs.