Head of Estates Job Description Template
Resource type and category
Resource type: Downloadable job description template
Category: Estates Management, Facilities Management Recruitment, Job Descriptions and Senior Leadership Hiring
Intended audience
Estates Directors, Facilities Directors, Property leaders, HR professionals, Talent Acquisition teams, Finance leaders, senior hiring managers and organisations recruiting a Head of Estates.
Resource-card description
Download a comprehensive Head of Estates job description template covering capital projects, maintenance, supplier management, operational and capital budgets, in-house services, compliance, sustainability, health and safety and senior leadership responsibilities.
Full resource-page description
A Head of Estates plays a critical role in ensuring buildings, technical services and Facilities operations remain safe, compliant, efficient and capable of supporting the wider organisation.
The Head of Estates Job Description Template provides employers with a practical framework for defining the responsibilities, experience and leadership capabilities required for a senior Estates appointment.
The template positions the Head of Estates as a highly visible senior leader responsible for delivering operational excellence across technical and Facilities functions throughout the organisation. The role carries accountability for the safety, compliance, efficiency and presentation of the wider estate.
A major area of responsibility is maintenance and capital development. The Head of Estates may oversee everything from routine planned preventative maintenance through to major renewal and capital projects, ensuring programmes are delivered effectively within agreed schedules and budgets.
The role also includes responsibility for developing capital expenditure strategy and overseeing project delivery in collaboration with internal teams, external project managers and other professional advisers.
Supplier and contractor management forms another significant part of the position. The Head of Estates is expected to oversee estates-related third-party suppliers, including engineering and building services contractors, while ensuring procurement procedures are followed and value for money is achieved.
The template includes setting clear service-level agreements and proactively reviewing supplier performance to ensure appropriate standards are maintained.
In-house service leadership is equally important. The role may oversee functions including AV, cleaning, porters, security and helpdesk operations, requiring the Head of Estates to create a coordinated and consistently high standard of service delivery.
Financial management is another central responsibility. Working with Finance, the Head of Estates may establish transparent contracting and tendering processes while managing both operational and capital expenditure budgets.
The template also reflects the seniority and visibility of the role. The Head of Estates may chair regular departmental meetings and attend executive or board-level meetings to represent the Estates function and report on performance, projects and operational activity.
Stakeholder engagement is particularly important. The role acts as an ambassador for the Estates department, building effective relationships across the organisation and with external partners.
Continuous improvement, best practice and sustainability also feature within the template, with responsibility for ensuring modern approaches are applied across Estates operations and project management.
People leadership forms a further key area. The Head of Estates is expected to line manage, coach and motivate direct reports while building a proactive, high-performing service culture across the department.
Health and safety responsibilities include ensuring staff and contractors operate in accordance with relevant policies, procedures and regulations.
The Knowledge, Experience and Qualifications section provides a useful framework for candidate requirements, including substantial Estates Management experience, ideally supported by a degree in engineering, the built environment or a related discipline.
Professional qualifications such as MIWFM or AssocRICS are also identified, alongside experience of leading customer-facing Facilities teams, managing suppliers and contractors, delivering major capital projects and engaging at senior or board level.
The About You section places strong emphasis on leadership credibility, communication, strategic thinking, sound judgement, risk awareness, prioritisation and stakeholder influence.
Designed to be adapted to the organisation, this template provides a comprehensive starting point for creating a clear and professional Head of Estates job description.
Previous client engagements of this type are documented publicly.