The post holder will support the Head of Estates and Development by leading the Pre-Construction and Compliance function within the Capital Development Team. They will manage internal and external design resources, including Design Managers, a Healthcare Planner, BIM specialists, Clerks of Works, and appointed consultants, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective, and fully compliant design solutions across the Trust’s capital programme.
Please ensure you read the below overview and requirements for this employment opportunity completely.
This role requires advanced specialist knowledge of healthcare design standards, construction legislation, and NHS-specific requirements, including Health Building Notes (HBNs), Health Technical Memoranda (HTMs), NHS England Estates Guidance, Building Regulations, and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) compliance. The post holder will oversee the development of project briefs, manage pre-application and planning submissions, lead on design governance, and ensure successful transition from design to delivery. They will also chair multi-disciplinary design meetings, manage the design element of capital budgets, and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders across the Trust and external partners to ensure safe, efficient, and patient-focused project outcomes.
Assist the Head of Estates and Development in development of the estates strategy in line with the clinical strategy and the 10 year plan in order to define the design and development priorities and inform the capital programme.
Main duties of the job
Senior Estates and Capital Development professional with extensive experience leading complex healthcare construction programmes and pre-construction functions within highly regulated environments. Demonstrates expert knowledge of UK construction legislation, including the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, Building Regulations, Building Safety Act, and wider Health & Safety frameworks, with proven accountability for ensuring full compliance across large-scale capital projects.
Recognised specialist in healthcare construction standards, with in-depth application of NHS guidance including Health Building Notes (HBNs), Health Technical Memoranda (HTMs), infection prevention and control requirements, CQC standards, and PLACE assessments. Experienced in embedding statutory and best-practice compliance into design development, leading multidisciplinary teams to deliver safe, compliant, and patient-centred environments.
Proven leadership in managing the full design and pre-construction lifecycle, including briefing, feasibility, value engineering, procurement, and commissioning. Skilled in interpreting complex regulatory requirements, managing design risk, and implementing robust governance frameworks, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy, clinical needs, and national standards.
About us
#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community
We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.
The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children’s ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.
Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.
We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.
With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.
We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.
Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?
Job responsibilities
Main Duties continued …..
Strong track record of leading compliance functions, developing policies and procedures, and overseeing risk management systems, including organisational risk registers and business continuity planning. Adept at engaging and influencing senior stakeholders, including Board‑level leaders, regulators, and external agencies such as the Health and Safety Executive.
An effective leader and mentor, responsible for managing and developing high‑performing teams, driving continuous improvement, and ensuring delivery of capital programmes within financial, regulatory, and performance constraints. Committed to innovation, sustainability, and the integration of emerging technologies to enhance healthcare estate outcomes.
Job responsibilities:
1. Communication:
The post holder will be responsible for communicating highly complex, sensitive, and sometimes contentious information to a wide range of stakeholders, including Board members, senior managers, clinical leads, technical consultants, contractors, and external agencies. This includes translating detailed and multi‑faced project information covering design, compliance, financial, and contractual matters into clear, actionable insight to gain understanding, engagement, and cooperation. Aligning development plans with the estates strategy.
They will act as a senior liaison across key internal teams, including Capital Development, Clinical Services, Estates & Facilities, and Procurement, as well as external consultants and contractors. The role requires excellent interpersonal skills to influence, negotiate, and manage relationships in situations where there may be competing priorities or resistance.
The post holder will lead the design briefing, review, and development process for capital schemes, ensuring alignment with clinical and operational needs, compliance with statutory and NHS guidance, and input from multidisciplinary stakeholders. This includes chairing regular project and design meetings, such as Development Team forums, and maintaining close collaboration with engineering and maintenance teams.
In addition, they will provide expert technical and strategic advice during the formulation of operational policies and project options, overseeing value engineering variations, and lead the commissioning and handover processes. The post holder will also support the development of communication protocols, standard operating procedures, and staff training, while promoting a culture of continuous professional development through active engagement with professional bodies and CPD initiatives.
2. Planning and organisational Skills:
- Be responsible for project design administration, ensuring that projects are designed within agreed financial limits, time, and quality.
- To manage design budgets, timesheet capture of design team hours and cross charging of costs as required.
- Formulate and prepare specifications and design information and co‑ordinate complex and overlapping projects for Estates building services. Provide the engineering and construction element for complex, integrated schemes in line with current statutory legislation and guidance.
- Responsible for the direction, review and approval of manuals, programmes and digital drawings using relevant software systems.
- Leads and manages the generation of competitive tendering documents and participates in the tendering process for projects as appropriate with procurement.
- Manage effectively, delegated revenue and capital budgets. Ensure compliance with Standing Financial Instructions and Trust Policies.
- Contribute to the delivery of an agreed cost improvement / cost releasing efficiency saving programme.
- Contribute to and maintain a system of monitoring asset performance, carrying out ongoing benchmarking within and outside the NHS.
- Negotiate and agree pre‑tender estimates to inform business cases and assist with contract variations for capital schemes.
- Assist and, where necessary, deputise for the Head of Estates and Development with the day‑to‑day management of projects, including supervision, contract administration, chairing meetings, disputes resolution and correspondence during the contract period.
- Ensure that appropriate supervision is provided during construction works at key stages to witness commissioning and ensure that design criteria is met, reaching an agreed level of standard and compliance in line with the specification and current statutory legislation, maintaining lines of communication and ensuring attendance as required by the relevant stakeholders.
- Undertake site surveys and inspections as required in connection with the preparation of schemes. Assess the condition and life expectancy of existing installations, systems, plant and equipment and advise on courses of action as appropriate. The successful applicant must be able to work at height and access all areas of the hospital as reasonably expected.
- Prepare project briefs, feasibility studies and budget estimates for schemes and for integrated schemes, considering different design options as appropriate.
- Facilitate and coordinate multidisciplinary design meetings, ensuring that stakeholder requirements are met.
- Assist with the provision of user training on new systems.
- Provide specialist advice to Trust Directors and senior managers regarding development related problems and solutions pertinent to the Trusts environments and areas.
- To document identify and include backlog liability reduction opportunities resultant from within approved capital schemes design development and to inform/engage with the backlog team so that they may amend the six facet condition survey information accordingly.
- Develop and operate on behalf of the Estates and Facilities Department; policies and procedures in respect of design development and briefing procedures, Permit to Work schemes, Hazard notices, safety information bulletins, statutory insurance works, Health and Safety at Work Act and any other statutory legislative requirements.
- Contributes to the production and annual updating of the Estates Condition Survey and other documentation such as the irregular maintenance programme and review and development of planned maintenance systems and policies throughout the Trust, as a result of development schemes.
- Monitors the development of and approves suitable new technology, systems and products for possible deployment across the Trusts estate.
- Monitors and critically appraises the implications of new statutory and non‑statutory regulations as they affect the Department.
- Liaises with external agencies such as Water, Gas and Electrical utility providers, as appropriate, for project schemes and for the Department where necessary.
- Establish and maintain effective relationships with service providers, service users and key stakeholders in order to ensure the ongoing delivery and development of high quality services.
- Identify, assess and manage project associated clinical and non‑clinical risks/hazards, where appropriate, through the completion of the relevant design stage risk assessments and the implementation of risk treatment plans for inclusion in the local and Trusts risk registers through RADAR, the Trusts Risk Management software.
- Communicate and disseminate information throughout the Trust. Chair meetings and lead initiatives as required.
- Undertake other duties that are appropriate and commensurate with the grade as may be required from time to time as agreed with the Head of Estates and Development.
- Leading design delivery to intrinsically capture and manage statutory compliance and best practice compliance including:
- Construction Design and Management Regulations
- Building Regulations
- HSE Requirements
- Fire safety
- Asbestos Management
- Control of legionella
- Property related health and safety
- All NHS Health Building Notes (HBN) and Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) design guidance documents
- Sustainability Agenda
- Equality Act and PLACE audits.
- CQC Audits.
- Ensure the adoption of policies, procedures and practise to deliver or exceed national targets and guidance for design with particular reference to legislative requirements and best practice as identified within Health Building Notes (HBN) and Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) guidance documents.
- Responsible for ensuring design related procurement activities are undertaken in accordance with procurement requirements, SFIs (standing financial instructions), Public Procurement Regulations and Limits, and established best practice models as prescribed by Department of Health, Office of Government Commerce, National Audit Office to establish the NHS as best in class customer.
- Leading on design compliance with all relevant existing and proposed legislation which will include analysis, evaluation and recommendation. Where relevant ensure derogation assessments are undertaken and mitigations are agreed via design MDT meetings and the HTM Groups.
- Required to analyse and interpret highly complex information relating to capital projects, estates compliance, and construction regulations.
- Manage and develop business continuity plans (BCP) for the Pre‑construction and Compliance team.
- Manage the mentoring, training and development of the Pre‑construction and Compliance Team, through appraisals, quarterly reviews, regular 121s, toolbox talks, team meetings and the use of the skills matrix.
Please download Full JD for more information
Person SpecificationEducation & Qualification
- Registered Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or equivalent demonstrable experience and working towards chartered status (CEng)
- Full member status of relevant professional body (MCIBSE, MIHEEM, MIET, MCIOB etc)
- Educated to or experience equivalent to Degree level in Building Services Engineering/construction related discipline or comparable demonstrable experience
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
- Chartered in relevant organisation (CEng)
- HM Treasury Better Business Cases Foundation or similar Project/ Programme Management Qualification
- Management/leadership qualification or equivalent experience at post graduate level
Experience & Knowledge
- oProven experience of working in a management/leadership role
- oSuccessful track record of working in Property Investment and Improvement role within an environment of comparable scale and complexity
- oExtensive specialist knowledge in managing clients, contractors and consultants
- oExperience of leading and motivating a team of professionals
- oLeading service changes to improve performance
- oResponsible for a budget and budget setting
- oFinancial procedures including budget setting and working knowledge of financial processes
- oIdentifying and interpreting national policy and selecting requirements
- oExperience/knowledge of delivering value for money / efficiency related changes
- oSuccessful track record of working in high performing teams competixe? …
- o…
Skills & Abilities
- oEffective interpersonal & communication skills.
- oThe ability to lead change where required
- oAble to work with groups and multi-disciplinary teams across the organisation and lead where appropriate.
- oThe ability to lead the service when representing the Trust internally and externally
- oAttention to detail and achieve high level of accuracy
- oOrganised approach to work.
- oAbility to work on own initiative and within a team
- oAbility to develop and implement solutions to address problems
- oAbility to collate, interpret information and implement agreed policies & procedures.
- oPC literate with office and design packages i.e. Auto-cad, Revit. xwzovoh
- oAbility to plan and prioritise workload
- oNHS IT systems
Personal Qualities
- oGood analytical and problem solving skills – ability to analyse highly complex data/information and make judgements/draw conclusions – including ability to respond to unexpected demands
- oAbility to work independently and make autonomous decisions
- oStrong communication skills both written and verbal – able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive information and use persuasion, influencing and negotiation with individuals and groups including stakeholders
- oAbility to embrace, lead and drive change
- oAbility to organise and prioritise own workload and direct the work others and adjust plans as required both in the short and long term
- oAble to work flexibly to meet the demands of the role
- oDemonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and services
- oAbility to inspire and enthuse others
- oDedicated and committed
- oFlexible and adaptable to change
- oPatient and Quality focused
- oProfessional approach
- oDemonstrable leadership qualities
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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