Building & Fabric Maintenance Manager

Job summary

We are seeking an enthusiastic, experienced, and forward-thinking Maintenance Manager to join the Estates, Facilities & Capital Development (EFCD) department within UEL, delivering Operational Maintenance Services to University Hospital Southampton. This role will provide operational leadership to the Building and Fabric Maintenance team, with a clear remit to develop, modernise, and transform the service.

The Building & Fabric Maintenance team plays a critical role in supporting the hospital's safe and effective operation, delivering day-to-day estates maintenance services including painting, roofing, carpentry, fire doors, and windows. The Maintenance Manager will be responsible not only for ensuring high-quality service delivery but also for driving continuous improvement, enhancing capability, and embedding best practices across the team.

The post holder will lead a multidisciplinary team of specialists and operational staff and will be accountable for the full Operational Estates function. This includes planned and reactive maintenance, testing, installation, maintenance and repair of assets, contract management, and ensuring full statutory and regulatory compliance.

About us

[Employer hidden] Limited (UEL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS). We are responsible for the design, construction, and ongoing maintenance of hospital buildings, as well as the provision of soft facilities management and essential equipment, consumables, and materials.

Employee Benefits:

o Generous NHS pension schemeo NHS terms of service and annual leaveo Access to an employee benefits platform offering discounts on groceries, high street shopping, family outings, holidays, and more

Southampton offers an excellent quality of life, located on the south coast with an international airport and direct train links to London. The area boasts the stunning New Forest National Park, beautiful beaches along the Jurassic Coast, and living costs around 20% lower than in London. With 14 Ofsted-rated "Outstanding" schools, it's a great place to live and work.

Job description

This role requires a leader with a strong growth mindset and a proven ability to engage teams in change. The post holder will be expected to take a transformational approach to leadership, developing people, improving processes, and strengthening performance and compliance. Experience or understanding of the application of digital technologies to monitor, manage, and enhance compliance, safety, and service delivery would be highly advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong operational and transformational leadership to the Building & Fabric Maintenance team, driving cultural change, capability development, and improved performance across the service.
• Lead the ongoing development, modernisation, and transformation of the Building & Fabric Maintenance function to ensure it meets current and future hospital operational, safety, and compliance requirements.
• Manage day-to-day operational estate maintenance services, including painting, roofing, carpentry, fire doors, windows, and associated building fabric activities, ensuring services are delivered safely, efficiently, and to agreed standards.
• Develop, review, and implement robust policies, procedures, and standard operating practices, ensuring they remain current, effective, and aligned with statutory, regulatory, and organisational requirements.
• Champion the use of digital systems and technologies to improve asset management, compliance monitoring, reporting, and the planning and delivery of maintenance activities.
• Ensure full accountability for planned and reactive maintenance, testing, installation, repair of assets, contract management, and all aspects of statutory and regulatory compliance.
• Lead, motivate, and develop a multidisciplinary team of specialists and operational staff, embedding a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and professional development.
• Work collaboratively with key stakeholders to support service improvement initiatives, manage change effectively, and ensure minimal disruption to hospital operations.

Skills & Experience

• A strong understanding of industry best practice and statutory compliance requirements.
• Demonstrable experience in the safe and effective management of contractors, including control of works, permit systems, risk assessments, method statements, and performance monitoring.
• Strong knowledge of planned and reactive maintenance delivery, with the ability to manage performance against agreed service levels, KPIs, and contractual requirements.
• Experience in developing, implementing, and reviewing procedures, policies, and safe systems of work to ensure consistent, compliant, and high-quality service delivery.
• Proven ability to lead, develop, and motivate multidisciplinary teams, promoting a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Person Specification

Qualifications, knowledge and experience

#### Essential

• Relevant engineering/construction/estate management or engineering business services Degree, equivalent level 6 qualification or equivalent demonstrable level of experience
• Relevant qualification at Masters level (level 7) or equivalent knowledge demonstration of relevant engineering/construction/estate management, or engineering building services training and/or experience to Masters level experience
• Additionally, trained in Building Management specifics i.e. Building Regulations, Asbestos Regulations, Quality Service delivery, Health & Safety applied to Building, Rating and Valuation
• Previous experience at a senior level in the engineering/construction/estate management industry including site supervision of contractors working to complex programmes and delivery schedules.
• Operational management experience in a healthcare or similar complex estate environment
• Understanding of best practice strategies and methodologies for effective asset management, including PPM.
• Effective service performance management of both in-house maintenance teams and external consultants & contractors to appropriate standards and specifications
• Good working knowledge of engineering, construction design & management regulations

#### Desirable

• Membership of an Appropriate Professional Institution (CIOB), competent to Chartered Construction Manager/Chartered Builder or equivalent
• Good knowledge of the operational use and potential of maintenance systems such as PLANON and MiCAD or similar
• Business/management qualification
• IOSH Managing Safety Certificate
• Awareness of current statutory, mandatory, and good practice standards and regulations
• Awareness of NHS Guidance and Codes of Practice for building services and site operation
• Experience of report writing and business case development
• Understanding of service improvement methodologies (eg Lean or Six Sigma) and evidence of service improvement implementation

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

### Employer name

[Employer hidden] Limited

### Address

University Hospital Southampton

Tremona Road

Southampton

SO16 6YD

### Employer's website

https://careers.uhs.nhs.uk/Home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

### For questions about the job, contact:

Head of Estates

Greg Hansell

[contact hidden]