Director of Estates

Package Description

Location: [Employer hidden], with occasional travel to Repton Prep and other UK Family of Schools

Contract: Permanent, year-round role

Hours: Full-time - 40 hours per week. Monday to Friday between 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Occasional out of hours/evening/weekend work may be required.

Benefits: Pension scheme, Cycle to Work, Free Sports Centre membership

Job Introduction

The Director of Estates is responsible for the effective operational delivery, maintenance, and development of the School’s diverse estate and related support services, ensuring a safe, compliant, and high-quality environment. The School’s estate includes a combination of listed and heritage buildings alongside modern, state-of-the-art facilities, requiring a balanced and informed approach to preservation, compliance, and development. This is a delivery-focused role, ensuring that day-to-day school operations run smoothly and are effectively supported, while also enabling successful commercial activities including: lettings, catering, and events. The postholder will balance the needs of a busy boarding school with opportunities to maximise the use and value of the estate. Working closely with the COO, the role combines hands-on operational leadership with strategic planning, ensuring the estate and services are sustainable, efficient, and aligned with the School’s long-term objectives. Please submit your application online by 17th May 2026. Should you wish to complete an offline application form, or should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the HR team via [contact hidden].

Main Responsibilities

• Estates Management (Built Environment & Infrastructure): Lead the day-to-day operation, maintenance, and performance of all buildings and infrastructure. Manage a mixed estate, including listed and heritage buildings requiring sensitive maintenance and statutory compliance, and modern, state-of-the-art teaching, boarding, and sports facilities.
• Facilities & Operations (Support Services): Lead delivery of non-academic operational services, including Cleaning, Portering, Reception, Catering, Retail, Security, Lettings and events support. Ensure services are efficient, responsive, and customer-focused.
• Grounds and External Environment: Work with the Head of Grounds to oversee the management, maintenance, and presentation of all grounds, including sports pitches, landscaping, external infrastructure. Ensure grounds support both high-quality educational and co-curricular use and lettings, events, and commercial activity.
• Fleet Management (Transport): Oversee the operation and management of the School’s vehicle fleet (predominantly minibuses and estates vehicles). Ensure compliance with all legal and safety requirements, including licensing, maintenance and inspections, driver compliance and training.
• Catering and Retail Operations: Work with the Head of Catering to oversee the delivery of catering and retail services. Ensure services are high quality, financially sustainable, aligned with school expectations and commercial objectives.
• Health, Safety and Compliance: Take operational responsibility for Health & Safety across the estate and operations. Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation and statutory requirements, including those specific to a boarding school, listed buildings and heritage assets.
• Capital Projects and Estate Development: Lead the delivery of capital projects, including refurbishments, heritage works, and new developments, on time, within budget and to the highest standards, with minimal operational disruption. Ensure appropriate approaches to conservation and restoration of listed buildings and development of modern, high-specification facilities.
• Financial Management: Prepare and manage estates, facilities, and operational budgets. Ensure cost control and value for money.
• Leadership and Team Management: Provide strong leadership across estates, facilities, grounds, catering, and support teams. Ensure teams are well-structured, responsive, and delivery-focused.
• Strategic Contribution: Support the COO in developing and delivering the School’s estates strategy. Balance operational delivery with longer-term planning, particularly across a diverse and evolving estate.

For a detailed description of duties and benefits, please view the Candidate Information Pack.

The Ideal Candidate

Experience:

• Significant experience in estates, facilities, or operational management in a complex environment
• Experience managing diverse estates, ideally including heritage/listed buildings and modern facilities
• Proven track record of delivering maintenance programmes and capital projects
• Experience of managing health & safety and compliance systems
• Experience overseeing commercial or income-generating operations (desirable)

Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong understanding of building maintenance and infrastructure, heritage/listed building considerations (desirable), facilities and support services, grounds and external environments, fleet or transport management (desirable)
• Strong operational and service delivery focus
• Excellent project and organisational skills
• Financial and commercial awareness
• Ability to balance hands-on delivery with strategic oversight
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

About [Employer hidden]

Repton is the ancient capital of Mercia, and the School, founded in 1557 from a bequest from Sir John Port of Etwall, was established on the site of a 7th century Anglo-Saxon Benedictine abbey and latterly a 12th century Augustinian priory and the School today incorporates many of the original buildings from the estate. The School has over one thousand pupils across the Prep and Senior School, making it large enough to achieve excellence in and out of the classroom, yet small enough for individuals to grow and succeed. Repton and Repton Prep have always enjoyed a very close relationship and in 2020, the schools became a through-school. At Repton Senior, each pupil, whether day or boarding, is a member of a House. Academic standards are high and creative activities, including music, art, drama and design, flourish. The School has a national profile in sport, in particular in football, hockey, cricket and swimming. Our pupils thrive both in and out of the classroom and they develop the skills, qualities and values that will lead to a successful life. Repton was one of the first British schools to set up overseas schools with the establishment of [Employer hidden] Dubai in 2007, and the development of a community of international schools is key to Repton’s future vision. Currently, Repton has schools in Dubai (2), Abu Dhabi (2), China, and Egypt, with plans to open a further four more over the next few years. Repton also includes five schools in the UK (Repton, Repton Prep, St Wystan’s, Vinehall and Marlborough House) with the ambition to grow its UK family of schools.