Candidate Tips

Best jobs in estates and facilities management – Education sector

Tom Morrison

Senior Manager

Jul 21, 2022

A job in estates and facilities management can be extremely rewarding due to the various properties, portfolios, and organisations you could work with.

More senior roles are all-encompassing, giving you visibility and control over many aspects of operations and management.

Whether you are overseeing how space is used, the maintenance of buildings and grounds, or stomping into property development and asset management, a career in estates management could easily become a life-long career for anyone who enjoys a challenging and equally rewarding, people-focused career.

“Without a well organised Estates & Facilities team, organisations with complex landed estates would not be able to function and deliver the service they intend to. I very much believe individuals in these teams are the unsung heroes, which is a testament to the service they provide. Working in this sector is always varied, each day can produce different challenges, every role has a real impact on how the organisation operates and there can be real satisfaction in improving a building or service which the whole organisation can benefit from.”

Tom Morrison, Team Leader, Oyster Partnership

What could a career in estates and facilities management look like?

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

The role of a COO is to provide strategy and leadership for the operational side of the business including departments such as Property, Finance, HR & IT. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), a COO will be responsible for driving change that will lead to operations being delivered more efficiently and more effectively across the organisation.

Qualifications: BSc/BA in Business Administration or specialist field. MSc or MBA is preferred along with professional memberships.

Salary: £90,000 – £120,000

Director of Estates & Facilities

Responsible for the development and delivery of complex estate strategies for the organisation, a Director of Estates & Facilities should provide leadership and management of the Estates & facilities team, ensuring that the organisation has safe and functioning properties. This will include management of the property; land; building maintenance; space management; energy, capital projects, health & safety, and facilities.

Qualifications: Degree educated in a relevant property discipline (Architecture, Building, Engineering, Facilities management, Project management, Surveying, or similar) preferably with appropriate postgraduate and/or professional qualifications, ie MRICS, CEng, MCIBSE.

Salary: £70,000 – £100,000

Head of Estates

The role of Head of Estates is a key strategic and operational position reporting to the Director of Estates & Facilities. They are responsible for overseeing both hard and soft services, ensuring there is effective budget management, management of risk and management of the teams that deliver these services

Qualifications: Degree educated within a relevant property discipline, minimum HND level or equivalent.

Salary: £55,000 – £70,000

Capital Project Manager

A Capital Project Manager is responsible for the development and delivery of capital and large revenue projects from establishing the initial brief through the construction phase to practical completion, and the final account stage. These projects will be long-term, capital-intensive investment projects with the purpose to build upon, adding to, or improving a capital asset. E.g. new build sports centre.

Qualifications: Degree in a building-related discipline i.e. Surveying or Construction. Chartership within a building-related field is also preferred i.e MRICS, MCIOB.

Salary: £50,000 – £80,000

Common Facilities Management jobs

Maintenance Manager

A Maintenance Manager is responsible for planned and reactive maintenance of the properties (covering mechanical and electrical services) and maintenance of the systems installed in buildings e.g. fire safety, detection and protection, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC).

Qualifications: Ideally HNC/HND level qualification or equivalent within the mechanical or electrical field. A time-served apprenticeship and experience from working on the tools are preferred. Being able to demonstrate a strong working experience within M&E is the main requirement.

Salary: £45,000 – £55,000

Facilities Manager

A Facilities Manager is responsible for making sure that buildings and their services meet the needs of the people that work in them. Accountable for services such as cleaning, security, catering, health & safety, and parking, to make sure the surrounding environment is in a suitable condition to work. A good crossover of building maintenance and surveying knowledge is also often desired.

Qualifications: A professional qualification within Facilities Management or able to demonstrate good working experience and ideally hold a Health & Safety qualification such as IOSH or NEBOSH.

Salary: £40,000 – £50,000


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Senior Manager

Tom Morrison

Tom’s quiet determination makes him the man to watch. He has a level of perseverance and focus that means his ambition to grow the best Estates, Facilities, and Operations recruitment team in the country is well within his grasp. Tom’s resolution, relentlessness, and drive is unrivalled, but he balances it out by being light-hearted, fun, and quick-witted. He is supportive, and fiercely loyal to his team.

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