Director of Capital, Estates & Facilities

Director of Capital, Estates & Facilities - Lead Strategy. Shape Environments. Deliver Excellence. Hybrid - Weekly travel across North West academies required | Full-Time, All-Year Round Salary - Competitive senior package (commensurate with experience) | Start: Negotiable At Great Schools Trust, we don’t just run schools, we build futures. Our mission is simple but profound: every child, regardless of starting point, deserves the environment to flourish. We believe excellence is not a one-off achievement; it is a daily habit. Our estate is central to that ambition. It is the foundation on which our pupils learn, our staff teach, and our communities grow. We are seeking a Director of Capital, Estates & Facilities to lead this critical function and help shape the environments where excellence happens. This opportunity arises as our current Director prepares to retire in July, following a significant contribution to the Trust. We would warmly welcome a successful candidate who is able to start earlier, where possible, to allow for a thoughtful handover and a smooth transition. About the Role Reporting to the Chief Operating & Strategic Officer, you will provide strategic leadership for capital, estates, and facilities across all academies. You will translate educational priorities into a clear estates strategy, ensuring safe, compliant, sustainable and inspiring environments. You will lead a disciplined, data-driven approach to capital planning and asset management, overseeing major projects, long-term investment and estate performance. From legacy buildings to modern new builds, you will turn a diverse estate into high-quality learning environments fit for the future. This includes leading key priorities such as the Wavertree development, strengthening compliance and safety culture, and embedding sustainability and digital infrastructure into long-term planning. You will also lead procurement, manage external partners, and build strong relationships with executives, Trustees, Principals and the DfE, ensuring confidence, clarity and value for money in every decision. Key Responsibilities Lead the Trust-wide estates strategy, asset management and capital investment programme Ensure full statutory compliance across health, safety and premises Deliver major capital projects, refurbishments and new builds Drive sustainability, decarbonisation and energy efficiency Strengthen estate data, reporting and performance systems Lead procurement and contract management Support Trust growth, expansions and new developments Build and lead a high-performing estates and facilities function Who We’re Looking For Significant senior leadership experience across estates, capital and facilities in a multi-site setting Proven success in capital planning, asset management and major project delivery Strong understanding of compliance, health & safety and risk Commercially astute with procurement and contract experience Able to tran