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Job summary

Main area
Estates and Facilities
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8c
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (per annum)
Job ref
193-7930789CORB8C-HFEHS
Employer
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal Berkshire Hospital
Town
Reading
Salary
£79,504 - £91,609 per annum (pro rata if part time)
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
09/07/2026 23:59
Interview date
14/07/2026

Employer heading

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust logo

Head of Fire and Estates Health & Safety

NHS AfC: Band 8c

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”

Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements.  The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.  

We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions

We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate

We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live

We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success.

Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us.  We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.  

Please note: all vacancies automatically close when 50 applications have been received.

Job overview

The post holder acts as the Trust’s SME for Fire, Health & Safety within the Estates and Facilities function, ensuring compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The role supports the Trust Board and Estates and Facilities leadership by providing expert advice, assurance, and governance across all estate assets, including hospital and community sites. It is responsible for maintaining effective Fire and Health & Safety Management Systems to ensure a safe built environment for patients, staff, and visitors.

Manage all sub-contracted services relating to fire and health and safety services in, monitoring and reporting on SLA and KPI service levels.

Provide assurance to Trust committees and boards through compliance and governance reporting. Develop and lead transformation of the fire, health and safety governance and compliance monitoring and reporting through digital platforms.

Main duties of the job

·       Lead on all fire, health & safety matters relating to the Trust’s estate, including operational management (Estates and Facilities) and capital projects health and safety plans.

·       Provide expert advice to Deputy Director of Estates and Facilities and senior management on compliance, risk, and statutory obligations.

·       Ensure estate-wide compliance with all relevant legislation and codes of practice (e.g. Fire Safety Order, HSAWA, COSHH, DSEAR, PSSR, WAHR, Building Safety Act 2022).

·       Develop and implement fire and health & safety policies, standards, and the Estates compliance programme.

·       Develop fire risk assessments (primary and secondary), estate risk registers and assurance processes across a complex, multi-site estate.

·       Provide specialist fire and health & safety input into capital projects, refurbishment, and estate development, ensuring compliant design and construction health and safety plans.

·       Advise on Estates Masterplanning and Development Control to ensure fire and health & safety are embedded in strategic estate planning.

·       Identify estate-related risks, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and opportunities for improvement.

Working for our organisation

Diversity makes us interesting… Inclusion is what will make us outstanding.

Inequality exists and the journey to eliminate it is not easy. Every step we take will be a purposeful step forward to deliver a truly inclusive culture where all our people are enabled to deliver outstanding care, where background is no barrier, and where everyone can be their authentic self and we truly represent our patient community.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where possible. All applicants who have a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the post can opt for a guaranteed interview.

If you need additional help with your application please get in touch by calling the recruitment team on 0118 322 6997 or 0118 322 5342.

Our primary method of communication will be via email. However, if you would prefer to be contacted through a different method, please inform the recruitment team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

·       Lead the delivery of fire and health & safety training across Estates operations and the wider Trust.

·       Develop and maintain reporting systems to support compliance monitoring and Board Assurance.

·       Lead adoption of digital estate systems to improve compliance, risk management, and performance reporting.

·       Develop and support first responder processes for fire safety, including Security team and Site Management teams.

·       Collaborate with Integrated Care Board partners on Estates-related fire and health & safety services.

·       Support research and partnership activity with the University of Reading in relation to the built environment and safety.

·       Lead achievement and maintenance of relevant Estates, fire, and health & safety accreditations.

 

·     50% Fire Safety and Compliance

·     20% H&S Capital Projects

·     20% E&F Operational H&S

·     10% managerial responsibilities

 

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • · Recognised Higher National Certificate in engineering (electrical or mechanical), building services or equivalent qualification.
  • · Membership of professional organisation e.g. CIBSE, IWFM, IHEEM IET, IMechE, Energy Institute etc. or actively progressing registered chartered status
Desirable criteria
  • · Health & Safety Qualification, i.e. IOSHH/ CDM or member of the Risk & Quality Institute

Experience

Essential criteria
  • · Practical experience of working in an engineering/ estates maintenance management role.
  • · Experience of developing and managing a complex engineering infrastructure within a healthcare/ manufacturing environment
Desirable criteria
  • · Experience of using the Capital Investment Manual, NHS standards, H&S regulations and cost control
  • · Extensive experience of working with a wide range of agencies

Knowledge, skills, Abilities

Essential criteria
  • · Practical experience of operating and managing building engineering and management systems including their optimisation to reduce cost and carbon emissions.
  • · In depth knowledge of relevant health and safety legislation and risk management, relating to engineering and the workplace
  • · In depth knowledge of statutory compliance
Desirable criteria
  • · Understanding of the working of an NHS hospital
  • •· Ability to assume the Designated Person/ Authorised Person or equivalent for engineering installations or systems

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Florence Nightingale FoundationNational Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Application numbers

This vacancy will automatically close when 50 applications have been received.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Guy Kieser
Job title
Deputy Director of Estates and Facilities
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07584775399
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