Role: Interim Head of Property
Contract Type: FTC (24 months)  
Closing date: 30/10/2025 
Location: Birmingham & Sheffield 

Please note there will be an element of travel to this role on an ad-hoc basis as and when required.

Our offer to you
We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive:

• Competitive salary and pension scheme
• 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
• Hybrid, Flexible working
• Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme
• Health and Wellbeing portal – access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts – you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping

About Us
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of over 1,416 employees and over 31,000 volunteers, united by our goal of saving lives through essential first aid services, training and campaigning.  As a charity with rich heritage and a long history of serving humanity, we are proud of our past and excited about creating a healthier, safer, more resilient future. 

St John Ambulance works at the heart of communities, supporting and enabling them to access and receive physical and mental health first aid. We do this through developing and providing effective community response and outreach services (e.g. Ambulance response & Nighttime Economy) and using our longstanding expertise to empower people with vital clinical skills and the confidence to use them (e.g. our Volunteers and Community Advocates, NHS Cadets and Young Responders programmes). There is also a buoyant social enterprise network which delivers first aid training and supplies medical consumables to businesses and consumers.
 

Job Summary
St John Ambulance has embarked on a strategic reduction of its property portfolio and has created a project team to focus on this challenge. The Interim Head of Property role will focus on managing all aspects of the day-to-day St John estate, with a primary focus on facilities and property management activities, and the related resources and facilities in line with strategic objectives. The role will provide strategic leadership and effective management of the built estate and hard & soft facilities management through a combination of both in-house and outsourced resources. The role will ensure through, an effective strategy, policies and procedures, that the estate is financially, legally and environmentally sustainable. A key facet of the role will also be to undertake a detailed review of all operational property expenditure and drive initiatives to reduce this burden.

About You
You will be educated to degree level and/or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in Facilities & Estate Management across a large geographically spread portfolio. You’ll be a member of a relevant recognised professional body (RICS, IWFM, CIOB, CIBSE or similar) and hold a professional real estate recognised qualification. You will have strong experience of:

• delivering strategic and practical changes across a large estate portfolio including successful delivery of facilities management services,
• influencing Key Stakeholders and demonstrating value for money across all transactions,
• successfully managing a complex property estates and facilities portfolio, with associated staff, outsourced contracts and budgets,
• leading and developing an effective and well-motivated, multi-disciplinary and multi-task estates and facilities management team, 

You will have the ability and flexibility to respond appropriately to user demands and expectations in a diverse and multicultural environment, and have a driven and resilient personality, with the ability to take ownership for a diverse and complex area of work. You will have a solutions delivery mindset and the ability to effectively work with and successfully lead professional project teams. You will be confident in setting and ensuring targets and milestones are met within a pressurised environment.

About the Role

• Professionally lead the estate and facilities service to ensure the delivery of high-quality services from the resources available and in line with relevant policies, procedures and practices
• Ensure the provision of strategic leadership for the effective management of Property by ensuring all resources (both internal and outsource) across Estates, Health and Safety and Facilities management interact appropriately and work collaboratively towards common goals
• Be directly responsible for providing informed, timely and accurate advice to the Board and Senior Management Team on all major aspects of Estates and Facilities Management on the retained estate
• Prepare, balance and manage the Property budgets and properly administer the budgets allocated in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Capital and Revenue budget allocations. Provide value for money and assurance on all Property related activities
• Lead the Property team in reducing operational costs in the portfolio through individual actions and wider ranging bundling of service delivery through partners
• Lead the Property Team to provide a first-class business partnering service to the wider community, including acting as a critical friend and offering advice where required
• Effectively communicate with a wide range of external individuals and organisations including the Health and Safety Executive, technical contractors and architects. Chair meetings of internal and external senior staff, including technical project staff and consultants
• Lead in managing all estates and facilities operational functions including building, electrical and mechanical services, estates contract management, statutory compliance, cyclical and minor works programs and Utilities/energy management contracts and services
• Ensure terms of property leases are regularly reviewed and health & safety compliance is maintained and updated. This will include liaison with solicitors, surveyors, landlords and other professionals
• Ensure robust Key Performance Indicators are developed and aimed at maximising the net financial efficiency of the services while placing a constant focus of ensuring that quality and safety are maintained to the standards set
• Negotiate with suppliers, contractors and lessors to achieve win/win outcomes, providing contracts and leases which protect our interests and support the strategic programme delivery
• Preparation of all property business cases for acquisitions, leases, refurbishments and disposals, ensuring appropriate input from all affected stakeholders
• Lead on specific large departmental projects, such as high value contract tenders, and oversee the tracking of progress against plans, and transition milestones, ensuring appropriate processes are in place to flag issues, risks and concerns with the relevant stakeholders, and securing value for money throughout
• Champion and exemplify compassionate leadership and St John values
• Engage, involve and empower St John People in problem-solving and improving the organisation
• Actively promote diversity and a variety of perspectives across the organisation
• Perform any other duties commensurate with these responsibilities, the band of the post and skills and qualifications of the post-holder

Please see the job description for more detail (this can be viewed on our website or once you click apply)

Find out more about us, including our new Ask Me campaign, at www.sja.org.uk 

If you are a current St John Ambulance employee, please apply here: Click here

For all other candidates, or St John Ambulance volunteers wishing to apply: please apply below

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive high volume of applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

St John Ambulance are committed to increasing the diversity of our team and making sure we best reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.   At St John, everyone is valued and supported to thrive, we have several networks including Multi Culture, Disability and Accessibility, Pride, Family and Carers and Women’s groups.  We do not tolerate any form of discrimination and engender a sense of belonging for all, by creating an environment of mutual respect, where we value unique differences and demonstrate authentic allyship. We believe passionately in equality, diversity and inclusion.   

'St John Ambulance is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice. Therefore, all successful applicants will undergo pre-employment checks, including DBS Clearance, as part of the onboarding process, if applicable to the nature of the role'.

Please note: St John does not accept speculative CVs and will only review CVs sent in application for an advertised vacancy.