Job Description
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Required November 2026
Full Time Estates Manager
8:00am-4:00pm 4 days per week, 8:00am-3:30pm 1 day per week
Monday-Friday
Essex Scale 8 (points 25-28), £36,363 - £39,152 (pay award pending)
26 annual leave days (some leave can be taken during term time), plus Bank Holidays
Generous Local Government Pension Scheme
An exciting opportunity to be part of a newly formed family of schools in the heart of Chelmsford. Are you ready to take the lead in shaping safe, efficient, and inspiring learning environments across a dynamic family of schools?
We are seeking a proactive Estates Manager to oversee the strategic management of our Trust's buildings, facilities, and health & safety compliance. This is a key role supporting the CFOO and working closely with school teams to ensure our estate is maintained to the highest standards and aligned with our educational mission.
What You'll Be Responsible For:
- Leading on premises compliance, maintenance, and statutory inspections across all school sites
- Line managing a team of site officers across our family of schools
- Supporting capital projects and contributing to our Estates Management Plan
- Managing service contracts, tenders, and procurement for site-based operations
- Driving health & safety excellence, including audits, risk assessments, and emergency planning
- Collaborating with Trust and school leaders to maximise lettings income and develop site staff
- Maintaining our Asset Management system and supporting Trust-wide initiatives
What We're Looking For:
· A confident communicator with strong project management and organisational skills
· Experience in estates, facilities, or premises management (ideally in education or public sector)
· A working knowledge of health & safety legislation and compliance systems
· A team player who can build effective relationships across central and school-based teams
Why Join Us? This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful impact across multiple schools, helping to create safe, welcoming spaces where children thrive. You'll be part of a supportive central team with a shared commitment to excellence and improvement.
Location: Based in our central office at Moulsham Junior School with travel across our Chelmsford based schools
Closing Date: Noon on Monday 21st September 2026
Interviews: Friday 25th September 2026
Information about the Trust and our Schools:
HIVE family - Our four schools are already successful in their own right, whilst benefiting from being part of the HIVE family, which was officially formed in April 2025. Moulsham Junior School, Moulsham Infants, Writtle Infants and Writtle Juniors, have worked together closely for many years as part of school-to-school support. This collaborative relationship has helped improve outcomes for children, supported staff professional development and enabled leaders to share best practices. The HIVE is a fully inclusive family, meeting the diverse and Safeguarding needs of the children, this being at the forefront on everything we do, to ensure children feel happy and safe. https://hivefamily.co.uk/hive
As an equal opportunities' employer, HIVE family of schools is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age; disability; gender re-assignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race (which includes ethnic origin, nationality and ethnic or national origins); religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation. We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join HIVE family of schools.
HIVE family of schools is committed to safeguarding our pupils against radicalisation and extremism and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
In compliance with safer recruitment procedures and guidelines, all applications must be made on an application form, CVs will not be accepted. This appointment will be subject to pre-employment checks including an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service and satisfactory references.
How to Apply: Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification before applying.
Applications are to be made via the Essex Schools Jobs Website www.essexschoolsjobs.co.uk
We may decide to close the advertisement sooner in the event that suitable candidates are shortlisted before the closing date.
If you would like more information, please contact our Chief Finance & Operations Officer, Tara Barrett on 01245-352098 or email tbarrett@hivefamily.co.uk
Visits to the schools are warmly welcomed, please contact Tara or recruitment@hivefamily.co.uk to arrange a visit.