Head of Building Maintenance

Head of Building Maintenance
Private Rural Estate, Bedfordshire | £45,000-£70,000 + Subsidised Estate Accommodation

Are you passionate about historic buildings, beautiful architecture and the challenge of looking after properties that genuinely matter?

This is a rare opportunity to live and work on a prestigious private rural estate in Bedfordshire, taking responsibility for an extraordinary and varied portfolio of historic and modern buildings.

The Estate extends across thousands of acres and includes an impressive collection of properties ranging from timber-framed thatched cottages and Victorian buildings to traditional farm buildings, residential properties, commercial premises and a significant number of listed structures.

This is certainly not a conventional Building Manager position.

You could be dealing with the repair of a listed cottage one day, planning the refurbishment of an Estate property the next, working with specialist craftspeople on traditional materials, or looking at how modern sustainability and low-carbon technology can be sensitively introduced across the Estate.

The opportunity
As Head of Building Maintenance, you will take ownership of the repair, maintenance and long-term care of the Estate's buildings.

You'll have the freedom and responsibility to really get to know the Estate and its properties, identifying what needs attention, planning works properly and making sure these remarkable buildings are looked after for generations to come.

The role combines historic building conservation, building surveying, maintenance, project management and strategic estate management.

You'll oversee planned and reactive maintenance, manage refurbishment and improvement projects, appoint and supervise contractors, diagnose building defects and help shape the Estate's longer-term maintenance programme.

You'll also work closely with the Estate Director, owners, tenants, Estate team, consultants, contractors and specialist trades, so this would really suit someone who enjoys being part of a close-knit community rather than sitting behind a desk all day.

A role for someone who loves buildings
We're looking for someone who gets genuinely excited about historic and traditional buildings.

You'll ideally have strong technical knowledge and understand how older buildings actually work, including traditional materials, construction techniques and appropriate conservation-led repairs.

You'll be comfortable diagnosing defects and finding practical, sensible solutions, as well as managing projects from initial design and specification through procurement and construction to completion.

Alongside the heritage side of the role, there is an opportunity to influence how the Estate evolves, including sustainability, energy efficiency, environmental monitoring and future improvement projects.

Who are we looking for?
You could currently be working as a Building Surveyor, Building Manager, Estates Surveyor, Property Manager or in a similar technical property role.

Ideally, you will bring:

• Strong experience of building maintenance, refurbishment and project management
• A genuine passion for heritage, listed and traditional buildings
• Practical technical knowledge and the confidence to diagnose problems and recommend solutions
• Knowledge of building regulations, planning, Health & Safety and CDM
• The ability to manage contractors, projects, budgets and competing priorities
• A positive, approachable personality and a willingness to become part of Estate life
• Experience of working on a rural estate would be useful, but it isn't essential.

Live and work on the Estate
This is where the opportunity is particularly different!

The successful candidate will live on the Estate, with subsidised accommodation forming part of the overall package.

The position is fully site based, five days a week. You'll be surrounded by the buildings and Estate you are responsible for, working alongside the people who live and work there and becoming a genuine part of the Estate community.

For the right person, it offers something increasingly unusual: a job, home and lifestyle centred around a beautiful historic rural Estate.

If you are passionate about historic buildings and would love the opportunity to live and work on a beautiful rural Estate, this is a position well worth exploring.

Apply today or contact Georgie Marden for a confidential conversation and further information.

Aldwych Consulting values diversity and promotes equality. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate against any of the protected characteristics that fall under the Equality Act 2010. We encourage and welcome applications from all sections of society and are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and/or additional arrangements as required to support your application.

Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK.

For the purposes of the Conduct Regulations 2003, when advertising permanent vacancies we are acting as an Employment Agency, and when advertising temporary/contract vacancies we are acting as an Employment Business.