Welcome from our Chief Executive - Samantha Allen

Our organisation is expanding and we're looking for people with the right values, skills and/or potential to join us. We need people with energy, expertise, enthusiasm to help us provide the very best possible specialist NHS mental health and learning disability care. This involves helping us achieve our strategy to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through People, Prevention and Partnerships.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Samantha Allen

Chief Executive

Job overview

Working in our busy and dynamic Estates & Facilities (E&F) department you will identify and develop accommodation solutions associated with the Estate Strategy and Accommodation Policy, working across the Trust estate and with a range of external partners. This is an exciting opportunity to support a period of substantial growth in Trust services across a number of transformation programmes, whilst supporting changes in the way the estate is managed and used due to the pandemic.

The E&F department is responsible for managing our buildings, capital projects, operational capital programme, domestic, catering & hotel services. We provide strategic planning across the estate and associated services, taking a leading role in ensuring we make sustainable choices and continuously reduce our carbon impact. We also support the expansion of core services, promoting new ways of working, providing fit for purpose, sustainable accommodation and effective E&F services.

Main duties of the job

You will oversee a small accommodation team to ensure the Trust estate is occupied on an optimal basis to deliver best value in supporting patient and service needs. You will be responsible for a wide range of complex, strategic projects involving geographical place-based accommodation planning with a wide range of partner organisations and also operational requests for accommodation change and space utilisation.

Whilst this is a new position and will be based at Swandean in Worthing, West Sussex, we encourage flexible working as the successful applicant will be required to travel to sites across Sussex and parts of Hampshire so must have their own transport, hold a valid UK licence and relevant 'Business' insurance cover.

The successful applicant will also be required to take part in the Trusts' Estates and Facilities On-Call rota.

Previous applicants need not apply

Working for our organisation

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust delivers care and treatment from more than 200 properties across Brighton and Hove, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, South London and Kent. We provide mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire.

Working in Sussex & Hampshire:

• Travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns
• Embrace the city life with great access to visit Brighton, London, Portsmouth and more
• With easy access to Gatwick and Heathrow and excellent railway links across the UK there is plenty of opportunity for adventure

Check out our recent staff survey results:

• 70% highlighting flexible working opportunities as a key point for satisfaction at work
• 79% reporting feeling able to make suggestions to improve the work within their team
• 77% identifying the opportunities to show initiative in their roles

We encourage flexible working. We know that a positive work/ life balance brings about huge health-related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Please speak to us about flexible working, for example, home-working, part time hours, flexible start/ finish times or anything else. If it works for you and works for the role, we'll do our best to make it happen

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
REQUIREMENTS

To be a successful Senior Accommodation Manager in our E&F team, you will:

Be a Member of a professional Estates body, e.g. RICS or a recognised project management qualification or demonstrable experience of utilising project management tools and systems.

Be Educated to degree level or have equivalent experience.

Have extensive experience of property strategies and strategic portfolio management across a broad portfolio of diverse properties.

See attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.

Please apply using the link, or for further information and an informal discussion please contact:

Ian Reading: Deputy Director - Property Management

Ian.Reading@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk / 07802 569920

Person specification

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Member of a professional Estates body, e.g. RICS or a recognised project management qualification or demonstrable experience of utilising project management tools and systems
• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience
• Need to demonstrate expertise which can only be acquired through combination of in-depth experience and postgraduate or post registration study such as that obtained through a masters degree or equivalent experience.

Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria

• Extensive experience of property strategies and strategic portfolio management across a broad portfolio of diverse properties
• Experience of staff management
• Experience of managing a budget

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.