About this role
Job summary
This is a role which will be key to the Trust's role as leader and influencer in South East London and to achieving Essentia's strategic ambitions. The role is highly autonomous and ultimately accountable for interpretations of legal and national policies and interpreting this into a deliverable strategy and operational practice that ensures GSTT sites mechanical infrastructure is fit for purpose, maintained and compliant.
The role will provide professional leadership and assurance for Guys & St Thomas' mechanical engineering systems, ensuring they are safe, reliable, compliant, and fit for purpose in a healthcare environment. This role, and function exists to safeguard patient and staff wellbeing by overseeing statutory compliance, risk management, and technical standards across all mechanical assets, including ventilation, medical gases, pressure systems, water safety, boilers, and energy systems.
The role holder will be required to act as a senior technical authority, supporting the Executive Director and all other Heads of Service in delivering a robust estates compliance framework, driving continuous improvement in system performance, and contribute to the Trust's strategic objectives in sustainability, energy efficiency, and service resilience.
As one of the Essentia Leadership Team you will be required to work one weekend every 3 months and be part of the Directorates on-call rota.
Main duties of the job
Lead the mechanical infrastructure stewardship of the estate, ensuring it is legally compliant, safe and with appropriate levels of resilience.
Lead the development of mechanical strategies to address GSTT's legacy of under investment in estate infrastructure and that delivers a safe, healthy, accessible and secure environment for patients, staff and visitors.
Establish, develop and regularly review strategy, policy, business plans and forecasts relating to all aspects of the role.
Establish and deliver operational performance (financial and non-financial) targets
against agreed service standards, including compliance with Financial & Procurement Regulations.
Continuously monitor and review services; identify and implement service, operational and financial improvements to deliver within allocated budgets, improving value for money, including being responsive to changing business needs.
Ensure maintenance regimes aligns with SFG20, escalate end-of-life assets for capital replacement, and develop a lifecycle plan for local inspections, maintenance and Authorised Engineer inspections.
Ensure compliance with all HTMs, HBNs, SFG20, British Standards, PAM and statutory health & safety requirements, including testing programmes and Trust duties relating to infection control, safeguarding, equality, and information governance.
About us
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK's best-known hospitals - Guy's, St Thomas', Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield - as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high-quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation
We are among the UK's busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark
The NHS Pension Scheme - one of the most generous and comprehensive in the UK. When you start working for the NHS you automatically become a member, and you will get an excellent package of pension benefits.
Interest free Season Ticket Loan
Long Term Service Awards
Subsidised on-site nurseries and childcare vouchers
A comprehensive staff health and well-being programme, '5 ways to a healthier YOU'
Ride to work scheme
Employee assistance programme
Free stop smoking service
Our Trust values: We are Caring / Ambitions / Inclusive
Job description Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both overviews, please view the Job Description attachment with the job advert.
Person Specification
Qualifications/ Education Essential
Education to Masters degree level in mechanical engineering, alongside substantial specialist mechanical systems training and knowledge. Chartered Engineer (CEng) Authorised Person/Responsible Person training/qualifications, or equivalent demonstrable competence and experience relevant to appointed duties under Trust technical governance. Health and safety qualification (e.g., NEBOSH Diploma, IOSH) or equivalent health and safety knowledge and experience relevant to the role
Desirable
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in all of the technical areas within the post holder's span of control.
Professionals/ Statutory Registration Essential
No statutory professional registration is specified for this post; any role-specific Authorised Person/Responsible Person appointments must be supported by competence, training and formal Trust appointment under technical governance.
Previous experience Essential
Extensive, successful track record of leading mechanical engineering functions within an estates, facilities, infrastructure or similarly complex built environment. Experience of organisation-wide policy development, interpreting legislative and other requirements. Detailed understanding of the engineering requirements within a complex NHS environment or equivalent highly regulated setting.
Knowledge Essential
Excellent understanding and specialist knowledge of NHS Health Technical Memoranda (HTM) / Health Building Notes (HBN) requirements. Highly developed communication skills, with ability to communicate highly complex information where exceptional influencing skills are required. Highly developed leadership skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams, and have them understand the Trust-wide and local performance expectations Ability to communicate complex technical, compliance and risk information clearly to clinical, operational, board-level and external audiences.
Skills & Abilities Essential
Extensive track record of effective partnership working with internal and external stakeholders. Intellectual flexibility with the ability to cut through ambiguity and complexity and to shape and implement a vision that looks beyond existing structures, ways of working, boundaries and organisations to produce more effective and innovative service delivery models. Independent self-starter, able to work with a very high level of autonomy. Effective listening skills and the ability to build excellent interpersonal relationships. Demonstrable inclusive, anti-racist and values-led leadership, including the ability to create psychologically safe teams, address discriminatory behaviour, and use data and engagement insight to improve fairness, belonging and outcomes for staff and service users, particularly for underrepresented and marginalised groups.
Desirable
Evidence of leading or sponsoring inclusion, anti-racism or culture change initiatives, with understanding of intersectionality and the impact of inequity on workforce experience and service delivery.
Additional Essential
Commitment to the Essentia Way - working together, doing it well and looking after each other Demonstrates commitment to anti-racist, inclusive and equitable leadership practice, including support for disabled and neurodivergent colleagues, people of all gender identities and expressions, and staff from marginalised communities.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Address 200 Great Dover Street
London
SE1 4YB
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)