Head of Estates Operations

Job Introduction

Salary: £72,436.28 plus £4,613.61 London allowance per annum 

Contract Type: Permanent 

Location: Force Headquarters / London Hub, 200 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 9TJ

Type of Working Arrangement: Blended approach of home and office-working is available 

Hours: This is a full-time role (37 hours per week)  

British Transport Police (BTP) is the national police force for the rail network throughout Great Britain. We are the ‘Guardians of the Railway,’ putting passenger safety at the heart of what we do. Our values are simply: We Care, We Do the Right Thing, We Strive to Be Better Every Day, We Are One BTP, and We Are Proud to Protect. Join us and help create an environment where we can all be our best every day. 

The Opportunity: 

British Transport Police have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Estates Operations to join the Estates Department. 

As the Head of Estates Operations with BTP, you will lead the delivery of Estates and Facilities services across a diverse national estate, ensuring our buildings, assets and workplaces remain safe, compliant and fit for purpose to support operational policing. You will play a critical leadership role in shaping how estates services are delivered across the Force, translating strategic objectives into high-quality operational outcomes and ensuring excellent service provision for officers, staff and stakeholders.  

Working as one of three senior leaders within the Estates Senior Management Team, you will provide leadership across facilities management, estates compliance, building services engineering, health and safety, risk management and operational assurance. Acting as the senior intelligent client for outsourced service delivery, you will oversee operational performance, drive continuous improvement and ensure the estate meets all statutory and regulatory requirements.  

You will work closely with the Estates Business Partner and Estates Programme Manager to ensure operational delivery is fully aligned with organisational priorities, business planning and transformation activity. This is a unique opportunity to influence the future of BTP's estate, lead high-performing teams and help create safe, efficient and sustainable workplaces that enable policing across the rail network. 

What you'll be doing:    

• Leading the delivery of estates and facilities services across BTP, ensuring our buildings, assets and workplaces are safe, compliant, efficient and able to support operational policing across the Force.
• Providing strategic leadership for estates operations, compliance and supplier performance, overseeing facilities management, health and safety, risk management, building services engineering and contractor delivery to achieve high standards of service and value for money.
• Working closely with senior colleagues to translate strategic priorities into operational outcomes, ensuring estates projects are successfully embedded into business-as-usual operations and supporting future estate planning and investment decisions.
• Driving performance, continuous improvement and innovation across the national estate, using data, reporting and operational insight to enhance service delivery, manage budgets effectively and support informed decision-making.

What you'll bring to the team: 

• A relevant professional qualification (such as RICS, IWFM, CIOB, RIBA, Engineering or equivalent experience) together with degree-level education (or equivalent), and a proven ability to analyse information, produce reports and work independently.
• Significant experience leading estates operations, facilities management or property services within a large, complex, multi-site organisation, including managing outsourced contracts, supplier performance and operational service delivery.
• Strong leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders, build effective relationships, lead multidisciplinary teams and drive high standards of performance.
• Expertise in compliance, risk management and operational governance, including health and safety, building safety, statutory compliance and the delivery of robust assurance frameworks within a regulated environment. 
• Excellent commercial, analytical and problem-solving ability, with experience managing budgets, driving value for money, using performance data to support decision-making and delivering continuous improvement across complex operational services.

Further information about this vacancy can be found in the attached job description. 

What we offer:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 30 days after 5 years.
• Family-friendly policies, including up to 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave.
• Bespoke benefits platform and Blue Light Card access.
• Salary sacrifice options for cycles, home technology, gym membership, and electric vehicles.
• Interest-free annual rail season ticket loan after 6 months. 
• Access to the Transport Benevolent Fund for health, welfare, and financial support.
• Development opportunities, including fully funded apprenticeships.
• Excellent Pension scheme:  We offer the BTP GPP Police Staff Pension Scheme, administered by Royal London. This group personal pension plan is available to all police staff and is a defined contribution scheme. It provides the flexibility to vary your pension contributions from 4.4% to 12% of your salary. For more information, visit the Royal London dedicated pension page or email us at Pension-Queries@btp.police.uk. Note: If you are an existing member of Police Staff in the RPS, your pension will not be affected.

How to Apply:

Applications will be via an up-to-date CV and online application form, as part of this application please outline how your skills and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role.   

Completed applications must be submitted by 11.59pm, 22 July 2026

Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a sufficient number of applications. Early application is advised. 

Vetting: Successful applicants will be required to pass Management Vetting (5 years minimum UK residency required), including a full background and financial disclosure. For more information and Top Tips, please see attached document. 

Medical: We’ll ask for relevant health and medical history details to support employee wellbeing.  

References: We'll ask for references to cover the past 5 years.

Notice Period - This role is subject to a 3 month notice period.  

Inclusion & Diversity: 

We are committed to building a workforce where everyone feels they belong. 

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences. Diversity strengthens our teams, improves our services and helps us better represent and support the communities we serve. 

We are proud to be an inclusive employer and strive to create a workplace that is fair, respectful and accessible to all. We actively work to challenge discrimination, remove barriers and ensure equity throughout our recruitment and employment practices. 

If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment or selection process, please let us know - we are happy to support you. Your talent, your potential, and your unique perspective matter here. 

For more information on Inclusion or the Disability Confident Scheme, please click the links Inclusion & Diversity Disability Confident Scheme

Join Us:
Ready to take the next step in your career? At BTP, you’ll have the opportunity to grow, make a real impact, and be part of something extraordinary.

Find out why BTP could be the perfect fit for you - About Us - British Transport Police

Curious about what life at BTP is really like? Hear directly from our people and discover what makes working here so rewarding. Explore real stories on our blog: Our Stories - British Transport Police

For further information, please contact our Resourcing Team -RecruitmentTeam@btp.police.uk.

AI can be a useful tool to spark ideas or help you organise your thoughts, but when it comes to your application, we want to hear from you, not an algorithm. What truly stands out to us are genuine stories, personal insights and the experiences that have shaped who you are. Authenticity matters - it helps us understand your motivations, your strengths and how you’ll contribute to our team. So, use AI if it helps you get started, but let your own voice lead the way.