Head of Facilities and Estates
Location: Ardencote Manor, Warwickshire
About Us
Barons Eden is a collection of iconic spa and hotel destinations where exceptional service and luxurious experiences come to life. From stately architecture and serene grounds to immersive wellness retreats, every detail matters and you’ll be at the heart of making sure it all runs flawlessly.
Ardencote Manor is a luxury countryside resort set in the heart of Warwickshire, renowned for its exceptional hospitality, award-winning spa facilities, fine dining, and outstanding guest experiences. Currently closed as part of an exciting full-site refurbishment, Ardencote Manor is investing in a significant transformation of its facilities, creating a fresh new chapter for both guests and employees alike. Once reopened, the resort will offer an enhanced luxury experience within its beautiful surroundings, alongside a professional and welcoming environment, providing excellent opportunities to build a rewarding career in hospitality.
About the Role
As Head of Facilities and Estates, you will play a vital role in planning, executing, and overseeing hotel renovations, upgrades, and maintenance projects ensuring they are completed to the highest standard, on time, and within budget. You will lead all engineering operations across our hotel and spa, ensuring the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems are fully compliant, efficient, and reliable. This role carries responsibility for the overall maintenance and technical integrity of the property’s estate, grounds, and infrastructure, directly supporting an exceptional experience for both guests and staff. A strong technical background, hands-on approach, and passion for maintaining high-quality facilities and grounds are essential to enhancing our estate and the overall guest journey.
Key Responsibilities
Maintenance and Operations
- Overseeing the day-to-day maintenance and repair work of hotel and spa facilities, including guest rooms, spa areas, restaurants, public spaces, back-of-house areas, grounds, and biomass.
- Conducting regular inspections of the hotel and spa’s facilities and grounds to identify potential areas for improvement or necessary repairs.
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Evaluating the potential risks and challenges associated with each project, proactively identifying solutions to mitigate issues before they arise.
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Collaborating with the Spa Operations Team to support the operation and maintenance of specialised spa equipment, including water treatment systems, spa pools, hot tubs, and saunas, ensuring all facilities consistently meet safety, hygiene, and quality standards.
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Establishing clear performance metrics and service level agreements (SLAs) with contractors, ensuring that project work is completed to specification, fully compliant to regulations and RAMS (Risk Assessment and Method Statement), delivered within agreed timelines, and aligned with negotiated costs.
- Identifying and implementing operational efficiencies within the department to enhance performance, reduce costs, and support overall service excellence.
Team Management
- Leading, managing, and developing the maintenance and grounds team to ensure the safe and effective operation of all hotel and spa systems, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, lifts, and other critical systems.
- Ensuring the maintenance and grounds team has the necessary skills, training, and resources to perform their duties effectively.
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Acting as the primary point of contact for all renovation and construction-related inquiries, ensuring hotel management, department heads, and key stakeholders are kept informed on project progress, challenges, and achievements.
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Assessing training needs within the team and implement appropriate development initiatives, ensuring alignment with budgetary constraints and operational priorities.
- Fostering a supportive and inclusive team culture by actively promoting mental health awareness and encouraging open, honest communication within the maintenance and grounds team.
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Demonstrating a commitment to wellbeing by modelling a healthy work-life balance and encouraging the same across the team.
- Promoting a culture of respect, inclusion, and emotional welfare where team members feel valued, listened to, and confident to raise concerns or ideas.
- Remaining attentive to signs of stress or burnout, offering appropriate support and guidance, including referrals to HR or designated wellbeing resources when needed.
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Safety and Security
- Ensuring compliance with health and safety standards, building regulations, environmental regulations, and industry best practices.
- Participating in crisis management and emergency procedures to handle any engineering-related issues efficiently.
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Prioritising safety and security in all aspects of the hotel and spa's operations.
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Implementing and maintaining safety protocols and procedures.
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Prioritising the guest experience during all renovation and maintenance activities, carefully managing noise, visual disruptions, and any potential impact on guest comfort and safety.
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Coordinating works to minimise disruption, adapting schedules as needed including evening shifts to ensure guest satisfaction remains uncompromised throughout project execution.
Planning and Scheduling
- Managing and scheduling preventive maintenance programs to reduce downtime and increase the longevity of hotel and spa assets.
- Developing and managing an annual maintenance budget, ensuring cost-effective solutions for repairs and upgrades. Adjust where necessary to avoid cost overruns.
- Implementing energy-saving initiatives and sustainability practices to reduce the hotel and spa’s environmental footprint.
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Monitoring ongoing costs and report any potential issues or budget adjustments to senior management in a timely manner, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the process.
Quality Control and Asset Protection
- Maintaining oversight of the project’s timeline, ensuring that all phases are completed on schedule and that any delays are managed effectively. You will coordinate with all parties involved to ensure smooth transitions between phases of work.
- Enforcing strict quality control measures, inspecting the work being completed to ensure it meets the hotel and spa’s high standards. If necessary, oversee the testing and commissioning of new systems, equipment, or installations before they are integrated into daily operations.
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Responding promptly to management requests related to maintenance or engineering issues, ensuring minimal disruption to guest experience.
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Maintaining relationships with contractors, suppliers, and service providers, ensuring quality service and adherence to contracts.
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Ensuring the protection of the hotel and spa's assets through proper maintenance and upkeep.
- Conducting thorough inspections of the renovated areas and systems, ensuring that all work is completed to satisfaction. If any issues arise after project completion, take prompt action to resolve them.
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Collecting feedback from key stakeholders and incorporate this into future project planning to continuously improve processes and outcomes.
Personal specification
Essential
- Have proven experience in facilities, engineering, or estate management, ideally within the hospitality or luxury property sector.
- Have excellent technical knowledge of building systems (mep, hvac, biomass, water treatment).
- Be a hands-on leader with excellent planning, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Have a track record of managing refurbishment projects, budgets, and contractor relationships.
- Have a passion for high standards, safety, sustainability, and delivering exceptional guest experiences.
- Be committed to team development, wellbeing, and inclusive leadership.
Additional Information
- Full-Time - 45 hours per week
- Salary: £55,000 - £60,000
- Full flexibility is required, as shifts will adapt based on team and business needs
Benefits
- Competitive salary
- Complimentary Spa Day on work anniversaries at any of our company spas
- Access to the Employee Assistance Program
- 30% discount on overnight stays and spa days
- Discounts on food, drink and retail across our venues
- Pension scheme
- Free Parking
- Refer-a-Friend scheme
- Excellent Induction and training programme
- Perkbox Online benefits and discounts
- On-line Doctor support (appointments/prescriptions)
- A fun, supportive and inclusive work environment with loads of development opportunities
Join our family
We value every team member, and we're excited to support your growth and development in this dynamic role.
