About the job

Job summary

The Government Property Agency is changing the way the Civil Service works and is at the forefront of Government's transformation agenda; reshaping the relationship civil servants have with their place of work. The Agency is central to the delivery of key Government policies including moving 22,000 Civil Service roles out of London by 2030 and tackling climate change by contributing to the Net Zero agenda. To do this we are delivering a major change programme across the UK and consolidating our portfolio in order to save £1.4 Bn over 10 years. 

Beyond the bricks and mortar, the GPA is about providing great workplaces for our people. Through programmes like Hubs, Whitehall Campus and Smart Working you will be in the vanguard of creating model working environments and promoting flexible working practices. 

This is an ambitious and exciting task, for which we need innovative people, with strong commercial acumen, who are passionate about visualising and implementing customer needs. Launched as an Executive Agency of the Cabinet Office in 2018, we’re a relatively new department and we are growing fast so we also need people who thrive in ambiguity, can adapt quickly to change and are comfortable stepping outside of their remit to drive outcomes.

The GPA is committed to representing the communities we serve by making Diversity, Equality and Inclusion part of everything we do.

To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Job description

Role Purpose and Main Duties

The Assistant Workplace Manager is a pivotal position within the Workplace Service Delivery Team.  Reporting to and supporting the Workplace Management. The post holder will be the face of Workplace Services to the customers, suppliers and GPA stakeholders across their designated  sites within one of four GPA operational regions (North, Central, South and London).  

The Assistant Workplace Manager is responsible for first line engagement with workplace service supplier’s contractor delivery, and customer/stakeholder relationships in the everyday BAU management of workplace services throughout your designated  propertie(s).  The role is the daily face to customers, and our supplier partners.  The post holder  will be responsible for resolving customer issues and complaints from client organisations or those arising from the helpdesk,  escalating as necessary to workplace manager and wider GPA directorates to ensure timely action. The role may also oversee the delivery of low value resource projects and provide information to help define and deliver capital projects. Effectively manages the supplier partners to ensure service delivery standards and performance is in line with the expected standards, ultimately driving our great places to work agenda from the front. 

Key Responsibilities:

Workplace Service Contract delivery.

• Responsible for understanding and delivering operational processes required to manage the delivery of services, payments and audit regime.
• Responsible for the effective management of all delegated spend within agreed internal governance procedures.
• Responsible for ensuring appropriate internal governance procedures are implemented in procuring and authorising spend to ensure appropriate value for money and contract delivery.
• Responsible for BAU  day to day management of workplace suppliers service delivery and ensuring agreed delivery standards are met, alongside business requirements/H&S/value for money and procurement guidelines.  Ensuring that remedial action is taken where this is not the case.
• Undertaking supplier audits including but not limited to performance audits, cleaning and work orders
• Undertaking site visits required to manage service as required, completing a full site audit of each premise under their responsibility once a year, resolving issues where possible.
• Resolving customer issues and complaints, escalating when appropriate to Workplace Manager
• Ensuring suppliers provide proposals for lifecycle replacement and planned maintenance work at a property level and retain oversight of any agreed actions  
• Managing rechargeable works i.e. work that is requested by the customer that is outside the fixed price element of the Workplace Services contract, reactive work, and new works, cost management and reporting to the WS Service Lead.
• Actively maintains trackers and information repositories to support auditable trains and reconciliation processes
• Liaising with the wider GPA stakeholders as required to seek advice / guidance.
• Monitoring of reactive and project spends and reporting against budget.
• Reviewing and updating, as required, contractual service details for each property via agreed variation/scheduling and commercial process; ensuring data accurately reflected on relevant systems.
• Utilise management information for audit, assurance and validation of service purposes and to direct physical checks and as leverage with suppliers to focus any improvement in processes, specifications or services.
• Supports the provision of information to enable responses to FOIs and PQs within the set timescales
•  Responsible for incident management and reporting for sites within scope
•  Implements change initiatives at sites within remit on time and to the expected quality standards, this includes managing suppliers to deliver these where required.
•  Deputise for the Workplace Manager where required
• Any other reasonable and authorised request to support business needs

External Interfaces

•  Managing external interfaces e.g. landlords services provided under a service charge in conjunction with GPA Asset Management, and internal interfaces, with Security, IT etc.
• Managing delivery of minor works and churn projects (lower value / less complex projects) and escalation of higher value / more complex projects to Workplace Services Projects.  Ensuring all relevant stakeholders have been identified and liaising accordingly to ensure local customer requirements for works/small projects are fed into project definition.
• Providing local knowledge to GPA Asset management in their liaison with landlords / managing agents on service deficiencies and other matters.
• Identify opportunities to deliver portfolio strategic and individual property efficiency, sustainability and environmental savings.
• Provide support to Workplace Services Projects in obtaining landlords’ approval for projects delegated to the regional teams.

This is an excellent time to join GPA, and play a crucial role in contributing to a priority agenda.

Person specification

Experience & technical skills

Essential

You will be:

• An experienced property and/or workplace service management professional with knowledge of asset management, maintenance, customer service and supplier management.
• Analytical mind-set with the ability to assimilate a wide range of data sources to inform decision making.
• Good interpersonal, communication and presentational and team working skills.
• Persuasive influencer who is able to confidently and articulately make an argument in support of a position.
• Must be willing and able to travel within the geography of the Region (and occasionally nationally) to deliver the duties and attend management meetings visiting sites not easily accessible by public transport

Desirable

• Innovative mind-set with the ability to see opportunities and how to exploit them to deliver best value.
• Experience of working in cross-functional teams and in a matrix management structure.
• A basic understanding of leading and/or supporting workplace-related services (hard and soft FM, operational security, ICT services, hospitality, community engagement) ideally with a basic level of commercial understanding in industry and the ability to get the best out of all stakeholders.

Qualifications & accreditations

Essential criteria:

• An appropriate professional qualification or ability to demonstrate equivalent experience that would facilitate admission to a professional body (e.g. RICS, IET, IWFM, CIBSE etc.).
• Able to demonstrate personal development through continued professional development in property and FM related field.

• Commercial contract management Awareness trained

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,500, Government Property Agency contributes £9,045 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities and wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a sense of belonging in a workplace where everyone feels valued.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme (RIS) to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Sift

The sift is due to take place week commencing 8th January 2024.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to include a CV and a 500-word personal statement. The personal statement should then align with the person specification.

Interview

Applicants successful at sift will be invited to interviews, which are due to take place week commencing 22nd January 2024 in the Birmingham office. This is subject to change dependent upon where most successful candidates are based. You must be willing to travel to any of the GPA locations for your interview. If you are unable to attend a face to face interview due to extenuating circumstances, we advise that you reach out to the recruitment admin team to find out if alternative means can be arranged prior to submitting your application.   

At interview, applicants will be scored against 3 behaviours - Seeing The Bigger Picture, Communicating and Influencing, and Delivering at Pace.

Interview questions will be a blend of Behaviour, Experience, Strength and Technical (core skill) questions.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to GPA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via gparecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional. 

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. 

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.