About the job

Job summary

Are you experienced in operating at a strategic level within an Estate or Building environment?

Have you lead multifaceted teams across Facilities Management, Building and Health & Safety?

Do you have what it takes develop our East Kilbride site into a thriving Regional Centre?

See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Job description

As our Head of Estate for East Kilbride, you will be leading the Workplace Operations Regional Team delivering successful operations within our evolving Government Hub of Queensway House including leading our transition to our new East Kilbride location over the next few years!

The Estate team in Queensway House are the face of HMRC that all our colleagues see every day, and we are looking at you to develop, support and implement decisions and actions that will positively impact the customer experience.

Liaising with senior stakeholders and building users across HMRC, including the differing business groups that work in East Kilbride, we want you to provide a personable, first class building that enables us to work the best we can, so that we can offer excellent customer service.

Person specification

As our Head of Estate, your responsibilities will vary and differ daily, but here are some of the things you’ll be responsible for:

• Developing and maintaining positive inter-department relationships, including supplier relationships.
• You will be representing, at a senior level, our Estates presence within the region and thus will be delivering in all aspects of that leadership role.
• Collaborate with senior colleagues to benchmark performance of a range of contracts with Estates and against other Government Departments.
• Mentor and develop the East Kilbride Regional Centre Estates team under the direction of the Head of Workplace North.
• Delivering best in class customer-focused services across all of the HMRC estate.
• Lead discussions / negotiations on complex customer issues with senior customers and other interested parties.
• Provide operational FM capability to ensure that our Building remains fully operational and fit for use 24/7.
• Ensuring that the estate is compliant and delivers a quality customer experience.

Essential Criteria 

This role will have overall management responsibility for the East Kilbride Estates Team and the leadership and customer focus credentials of the post holder are equally important to a broad range of Estates and building-related experience.

We are looking for you to provide recent and relevant experience that includes:

• A proven track record of operating at a strategic level delivering Estates Services across complex sites.
• Demonstrable experience developing customer focused solutions, whilst collaborating and liaising with challenging stakeholders at a senior level.
• Conversant with operating Building Management and Environmental Management Systems.
• Experience of managing and developing a multi-disciplinary team.
• Proven track record of analysing and resolving problems, developing opportunities and implementing innovate solutions/approaches.
• Demonstration of high performing team work, implementing initiatives and working on own judgement and decisions.

Desirable Criteria 

Required to develop towards:

• If not already held, you must be willing to obtain Certificate of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWIFM) at Level 6 or equivalent within 24 months of take up duty.

Desirable Qualifications:

• CMI Level 5
• NEBOSH

National Security Vetting
Once in post, the successful candidate will be required to successfully obtain National Security Vetting clearance at Security Check (SC) level. The offer of permanent employment in this role is conditional upon achieving the required level of vetting clearance.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

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.

How to Apply

As part of the application process you'll complete a name-blind CV and a 750-word Personal Statement. Please note that your CV and Personal Statement should be aligned to the person specification within the advert and the Specialist Knowledge & Experience within the role profile.

Your CV should cover your job history and will be scored against the roles and responsibilities outlined in the advert.

Your Personal Statement should be used to detail how your experience matches the roles and responsibilities outlined in the job description and how you meet any of the essential criteria mentioned, providing evidence where possible.

Sift

The sift will be carried out against the CV and Personal Statement with the successful candidates being invited to interview. 

Interview

During the panel interview your experience will be assessed, you will be asked questions based on the behaviours listed below to explore in detail what you are capable of, and you will be asked strength-based questions to also explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role. We will also assess your Technical skills.

Behaviours:

•  Managing a Quality Service      
•  Working Together    
•  Making Effective Decisions 

This is an example of a strengths-based question:

“It is often said that the customer's needs should come first. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?”

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

Technical Skills

At interview you will be required to provide a presentation to outline your technical experience and explain how this experience is relevant to the role of Head of Estate.

We reserve the right to raise the score required at any stage of the process in order to manage numbers.

Interviews will take place face to face. Interview dates to be confirmed.

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Eligibility

To check that you are eligible to apply, review this eligibility information

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:

Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.

Reasonable Adjustments 

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition, or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate. 

If you need a reasonable adjustment or a change to be made so that you can make your application, review this information on reasonable adjustments, and contact hmrcrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible.

Diversity and Inclusion

At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues and creating an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We’re committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues here at HMRC. We want everyone to feel valued and supported to achieve their potential at HMRC.

For more information on how we make this happen, review this information on our culture and values

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible after considering operational and customer service needs. We can’t guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly, as agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate, and any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process. 

The Civil Service runs 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. 

Locations 

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

Security Update

For more information on the level of security checks we will carry out, review this information on security checks 

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.

Further Information

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application/s will be withdrawn from the process. 

Duplicate applications for the same vacancy will also be withdrawn.

Transferring into HMRC from Civil Service If you are currently working for an ‘Other Government Department’ (OGD) and would like to consider the impact on your pay when joining HMRC, please see the attached document "Combined T&C and OGD Pay English”, found at the bottom of this advert. Further information on staff transfers can be found on gov.uk

Problems during the application process 

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

If you think you’ve made a mistake on a short application form (e.g. you’ve ticked the incorrect eligibility box), please contact hmrcrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at least two working days before the vacancy closes. After this, we won’t be able to reopen your application.   

Please use the subject line to insert appropriate wording e.g. Please re-open my application - 334603 & vacancy closing date 05/02/2024. Please note that we cannot amend or re-open your application if you have submitted your full application in the interests of fair and open recruitment.

For reasonable adjustments queries or requests, please see details within reasonable adjustments section above.

Due to operational needs, these posts are full-time; however applicants who need to work a more flexible arrangement are welcome to apply. We can’t guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly, as agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate, and any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.