About the job

Job summary

The Estates Team sit within ‘People and Places’ (part of Cabinet Office Corporate Services) and is an integral part of the Cabinet Office’s response to the Places for Growth and Beyond Whitehall strategies into a single, large scale business transformation project which delivers change between now and 2030.

People and Places has the vision to deliver a “Great Place to Work”, where our people - located across the UK - are empowered to deliver the finest public services and better represent the communities they serve:

• Individuals will have a greater choice about how, when and where they do their work, with opportunities wider than Whitehall;
• Business Units will attract and retain a diverse workforce of dedicated public servants that meet our future capability needs and improves policy creation and service delivery by ensuring that we are better connected with communities across the UK;
• Cabinet Office will be seen as a leader on the implementation of key HM Government policies around strengthening the Union and Levelling-up.

The Estate Team operates as an Intelligent Client Function to support strategic planning of CO requirements, including the ambition to co-locate rather than have a disparate CO workforce across multiple locations as well as managing short-term estates requirements & pressures on existing buildings.

The Cabinet Office estate is varied with 34 buildings across 16 locations, with a mixture of modern, smart Government Hubs and heritage buildings such as 1 Horse Guards and 70 Whitehall. The office estate is predominantly managed through a contract with the Government Property Agency.

As Head of Operational Estates you will work closely with colleagues across People & Places, all Business Units and senior stakeholders, such as Ministers, requiring estates solutions and the Government Property Agency [GPA]. The Head of Operational Estates proactively manages the onsite operational requirements across all locations; works with the Head of Estates Strategy to understand the strategic workforce plans to ensure the workplace aligns to operational need and is delivered within budget allocations; and to manage the performance of GPA and its delivery of projects. 

You will be responsible for leading the CO Estates Intelligent Client Function team, ensuring that resources are aligned and matters are responded to in a prioritised way. In addition you will be liaising through GPA to deliver onsite estates projects, facilities management and other estates matters as required.

Job description

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Development and delivery of operational estates requirements and working closely with the Head of Estates Strategy to ensure alignment to the overarching corporate estate strategy.
• Close liaison with Heads of Business Units, or their delegated person, to respond to their Business Units current and future estates and facilities requirements and other needs.
  Management of all workspace and property, ensuring effective capacity planning and utilisation of workspace through coordination with internal teams and external teams, such as Government Property Agency.
• Work alongside the Head of Estates Strategy to ensure operational delivery falls within budget, ensuring the budget balances and projects have been delivered to time and cost.
• Line management of Senior Estates Manager with a sustainability portfolio, and an Estates Manager ICF team contributing towards the effective management of the estate and delivery of projects.
• Business continuity planning, in conjunction with other stakeholders.
• Close liaison with outsourced services and facilities management to ensure a coordinated approach to maintenance scheduling and service delivery and alignment with occupational requirements.

Person specification

Skills and Experience

Essential -

• Experience of managing the performance of a property agency and delivering results through a property agency, including building transformation projects.
• Should have experience of effectively working through a diverse range of stakeholders and engaging with workplace communities to achieve successful outcomes.
• Experience of building and sustaining building occupancy levels and ensuring the right workplace facilities are in place to ensure a positive and collaborative workplace environment.
• Should have the ability to organise and prioritise delivery solutions in a continually changing environment, where appropriate to do so.
• Should have the experience of developing new ways of/ smarter working, particularly when identifying and embedding best practice.
• Should have experience of identifying property risk and implementing mitigation plans.
• Should have experience of managing operational estates teams, preferably in an Intelligent Client Function approach and across a national remit.

Specialist skills and experience:

• Knowledge and experience of drafting and presenting business cases, option appraisals and board papers.
• Knowledge and experience in delivering projects through the industry standard of the RIBA digital plan of works.
• Knowledge and experience of good supplier relationship, contract and commercial management outcomes.
• Combined experience of managing properties such as modern corporate hubs as well as heritage buildings - including an understanding of property management and tenures
• Knowledge of sustainability policy and its application in property/projects.
• Knowledge of the strategic direction and objectives in managing and improving the Government estate.

Highly Desirable:

Awareness of Government Property Profession.

Experience in management of property disciplines e.g. Facilities Management, Sustainability, Health & Safety, Fire Safety.

Successful experience of delivering challenging programmes in a complex environment.

Understanding of and integration with the Government Property Profession.

Project or programme management qualification (e.g. Prince 2 or MSP).

Knowledge or experience of implementing continuous improvement methodologies.

Qualifications:

Have, or be willing to work towards, a recognised qualification and membership, such as RICS or IWFM.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,800, Cabinet Office contributes £15,876 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.

Application process

To apply for this post, you will need to submit your application to us via the CS Jobs portal. As part of the application process you will be asked to complete:

1. A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements.
2. A Personal Statement (no longer than 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria provided in the person specification.
3. The behaviours that will be tested at application and interview are:

• Managing a Quality Service.
• Changing and Improving.

     4. A technical skills statement as detailed below. 

An initial sift on the lead technical skill may be held if a large number of applications are received. If your application progresses to a full sift, all behaviours will then be considered.

The shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview, which will be a mix blended approach of Strength-based questions (no preparation necessary), Technical Skill and Behaviour based questions.

• Strength 1: Adaptable
• Strength 2: Disciplined
• Strength 3: Explainer

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – [w/c 1st April]
Expected interview date/s – [w/c 15th April]
Interview location - Virtual

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

Any move to Cabinet Office 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 adjustments
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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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 that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting 

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

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.