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

The Capital Projects team delivers the Government Hubs and Whitehall Campus property programmes that sit within the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP). Supporting these programmes is Innovation & Assurance, who lead innovation in the design of workspace and set guidance and standards for GPA buildings, to assure healthy, sustainable and inclusive buildings for a modern civil service.

The Head of Technical Assurance, is responsible for determining the guidance and standards against which our strategic partners design, construct and fit out our buildings, and where applicable maintain throughout the life of the building. This would also include the Employers Requirements and Requests for Proposals used to procure new buildings /sites whether freehold or leasehold.

In addition, the role is responsible for assuring that the guidance and standards are correctly utilised / applied across the Capital Projects Government Hubs and Whitehall Campus programme. This requires an understanding and articulation of GPA’s risk appetite, proposing mitigation options where available and appropriate.

Note the role will require an ability to travel nationally to all UK sites/facilities.

Key Responsibilities:

Reporting to Deputy Director, Innovation and Assurance, the Head of Technical Assurance will be responsible for:

• Providing leadership for the Technical Assurance team, empowering them to take ownership and accountability, working across Capital Projects, the wider GPA and across Government and industry.
• Ensuring that guidance and standards are developed and maintained to reflect on lessons learnt, industry insight and best practice to support continuous improvement.
• Ensuring compliance with guidance, standards and regulations for building systems: e.g. water and energy efficiency and performance requirements, fire safety information, mechanical ventilation, pressure testing, etc.
• Ensuring technical assurance / due diligence is completed at key project gateways aligned with RIBA stages, for example short-listing, lease approval, practical completion and handover. This would include implementation of the GPAs End to End processes and Government Soft Landings (GSL) across the project lifecycle.
• Ensuring building systems Requests for Proposals (RfP) and Employers Requirements (ER) meet client and programme business needs and performance specifications set out in the Design Guide. Assisting Commercial with down-selection of potential Hubs
• Advising on Construction Design and Management (CDM) for Capital Projects, ensuring appropriate capability across GPA, strategic partners and the wider supply chain. In addition, supporting the GPAs H&S Committee to aid continuous improvement.
• Ensuring BIM is correctly scoped and delivered against for all projects from inception through to handover to FM operations irrespective of procurement route, together with assuring that the GPAs Better Building Information Management (B2IM) programme is effectively applied across Capital Projects.
• Briefing and seeking proposals for ad-hoc technical assurance work from GPA’s consulting partners.

Person specification

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.

We are looking for an experienced technical professional who can demonstrate knowledge, skill and experience in:

Essential Skills in:

• Ability to manage effective relationships with senior management/ stakeholders.
• Effective team engagement and strong leadership.
• Commercial acumen delivering value and continuous improvement.
• Advising on construction projects / programmes.

Essential Experience of:

• A key role working on large property construction and fitout projects, preferably in the public office estate
• Experience within an engineering consultancy or client organisation at a senior level.
• Construction designs, materials, building systems and processes
• Leading multi-disciplinary project teams and building strong relationships across team/business area/ departmental/ boundaries
• Effective governance controls and project management methodologies in a complex business environment.
• Supplier/customer relationship management.
• Developing project-specific employer requirements for building systems.

Desirable Experience

• Background of working in or with the public sector property.
• Experience in an architectural, engineering or construction based role.
• Experience in the development and / or refurbishment of large scale office buildings.

Desirable Criteria:

• Relevant project management qualification (for example APM, MSP).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £62,900, Government Property Agency contributes £16,983 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, 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 on the 23rd January 2024.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to include a CV and a 1000-word personal statement. The personal statement should then align with the person specification. You will also be scored against 2 behaviours; Making Effective Decisions and Communicating & Influencing.

Please apply by sending an email to gpaheadoftechnicalassurance@miles-advisory.com.

You will then receive a template for the Statement of Suitability.

Please note, candidates are required to send through BOTH your CV and Statement of Suitability to complete your application.

Candidates who have send over only either of the two documents would not be included in the selection process.

Interview

Applicants successful at sift will be invited to interviews, which are due to take place on the 31st 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 2 behaviours - Making Effective Decisions and Communicating & Influencing. You will also be required to a short 5 minute presentation (including Q&A). Details of the presentation will be shared with you closer to the time of the interviews. 

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

Further Information

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.

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.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

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

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 Insert email 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 an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

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

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.