About the job

Job summary

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This a key construction role in the HMRC Estates team and reports to the Deputy Director of Professional Services and Digital Estates. As the Head of Construction, you will be providing the construction project expertise and knowledge to HMRC Estates UK wide, across a wide range of activities including new builds, refurbishments and minor projects.

You will operate through the full RIBA project lifecycle from Strategic Definition into Use. You will do this through leadership of a team of Construction Assurance Managers and by working across the various functions to support delivery of our strategic and annual business plans.

Your team will operate within a matrix project environment and will be responsible for the delivery of our all external construction professional services contract activities. You will also be accountable for the Operational Contract Management of these services.

Job description

As Head of Construction you will apply your extensive construction related and Building Contract knowledge to enable your team to support activities across the UK estate ranging from small works to major new build and refurbishment projects. You will lead and manage your team ensuring appropriate resource and capability levels to deliver individual project outcomes.

Your team will manage external Professional Services and operate from acquisition, through the project lifecycle, assuring the developers works and delivering the Cat B Contract through to Operational handover and through defects. You will provide advice and expertise to support strategic decisions and resolution of contractual and other escalated issues.

You will be responsible for delivery of high quality external construction and technical professional services, providing the operational contract management of the account including placing orders and financial management.

Person specification

An experienced construction professional with broad major project experience used to working in an environment of complex stakeholder management. Delivery focused and able to make effective decisions at pace to maintain project momentum.

Essential Criteria:

• Significant experience managing and delivering large construction projects in excess of £5m each, end to end through the project lifecycle.
• Fully conversant with all major forms of JCT, NEC Building Contracts and experienced in administering, managing and minimising disputes.
• Experienced in the production of project schedules and reviewing those produced by others. Able to identify key dependencies and critical paths.
• Operating within a client organisation of a developer or end user, or as a consultant operating as client representative.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of construction project/programme risks, and utilisation of tools to control and mitigate.
• Developing and maintaining effective relationships with senior/high influence stakeholders and operating in a complex organisational environment.
• Evidence of achieving excellent team results through the coaching, mentoring, personal development and leadership of the team.

An Undergraduate degree in a property related discipline along with relevant other experience and qualifications.

Member of either the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors or Chartered Institute of Building. If not already held must be willing to obtain full membership within 24 months.

Requires successful application of security vetting to Security Cleared (SC) level.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of managing delivery of large commercial office fit outs.
• Management of multi-disciplined technical teams.
• Knowledge of Digital Construction tools.
• Experience in Design for manufacture and assembly methodology.
• Experience in managing construction claims process.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £66,957, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £18,078 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 and Experience.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A CV including your job history and previous experiences.
• A 500-word personal statement - Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the essential criteria and person specification outlined in the advert.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake, please contact us via: ubsrecruitmentexcellence@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

Sift

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on CV.

Full sift will be against the experience and essential skills in CV and personal statement.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or advanced straight to the interview stage. 

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

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.

During the panel interview, Experience, Behaviours and Strengths question will be assed.

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.

Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for up to 3 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.

Merit list

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and appointments will be made in strict merit order until the set demand is filled in each location. If successful, you will be informed which locations are available when we reach your position on the merit list.

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.

Reasonable Adjustments

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

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

• Contact the UBS Recruitment Excellence Team via ubsrecruitmentexcellence@hmrc.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.

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 and want everyone to feel valued and supported to achieve their potential.

Click here for more information on how we make this happen. 

Contractual homeworkers

This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.

Additional Security Information 

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.

Terms and Conditions

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.

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.

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. 

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

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 experience 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.