About the job

Job summary

This is a Nationally based role

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the 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 workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Overview

The MoJ Property Directorate is a customer focused organisation that exists to enable our customers to perform to their very best.  We do this by providing high quality, easy to use services, and working environments that our customers want to work in, which support them to deliver their individual outputs efficiently.  Our job is to manage one of the most diverse and complex estates in Government – hosted by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The MoJ Property Directorate brings together a property portfolio including Prisons, Probation, and MoJ HQ and Arm’s Length Bodies.  We also provide property services on behalf of the Home Office (HO).

MoJ Property provides specialist services including facilities management, health and safety, fire safety and security, technical design expertise, and sustainability.  We also have business management teams who support the entire Directorate and each of our partners is supported by account management teams.  We are responsible for a great deal - our portfolio consists of properties valued at £8.5bn for the MoJ alone.  We are part of the Government Property Profession (GPP) and through active membership and engagement we will work with the Office of Government Property to develop the maturity of the profession and also encourage our people to join the GPP. We continue to build our capability through training and recruitment, aspiring to be the best that we can be as individuals and as a directorate.

We continue to deliver new ways of working across our portfolio – leading on the scale and pace of activity for central government – proposing ways to achieve, and then providing more dynamic and flexible workspace, while driving down the cost of the estate.

Team Overview

The post holder is a member of the unit’s senior management team, accountable to the Prison Infrastructure Director for the successful, timely and quality delivery of new prison construction projects, taking into account the sustainable, social and economic and environmental policies.  The MoJ Property Directorate is currently delivering six such prisons, each with a budget in the range of £250m - £450m. The post holder leads a team of senior project sponsors and project sponsors and is supported by outsourced professional service providers and constructors to take the prison from concept through to handover.

Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include the following:

• Working with a range of end users, prison governors, and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to develop project proposals at mandate through to timely completion, within budget envelops; evidencing value for money solutions and benefits realisation.
• Leading a natural work team of designers, planning consultants, professional consultants and ultimately constructors in the successful construction of new prisons for HMPPS, to health and safety, time, quality and cost constraints
• Timely assurance and submission of individual project option appraisals, feasibility reports, business cases and board papers; driving design innovation.
• Timely procurement of supply chain resources.
• Setting direction and managing performance levels of supply chain partners, through setting out clear performance indicators, at the same continually challenging resourcing proposals.
• Identifying risks and issues and making sure mitigation plans are in place; managing early warning notices and chairing core groups when contractual remedies are required.
• Embedding wider efficiency targets set by the Cabinet Office and IPA, such as the implementation of building information modelling, modern methods of construction, government soft landings by the inclusion of FM professionals; and collaborative procurement, particularly early contractor engagement and project bank accounts.
• Regularly holding to account senior project sponsors, delivery partners and constructors in making sure all key project milestones are on track, all policies are considered (such as sustainability) and all project reporting is assured and submitted on time; at the same time assuring all actively is managed in line with the project control framework controls.
• Ensuring lessons learned carried out as best practice and findings are collected and distributed across stakeholder groups, including technical services, FM, commercial, and post project evaluations are conducted and recorded.
• Line management and leadership of a team, providing strong professional direction.
• Frequent travel will be required across England and Wales

Expectations of post holder in executing the role

• The post holder will provide clear direction and support to their team, account managers and stakeholders in delivering successful outcomes in respect of the Directorates objectives that flow from the single departmental plan, the asset management plan(s) and local business plans.
• Strong leadership is a critical element of this role, as is the ability to prioritise and manage a personal workload, whilst continuously developing their team and individuals, that may include apprentices and/or fast streamers; and be accountable for their own professional development.
• As a member of the unit senior leadership team the post holder will operate in a culture of openness and honesty, demonstrating commitment and drive to change through personal involvement, grip and empowerment, and by delivering results by personally championing change.
• Regular travel to the office at 102 Petty France, London.

Skills and Experience

Essential 

• At least five years of project director / senior experience delivering large-scale infrastructure
• Should have experience of effectively working through a diverse range of stakeholders, particularly at senior levels, to achieve successful outcomes
• Should have the ability to organise and prioritise delivery solutions in a continually changing environment, where appropriate to do so; fully utilising allocated budgets
• Should have the experience of developing new ways of working, particularly when identifying and embedding best practice.
• Should have experience of identifying risk and implementing mitigation plans.

Specialist skills and experience:

• Knowledge and experience of drafting and assuring business cases, option appraisals, board papers, and contributing to PQs, FOI and Ministers cases.
• Knowledge and use of NEC3/NEC4 (preferable), PPC 2000, or JCT forms of contracts.
• Knowledge and experience in the use of the RIBA digital plan of works.
• Experience of delivering through project bank accounts and timely payment of supply chains through the requisition to pay process. 
• Knowledge and experience of good supplier relationship, contract and commercial management outcomes.
• 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

• Ideally experience managing projects with a Capital spend of typically £50m+ per project.
• Awareness of Government Property Profession.
• Experience working with modern methods of construction.
• Awareness of the Government Construction Playbook.
• Experience working with top-tier UK contractors.

Qualifications

• Have, or will be working towards a recognised construction qualification, such as the chartered institute of building (CIOB)

Government Property Profession (GPP) Technical Skills

The GPP Competency Framework is aimed at staff working in property or property-related roles and consider property to be their career anchor profession. This usually encompasses posts where professional qualifications and experience are directly relevant to the work being undertaken. However, it is also applicable to those who are currently not qualified property practitioners but wish to make this their profession of choice. Those with a property background at any level are encouraged to register with the GPP, which exists to support property practitioners at all levels.  Details of the GPP Competency Framework can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-property-profession-competency-framework.

This role falls under Property Leadership and some or all of the following Technical Skills will be tested during the selection process:

• Property Programme and Project Management – Expert
• Property Professional Expertise - Expert

Behaviours

We will assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture.
• Leadership.
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace.

Flexible working hours

The Property Directorate offers flexible working subject to local agreement.

This post is advertised as Permanent & Full Time.  The unit is supportive of and encourages flexible working and compressed hours candidates will also be considered.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. We are happy to accommodate any reasonable adjustments you may require during the selection process. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Non-civil service candidates would typically start on the pay band minimum.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £66,314, Ministry of Justice contributes £18,501 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.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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 counter-terrorist 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.