For jobs located in Wales, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable.

From the design and development of policies to the delivery of services supporting work, welfare, pensions and child maintenance, DWP is the Government’s largest department.

People are at the very heart of what we do. We ensure disabled people can live more independent lives; help tackle poverty and homelessness; provide a financial foundation for a secure old age; and support families ensuring children can fulfil their potential.

DWP has the largest commercial estate in government and our team is committed to being smaller, greener and better – helping people to work, grow and thrive. Our estate provides accommodation for colleagues who support millions of daily customer interactions in Jobcentres and Health Assessment centres, back of house offices delivering frontline services and hub sites housing expert functions such as Policy, Finance, Digital and HR

The DWP Estates function ensures the smooth and efficient operation of this network on a day-to-day basis. We manage a private sector supply chain that delivers essential services such as security guarding, maintenance, property and leasehold, construction, cleaning and facilities management. Many of these services are business critical and we cannot safely open our offices without them. 

Our ambitions are to:

• Transition to a smaller, more affordable, and adaptable estate
• Invest in improving DWP’s buildings and infrastructure, conducted mainly through an extensive programme of planned replacement works 
• Meet our agreed Government Greening Commitments - creating a culture where sustainability is embedded
• Expertly deliver cost effective services
• Create a professional working culture that is best in class across the Government Property world.

There is no better time to join us as we transform our estate and make our buildings fit for the future.

Helping to Lead the strategy planning processes and analysis for a significant portfolio across the DWP Estate, this role will build on core links between our Real Estate Relationship Managers and our Business Intelligence Teams.  It will play link data-driven knowledge and insights with strategic customer insights, channelling these to as part of a wider team to drive forward the Portfolio Strategy Plan.

Government Property Profession Career Framework (Link)

This role sits within the following:

• Job Family – Strategic Asset Management
• Core Role – Property Portfolio Management
• Level – Senior Practitioner

Key accountabilities

• Analyse business demand, portfolio data and insights available and the wider Government perspective, to provide the strategic portfolio lens to translate and apply this information to shape and form an effective strategic portfolio plan to feed into / and individual site-level business cases
• Work within the wider team to manage and optimise the DWP portfolio, and ensure portfolio plans take account of lease events, market opportunities, business requirements, balancing balance business need and ensuring our space meets customer needs, property quality & sustainability, total property cost & VFM and cost efficiency, lifecycle investment, market cycles & supply, utilisation; and are  based on strategic knowledge and insights,
• Proactively managing risks and identifying solutions, supporting the wider DWP LLM (Landlord/Lease Management) to facilitate the renewal strategies for properties across the portfolio.
• Drive evidenced based decision making in the development of the Estates Strategic Portfolio Plan, analyse and accurately interpret data from various sources and data (incl DWP Estates and the wider supplier partner network) to support decisions, in conjunction with the intelligence gathered from our customers to determine our strategic view and optimal use of the estate
• Bring together views, perspectives and diverse needs of stakeholders to gain a broad understanding of the issues surrounding activities and plans to enable effective decision making in the context of economic, social, political, environmental and technological developments
• Planning and leading project work through to completion of business cases, managing multiple projects at the same time, with an understanding of key milestones and deadlines for project delivery, focusing on necessary outcome/ end date deadlines
• Work with the wider Estate Strategy Portfolio planning function to continue to develop metrics to provide effective oversight of the portfolio analysis that enables complex issues to be explained in a way that is easy to understand
• Support ongoing co-ordination with wider government working with others in DWP Estates as relevant on the One Public Estate strategy through liaison with GPU (Government Property Unit)/GPA (Government Property Agency), Cabinet Office National Property Controls, other government departments and local authorities for Co-location and MOTO opportunities ensuring their governance requirements are followed
• Contributing to departmental level change programme business case development, leading & mentoring others on site level business case development, and supporting in the programme management of multiple estate change projects, ensuring necessary quality  and business assurance
• Reporting to Leadership and helping to develop and refine reporting and dashboards to facilitate that and other stakeholder engagement.
• Contribute to financial oversight of forecasts and budgets relating to change investment across the portfolio.

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Experience within a Real Estate role of undertaking estate appraisal activity, in particular lease events, market opportunities and business requirements
• Experience in supporting the development of Estates function strategy and business plans through the analysis of customer insight and data driven decision making.
• Experience working with parallel teams developing Estate project, design, and an appreciation of smarter working good practice
• Leading, motivating & developing, others the wider strategy planning function, mentoring & upskilling other members of the team
• Ability to understand clients business needs and be solution based in approach
• Ability to analyse and manipulate data for reporting and create documents and reports including presentations, schedules etc
• Confident in holding difficult conversations with stakeholders or senior management
• Ability to lead and influence supplier relationships
• Work openly & collaboratively, and in an inclusive way

Desirable

• Experience of leading estate change projects preferred

Qualifications/professional memberships

Desirable

• Holding or working towards RICS (MRICS/FRICS) qualification desirable but not essential where relevant experience can clearly be demonstrated
• Strong excel skills and some experience of  portfolio modelling are advantages but by no means essential

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT

As part of the application process you will be asked to provide a CV and a Personal Statement of no more than 1000 words against the essential criteria as outlined above.

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

Your CV should be fairly short and just evidence very brief details of your work history and experience.

Please do not submit a speculative application where you do not meet at least 50% of the essential criteria as these applications will be unsuccessful. Do not include Behaviour examples within your application as these will not be assessed in the sift and will only be used at interview stage.

There will be an initial sift of applications based on the Personal Statement only, so please ensure you evidence how you meet the Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience requirement contained in the vacancy in this section. This will form a short list for interview.

STAGE 2 - INTERVIEW

All candidates who are successful at the sift stage will undertake a single virtual video interview.

The interview will follow a blended approach which will help us assess candidates Behaviours and Strengths.

Currently the sift is scheduled to take place w/c 29th January 2024 or 5th February 2024 and interview dates will be w/c 12th or 19th February 2024. Interviews are scheduled to take place virtually and dates are subject to change.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

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

Any move to DWP 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

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 or Disclosure Scotland 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. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

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.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.

Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.

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

Reasonable Adjustment

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.

We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.

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

Contact Government Recruitment Service via DWPrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

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