About the job

Job summary

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.

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.

Job description

You will be joining a growing, diverse and multi-disciplinary team within the Capital Projects directorate at an exciting time as we deliver an ambitious programme, providing world class leading office working environments for our Government clients and customers.

This role offers the opportunity to use your project management, stakeholder and strategic support skills to support the Project Director and Stakeholder and Approvals Manager to deliver the portfolio of Government Hub projects that will directly affect the way civil servants will work for years to come.

Every day will be different and varied, as our programmes mature, precise roles and responsibilities may change, therefore the individual needs to be open, flexible and responsive to this, and have the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver project management support across a wide range of projects.

Reporting to an experienced Stakeholder and Approvals Manager, the post holder will support delivery of the North Region Non-Standard Hubs in the Manchester area business objectives and promote attainment of GPA business objectives. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Support senior management in gathering and reporting on information that will assist delivery of the project, including governance.
• Coordinate between the Capital Projects Project Management Office (PMO) and your project team.
• Responsible for project file management using robust version control. Organise key meetings, and provide secretariat support, incl managing calendars, inbox and preparation for meetings, along with supporting the capture and management of programme issues and enquiries.
• Stakeholder Management  – Assist with maintaining the stakeholder log for internal and external stakeholders. Act as the focal point for project responses to external requests for information, FOI, PMQ etc.
• Manage project documentation, correspondence, asset registers and project-level data including shared folders alongside the IDM (information and Documents Manager)
• Financial control – Assist with the monitoring of project spend and contribute to the compilation of budgets, in particular raising, managing and challenging project Purchase Orders. 
• Risks and Issues – Assist with and maintain risk and issue logs, escalating as appropriate.
• Assist with other business activities associated with the project delivery.

The successful candidate will be expected to cover the cost of their travel to their base.The successful candidate will occasionally be required to travel to site to meet stakeholders, and to GPA’s headquarters in Birmingham.

Person specification

Experience & technical skills:

• The PAO should have an understanding of programme, project or PMO environment and be familiar with standard processes involved in successful project completion. They will need to update project documentation surrounding governance, general project management, manage the team's security information and communicate with consultants and contractors to provide requested information where appropriate.
• They will need to be confident in setting up a number of project management related templates and guides for both internal and external team members to follow. 
• They will need to undergo specific training over and above the standard Google Docs training due to the secure, complex nature of these projects. They will need to support the IDM and be confident in providing resilience during busy periods to manage permissions
• Clear and accurate communication/ written skills

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £25,100, Government Property Agency contributes £6,777 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.

Sift

The sift is due to take place week commencing 18th December 2023.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to include a CV and a 500-word personal statement. The personal statement should then align with the person specification.

Interview

Applicants successful at sift will be invited to interviews, which are due to take place week commencing 8th January 2024 in the Birmingham office. 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 3 behaviours - Managing a Quality Service, Communicating and Influencing, and Changing & Improving.

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

Further Information

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: 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.

The successful candidate must be willing to undergo SC clearance before taking up the post. Once in post, it is expected that the successful candidate will then undergo DV clearance. 

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

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.

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

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

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.

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 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.

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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.