About the job

Job summary

The Property and Security Team are a small team who work closely together to successfully manage a range of different streams of work. It is a multi-disciplinary, multi-site team with a focus on delivering at pace, strong stakeholder engagement, and an ability to turn the Department’s vision into practice.  

 The Department’s property portfolio currently numbers 22 offices in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. The Department has embarked on an ambitious programme of estates rationalisation and modernisation. You will play a key part in project delivery and maintaining a high quality of service.

Job description

The Estates Project Manager role reports to the Head of Property.It will support the Deputy Director and the Senior Managers in ensuring that our strategic objectives are delivered.   
 

We are looking for a candidate who can demonstrate strong leadership, manage project delivery to tight deadlines and deliver projects as set out by our Estates strategy.   

 The role will include, but not be limited to:    

• Office refurbishments and relocation projects – acting as Client Lead, directing/managing the GPA Project team and supplier's input. Liaison with DLUHC site leads  and senior managers over requirements. Handling comms and engagement.
• Places for Growth– delivering against the emerging Estates strategy, identifying, acquiring and mobilising new spaces as and when required. Considering lease breaks and opportunities.
• Office Pressures – Project to establish utilisation of space across the Estate (desks, meeting rooms and collaboration spaces). Developing options and plans for space utilisation or proposing alternative options. Reviewing our work place design strategy to simplify communication to staff and implementation of new office spaces. 
• Supporting Development of the 5 year plan for the DLUHC Estate.

Person specification

The successful candidate will demonstrate:  

• Strong staff leadership skills, looking to address performance issues if they arise and set a culture of continual performance improvement
• Project management skills, able to deliver and drive forward projects following best practice 
• Ability to work independently to tight deadlines, budget constraints, and demanding quality standards 
• Excellent written and verbal communication with an ability to influence at all levels of seniority  
• Work within recognised project management frameworks to deliver individual projects   
• Strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, looking to set a culture which enables all team members to deliver to their best 

 

Skills 

• The ability to interact confidently and effectively with senior level counterparts within the Department, financial advisors and our government partners (most notably the Government Property Agency). 
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence others are required, as are strong team-working and leadership skills. The ability to manage complex and competing priorities within agreed timescale and quality parameters. 
• Ability to work in multi-functional teams in a matrix environment and across team boundaries, taking responsibility and ownership for areas in the portfolio  
  
• Ability to use and interpret complex numerical and financial data and report on findings at a senior level. 
• Sound financial acumen and ability to oversee and manage project budgets, providing accurate reports as and when necessary

 
Desirable experience  

• Proven experience of delivering projects in an operational/Estates role covering a wide range of complexity and value.
• Experience of working on fast-paced and pressurised projects. 
• Experience of project management practices, methodologies, tools and techniques including; planning, scheduling, risk and issue management, governance, frameworks, stakeholder management, change control and assurance.
  
• Demonstrable experience in having worked with senior stakeholders of different organisations working collaboratively.

 

  Essential qualifications - attained, or working towards; 

• PRINCE 2 or equivalent qualification 
• Managing Successful Programmes Practioner 
• Recognised property qualification (IWFM, RICS, etc) 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £51,934, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes £14,022 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

We are for everyone 

 

At DLUHC we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We promote equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation. 

 We would strongly recommend that applicants get in touch with the vacancy manager to find out more information about this role.  

 We are for everyone 

 DLUHC want to bring in a diverse workforce at all levels.  

Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system – this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).  

At application stage you will be asked to upload a CV document. Unless stated otherwise in the advert, your CV will not form part of the assessment but will be used for information purposes and only shared with the panel at interview stage. 

Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions for example all candidates’ responses to ‘Seeing the Big Picture’ rather than seeing a candidate’s full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects and we want to reduce this as much as possible.  

 Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors. 

 

When writing your application, remember: 

• The assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially.  
• Do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers.  
• If talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!) 

 

 

At sift, we will be assessing 

 

Behaviour 1 (lead behaviour) - Delivering at Pace 

Behaviour 2 - Changing and Improving  

Technical - Please can you provide an example of project management methodologies you have used, and when different styles are appropriate?  

Experience - Please can you provide an example of how you have managed significant risks and issues whilst delivering a challenging project 

 

There is a 250 word limit per question. 

 

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:    

Behaviour – Seeing the big picture, Changing and Improving, Making Effective Decisions and Delivering at pace

Experience - Yes

Technical - Yes

Strength - Yes

The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.  

In the full campaign we will test the below Success Profile Elements: 

 

Behaviours: Seeing the big picture, Changing and Improving, Making Effective Decisions and Delivering at pace

Experience:  Yes

Technical: Yes 

Strengths: Yes

 

We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs 

Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign. 

 

 Grade 7 salary 

• The salary for this role is £51,934 (National). 
• For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges. 

 
Please note that the average employer pension contribution is based upon the National minimum salary for this role. Should your agreed starting salary for this role be different, the average employer pension contribution will be calculated accordingly. If you are a Secondee, this will not apply as you will remain on your home organisation’s terms and conditions.   

 

BENEFITS: 

Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018: 
Any move to DLUHC 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 

For further information about the benefits available to DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack. 

  

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: 

• Bristol
• Manchester 
• Wolverhampton 
• Darlington* 

 

There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role. 

*Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service.  

For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack. 

 

SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES: 

Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C 19/02/24 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. 

Reserve List 
 
In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details in a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list. 

Candidate Pack Information 

Please see attached Candidate pack for further information. 

Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the DLUHC candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules 

 

Internal Fraud Database 

The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to DLUHC as a participating government organisations. DLUHC then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.  

For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register 

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. 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.