About the job

Job summary

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.

This role will manage the Estates customer and supply chain interface in the Regional Area, working closely with local stakeholders and customers to ensure high quality day to day delivery of services. It will support a One Team approach of high quality customer care and strong stakeholder management, through a supplier partner environment, building the reputation of Estates as an effective enabler to the wider business and its customers.

Job description

** Location - Sheffield, Leeds, Blackpool preferred but other location in South/West Yorkshire, North West or Cumbria/Lancashire by agreement **

Government Property Profession Career Framework (Link)

This role sits within the following:

• Job Family – Workplace & FM
• Core Role – Facilities Management
• Level - Practitioner

Key accountabilities

• High level management of the supply chain, able to support negotiations and management or escalation of issues, engage in key decision making that has strategic consequences. Attend key supplier governance meetings as Regional lead utilizing management information to drive service delivery and performance.
• Ensure that supply chain members deliver against relevant SLAs (e.g. H&S, compliance, operational etc.), escalating any failures against SLAs with the Supply Chain Management and Category Management team as required. Review of management information to identify improvement opportunities and trends.
• Using Regional knowledge and insight, provide relevant information and advice to support Subject Matter Experts in Estates to meet the needs of the Customer, relating to strategic planning, compliance and policy to support positive customer service
• Ensures that all services support operational strategies, policies and procedures in line with operational, compliance and H&S requirements. Ensure portfolio is well managed and maintained across designated region, in partnership with the Supplier Partners. Ensure plans and activities in your area of work reflect wider strategic priorities and are well communicated with senior leaders.
• Influential in leading key stakeholders towards Commercial solutions that give a balance of optimal commercial performance whilst delivering on business strategy
• Drive innovation and service, process improvements across the portfolio (e.g. review of proactive and predictive maintenance opportunities and processes to ensure fit for purpose)
• Maximize the functionality and productivity of direct reports, ensuring that they provide effective oversight of the supply chain through service delivery activities (e.g. undertaking audits, identifying H&S and compliance issues, checking risk assessments, review of work orders, assisting service issue resolution), deploying and utilizing subject matter expertise within the team to drive improvements at either site, regional or national level.
• Regional lead role with regards to project planning, delivery and hand over across portfolio, working in partnership with Project Managers, actively building and maintaining a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on shared objectives to meet the customer needs
• Ensure through direct reports that the project approval process is supported from an operational perspective, working closely with DWP Projects team. Effectively manage the Field Team to ensure coordination of supplier partners during project delivery, mobilisation hand over for seamless transition to BAU.
• Ensure, through liaison with SME’s, that there is an incident management process across designated portfolio and that there are appropriate procedures and processes in place to ensure remedial action. Effectively manage the Field Team and the supplier partners to respond to crisis and incidents. Engage senior stakeholders as appropriate. 
• Be aware of allocated annual budgets and manage Estate portfolio within budget envelope, when making decisions be aware of impacts against financial forecasts and escalate as appropriate.
• Support the embedded Cost Management team in validating and auditing estimates, application for payments and invoices where applicable.
• Review and approve costs within Delegated Financial Authority, seeking savings and value for money at all times, ensure that Financial Accounting rules are being adhered to across the team, obtaining support from DWP Estates Cost Management team for respective service lines
• Senior escalation point for issues and complaints raised across the region and troubleshoot significant operations/service delivery issues, working in conjunction with the supply chain and escalating any resulting poor performance.
• Provides Senior Regional stakeholder liaison, working closely with business and supply chain to deliver a high quality, efficient and cost effective service by considering a broad range of methods for delivery, exploring innovation and identifying service improvements through feedback from the wider team and through data insights.

Person specification

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Solid experience within a property profession discipline.
• Experience of building condition and performance, and related contract and clause management
• Interpretation and analysis of data to inform decision making
• Understanding and complying with Real Estate and related Statutory, Regulatory and Professional requirement
• Experienced in all levels of customer relationship management and stakeholder liaiso
• Strong Commercial experience gained within a Property, Facilities Management or similar complex function within a large, matrix organisatio
• Strong exposure to a wide range of CAPEX related projects and activities from design phase onwards, applying good commercial principles to multi-site CAPEX works deliver
• Influential in leading key stakeholders towards Commercial solutions that give a balance of optimal commercial performance whilst delivering on business strategy
• High level management of key suppliers, able to support negotiations, management or escalation issues, and engage in key decision making that has strategic consequences 

Qualifications/professional memberships

Desirable

• Working towards AssocRICS with a preference if already held, or
• Working towards IWFM (Levels 4-5) with a preference if already held

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Location

Applicants should apply for suitable posts where they can travel to and from their home office location daily within a reasonable time.  
Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed 

Hybrid Working

This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home.  This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

Successful candidates will be posted in merit order based on your location preferences and the geographical requirements of the business

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.

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and 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 29 January 2024 and interview dates will be w/c 12 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 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. 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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.