35145 - MOJ Estates Directorate - Governance Manager

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. 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

Overview

The Estates 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 – this is hosted by the Ministry of Justice, and includes the estate of the Home Office, Prisons, Probation, MoJ HQ and Arm’s Length Bodies.

We provide specialist services including facilities management, health & safety, fire safety and security, technical design expertise, and sustainability. We also have business management teams who work in support of the entire Directorate. Each of our partners is supported by account management teams; we are responsible for a great deal and our portfolio is vast.

We work closely with our cluster partners and the Government Property Agency, encouraging healthy collaboration and driving a professional service delivery approach. We strive for professional membership in our Directorate, encouraging our people to join the Government Property Profession.

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

Team Overview

The role sits within the Programme Office in the Central Estates Team (CET) which is part of the Estates Directorate, hosted by the MoJ. The Directorate provides estates services and manages interests on behalf of the MoJ, Probation, Home Office (HO), Prisons and a number of Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) such as Legal Aid Authority. It comprises a diverse range of assets that include: training centres, operational buildings, approved premises and an office estate that supports the wider operational activities.

The Programme Office has responsibility for standards and methodologies. It supports effective portfolio management through driving change, focussing on delivering projects, realising programmes and implementing strategic work. The Programme Office offers delivery provisions whilst focussing on engagement and communication with staff and stakeholders across the cluster. It provides a fundamental point of contact for the Central Estates Team to drive consistent governance procedures and standards, effective engagement, traceability and provide transparency, whilst managing interdependencies.

The Governance Manager will provide assurances to our Central Estates Director alongside wider partners on the processes and procedures that are instilled and followed within the team to meet their obligations. These partners include and are not limited to Governance and Assurance and the Government Audit Agency.

Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include the following:

• Develop the overarching Governance strategy for the CET Team. This includes leading on the Governance for Estates Functional leadership and HMPPS intelligent client.
• Meeting CET core objectives through managing governance documentation and developing a clear mandate of requirement.
• Be the single point of contact for Governance for the CET team.
• Work closely with CET Director, Programme Management Office Manager and Head of Account Management to map out and develop robust governance processes, including anticipating their needs to meet statutory obligations if strategy or working priorities change.
• Responsible for ensuring the quality, relevance and timeliness of information flows through the business – working in close proximity with the Engagement and Communication Manager in the CET.
• Develop a risk and issue management strategy and assurance plan
• Assisting with the development and implementation of managing risks and issues and their respective registers. Whilst overseeing regular updates to the registers whilst providing expert advice and communicating summaries and high-level risks through appropriate channels
• Effectively engage with stakeholders to maintain service levels and offer reassurance issues and problems are effectively dealt with to manage risk, implications and ensure value for money is sustained.
• Review and develop controlled reporting assurance mechanisms to align current workstreams – to include developing an overarching risk register and Governance health checks etc to meet audit requirements.
• Develop, maintain and deliver governance guidance for the CET and inform relevant stakeholders where appropriate, including storage of information and GDPR compliance.
• Offer clear guidance and communication to evidence and feedback on the diligence checks within the CET including the management of assurance controls i.e. managed by the right person in the right business area.
• Actively review processes and consider improvements required
• Own and manage any change control mechanisms
• Review current reporting method and align to effectively manage the flow of information to feed into the wider HMPPS reporting Boards and projects.
• Managing the reporting process across CET ensuring that accurate data is provided in line with reporting requirements
• Financial governance procedures- reviewing and updating financial risks and risk reporting. Maintain oversight, coordination and governance of the CET Budgets- providing accurate forecasts. Working closely with the Estates Finance Business Partner to provide robust financial advice, re-charging, budgetary requirements and correct allocations and monthly analysis. Providing assurance to senior stakeholders to support strategic decision making.
• Other reasonable management instructions and requests to meet the business needs

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Experience in governance roles
• Experience of managing risks and issues
• Confident in managing change
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, particularly drafting, presentation and facilitation skills
• Experience of engaging and sustaining key relationships with senior stakeholders and of handling sensitive / restricted information appropriately
• Proficient in Microsoft suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, publisher

Highly Desirable

• Awareness of Government Property Profession
• A sound understanding of the MoJ Directorate and the stakeholders involved

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving

Government Property Profession (GPP) Technical Skills

The GPP Technical Skills 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 Technical Skills can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-property-profession-competency-framework.

• Application of Knowledge and Expertise (Level 2)
• Compliance Management (Level 2)

Flexible working hours

The Estates Directorate offers a flexible working system in many teams.

Requests for reduced hours contracts will be considered in line with business needs.

Location

The role can be based nationally, candidates should expect occasional travel to 102 Petty France, London or 10 South Colonnade, London.