41439 - MOJ Estates Directorate - Senior Project Sponsor

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Overview

Estates Directorate is a customer service organisation that exists to enable our customers to perform to their best. We do this by providing working environments in which our customers want to work and which support them in delivering their outputs efficiently, and by providing high quality, easy to use services. We manage one of the most diverse and complex estates in Government, hosted in MoJ, including the estates of the Home Office, Prisons, Probation, MoJ HQ and Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs).

We provide specialist services including facilities management, health & safety, fire safety and security; technical design expertise and sustainability, our cluster partners are supported by account management teams and we have business management teams supporting the overall Directorate. Our portfolio consists of properties valued at £8.5bn for the MoJ alone.

We work closely with our cluster partners and the Government Property Agency; encouraging healthy collaboration and driving a professional service delivery approach.

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

Team/Post Overview

There are Senior Project Sponsor roles available for two teams within the MoJ Estates Directorate, the Project Delivery team and the Prison Infrastructure team. For the Project Delivery role, the post holder is accountable to the Head of Programme Delivery for the successful, timely and quality delivery of all a portfolio construction/fitout projects across the MoJ family: prisons, investment, reform and Capital maintenance; probation investment, reform, Capital maintenance; court investment, reform and Capital maintenance; sustainable development; Home Office change and maintenance, considering the sustainable, social and economic and environmental policies. The number projects in a Senior project sponsors portfolio can vary, but is normally in the region of 40 projects at various Royal Institute of British Architect (RIBA) stages. The post holder delivers their work through an outsourced frameworks of professional service providers and constructors. For the role within the Prison Infrastructure team, the post holder is accountable to the Principal Project Sponsor in the new Prison Infrastructure Directorate for the successful, timely and quality delivery of all construction of new build prisons. The post holder is the prime contact and leader of significant teams of outsourced professional service providers.

Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include the following:

• Working with a range of end users, judiciary, prison governors, probation, HMPPS leads to develop and facilities management to develop project proposals at mandate through to timely completion, within budget envelops; evidencing value for money solutions and benefits realisation.
• Working with Directorate Account Management teams in delivering successful outcomes.
• Timely drafting and submission of individual project option appraisals, feasibility reports, business cases and board papers; driving design innovation.
• Working with commercial teams to procure supply chain resources, by providing the appropriate project briefs.
• Managing the performance of supply chain partners, through providing clear instructions; and collating and reporting on key performance measures
• Identifying risks and issues and making sure mitigation plans are in place; submitting early warning notices when contractual remedies are thought to be required.
• Embedding wider efficiency targets set by the Cabinet Office and IPA, such as the implementation of building information modelling, government soft landings by the inclusion of FM professionals; and collaborative procurement, particularly early contractor engagement and project bank accounts.
• Regularly holding to account and supporting team members who support the Senior Project Sponsors.
• Line management and leadership of a team, providing strong professional direction.
• Making sure critical paths are in place for all projects and Project Performance Indicators (PPIs) are in place and the resulting data is used to keep project to time and quality.
• Making sure project detail sheets are submitted on time, having first challenged and assured the data and information being supplied is accurate.
• Manage the end to end requisition to pay process, making sure prompt and fair payment is made.
• Ensuring lessons learned are carried out as best practice and findings are collected and distributed across stakeholder groups, including technical services, FM, commercial, and post project evaluations are conducted and recorded; report benefits in line with those set out in the business case(s)
• Frequent travel will be required across England and Wales and on occasions, Scotland

Expectations of post holder in executing the roles:

The post holder will provide clear support to account managers and stakeholders in delivering successful outcomes in respect of the Directorates objectives that flow from the single departmental plan, the asset management plan(s) and local business plans.

Strong management of the supply chains is a critical element of this role, as is the ability to prioritise and manage a personal workload and workloads of the outsourced providers, making sure all projects are delivering within the governance and processes embedded in the project control framework.

As a member of the unit leadership team, the post holder will operate in a culture of openness and honesty, demonstrating commitment and drive to change through personal involvement, grip and empowerment, and by delivering results by personally championing change.

Skills and Experience

Essential -

• Should have experience of effectively working through a diverse range of stakeholders, to achieve successful outcomes.
• Should have the ability to organise and prioritise delivery solutions in a continually changing environment, where appropriate to do so.
• Should have the experience of developing new ways of working, particularly when identifying and embedding best practice.
• Should have experience of identifying risk and implementing mitigation plans.
• Should have experience of delivering projects to a standard control framework process.

Specialist skills and experience:

• Knowledge and experience of drafting and presenting business cases, option appraisals and board papers.
• Knowledge and use of Government Soft Landings (GSL).
• Knowledge and experience in delivering projects through the industry standard of the RIBA digital plan of works.
• Knowledge and experience of good supplier relationship, contract and commercial management outcomes.
• Knowledge of sustainability policy and its application in property/projects
• Knowledge of the strategic direction and objectives in managing and improving the Government estate.
• Knowledge and use of construction contracts to deliver large scale projects, managing contractual claims and contractual variations

Highly Desirable:

• Awareness of Government Property Profession.
• Experience in management of property disciplines e.g. Facilities Management, Sustainability, Health & Safety, Fire Safety
• Successful experience of delivering challenging programmes in a complex environment
• Understanding of and integration with the Government Property Profession
• Project or programme management qualification (e.g. Prince 2 or MSP)
• Knowledge or experience of implementing continuous improvement methodologies e.g. Lean, Six Sigma etc.
• Experience of delivering through project bank accounts and timely payment of supply chains through the requisition to pay process.
• Knowledge and use of PPC 2000, NEC3 forms of contracts and contract remedies.

Qualifications

• Have, or be willing to work towards, a recognised construction qualification, such as the chartered institute of building (CIOB)

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the big picture
• Leadership
• Managing a quality service
• Delivering at pace

At application stage candidates will be asked to provide a 1,000 word personal ‘Statement of Suitability’ giving examples of any relevant technical skills, experience and behaviours they feel demonstrate their suitability for the role, as outlined in the role profile.

Applicants who are invited to interview will be asked to prepare a evidence their technical skills by preparing a 10 minute presentation on the subject of “What can you bring to this position and how can you adapt to learning new skills that may be required”

Flexible working hours

The role is a permanent full-time position, offering flexible working opportunities.

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com 

Please quote the job reference - 41439.