41047 - MoJ Property Directorate - PMG Service Support 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 MoJ Property 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 – hosted by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).  As of 2 April 2021, the Prisons Maintenance Group (or PMG) join MoJ Estates Directorate and the team receives a new title, MoJ Property.   This change will align us with our Profession – the Property Profession - and brings together a property portfolio including Prisons, Probation, and MoJ HQ and Arms Length Bodies.  We also provide property services on behalf of the Home Office.

MoJ Property provides specialist services including facilities management, health and safety, fire safety and security, technical design expertise, and sustainability.  We also have business management teams who support the entire Directorate and each of our partners is supported by account management teams.  We are responsible for a great deal - our portfolio consists of properties valued at £8.5bn for the MoJ alone.  We are part of the Government Property Profession (GPP) and through active membership and engagement we will work with the Office of Government Property to develop the maturity of the profession and also encourage our people to join the GPP. We continue to build our capability through training and recruitment, aspiring to be the best that we can be as individuals and as a directorate.

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

Overview

This is a key contract management role that requires specialist knowledge or understanding of technical requirements in relation to statutory compliance and project management. This role supports the business needs of the Prison Maintenance Group, following expansion across both Compliance and Projects streams. The job holder could be interchanged between functions, dependant on group priorities.

Note: The custodial total facilities management (TFM) contract includes maintenance of buildings, equipment and grounds, Health, Safety and Fire safety maintenance, small-scale works and building projects, management of stores, cleaning of non-prisoner areas, waste, energy and environmental management and escorts for contractors and their vehicles.

Summary

The job holder will be responsible for assisting PMG in delivering the TFM contract - specifically Mandatory and Statutory Compliance - and additional funded Projects across a number of establishments, both public and private within a region.  The PMG Service Support Manager (SSM) will undertake audits, monitor compliance against standards and assist in project delivery.  A key element of the role is to maintain communication and engagement with Governors, or their representatives, to ensure PMG services are effective and that any identified issues are addressed.  This role requires working unpredictable and unsocial hours, to ensure related issues and queries are managed, including to be on call to respond to requests at any time. To manage this, there is an on-call requirement to deal with operational issues and information requests, as they often arise outside of core working hours. The rota for on-call is agreed between the team to ensure business needs are met. This is a non‐operational job with no line management responsibility. Job holder will report to the Service Delivery Manager within Compliance/Projects work stream.

Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Responsible for leading a cross functional team (Health & Safety) to undertake statutory and mandatory compliance audits.
• Responsible for undertaking follow up visits to validate audit findings across a number of both public and private sector prisons within a region.
• Responsible for technical assurance to National Compliance Team (NCT) managers, Regional Estate Managers (REMs), the PMG Project management Team and governors, and assist in providing technical advice on delivery of the TFM contract in relation to all aspects of maintenance, repairs, improvements and standards.
• Liaising with external stakeholders and influencing the FM provider or contractor to resolve any compliance issues that arise - but escalating to NCT management, Service Delivery Manager (SDM) and REM as appropriate.
• Responsible for assuring PMG managers and Governors that establishments meet statutory and mandatory obligations and advising where action is required; and responsible for carrying out a monitoring programme to underpin this assurance.
• To manage the delivery of projects through the complete lifecycle; from inception through to completion and operational handover. This will include ensuring that the project is delivered on time, meets business and technical requirements and is within the agreed budget. Projects may be internally resourced or via third parties.
• To manage projects on a day-to-day basis and take responsibility for their delivery, utilising formal project management techniques as appropriate. To monitor and manage the project process and track progress against milestones, deadlines and budget. Report on these items to PMO and stakeholders.
• Provide support and assistance in the promotion, and adoption, of PMO best practices - whilst delivering projects within a technically complex and dynamic custodial environment.
• Define and oversee delivery of a portfolio of nominated projects (additional works projects under £150k) ensuring they meet cost, quality, time and budget allocations. Act as liaison between the establishment, SDM, REM and PMO on identified MOJ ED projects, over £150k, to ensure effective communication and control.
• Responsible for ensuring contractors undertaking project work comply with statutory legislation, including mandatory requirements as outlined within MoJ technical standards.
• To anticipate, manage and resolve issues and act as the PMG point of contact for the project.
• To use best practice risk management, assessing risks in an informed and considered manner, and to plan for the mitigation of these risks. Monitoring and updating risks as required through project life.
• Engaging identified groups of stakeholders relevant to each project to identify the requirement for allocated project funding, including contribution to business cases and bids, and provide specialist information by completing relevant documentation to support the procurement process - this includes monitoring and assessing progress until completion.

The duties and responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

• In ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or Welsh.

Skills and Experience

• Essential to have strong drive and resilience, effective team working and interpersonal skills and ability to work accurately under pressure.
• This is a specialist role: FM and technical competence, including application within the custodial estate, is essential.
• Essential to have relevant project management, contract management or change management experience including experience of managing transition.
• Must have experience of working within diverse estate portfolio preferably with custodial characteristics.
• Managing the delivery of multiple projects, across diverse custodial sites. Planning and organising to manage several work streams simultaneously.
• Knowledge of Programme Management, e.g. Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), Prince2 and agile project management tools and methodologies.
• Must have a knowledge of Health & Safety.

Technical and specialist

• Must have relevant technical or trade experience or FM qualification (or be working towards one); i.e. hold a BTEC Advanced Diploma in Maintenance Management or equivalent.
• Must understand technical architecture and be able to facilitate debate and drive decisions on appropriate solutions.
• Essential to hold, or be working towards, National Examination Board Occupational Safety Health – National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety.
• Desirable to hold or be working towards relevant Project Management qualification – i.e. Prince 2.
• Must have completed, or have ability to complete, the National Engineering and Construction Contracts Accredited Training and have or be able to rapidly acquire excellent understanding of the TFM contract, NEC3 provisions and the associated processes.

Ability

• Ability to effectively use a wide range of common Office software including Word, Excel, Project and Power Point.
• Clear decision-making ability, self-motivated and able to work on own initiative with the facility to judge complex situations and assess when to escalate issues.
• Ability to balance conflicting and changing demands through prioritisation and a pragmatic approach.
• Communication with stakeholders to present, discuss and explain issues coherently and logically, both in writing and verbally

Qualifications

• Must have relevant technical or trade experience and qualification.
• Must have industry recognised qualification equivalent to the BTEC Advanced Diploma in Maintenance Management covering building technology, contract and measurement procedures, mechanical technology and electrical technology.
• Essential to hold National Examination Board Occupational Safety Health – National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety.
• Must have completed the National Engineering and Construction Contracts Accredited Training and have or be able to rapidly acquire excellent understanding of the TFM contract, NEC3 provisions and the associated processes.

Government Property Profession (GPP) Technical Skills

The GPP 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 Career Framework can be found at:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-government-property-profession-career-framework--2

This role falls under Facilities Management Practitioner and the following Technical Skill will be tested during the selection process:

• Customer Service – Level 3

Behaviours

We will assess you against some or all of these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Flexible working hours

The MoJ Property offers a flexible working system in many teams.

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

MoJ Property offers flexible working subject to local agreement.

This post is advertised as Permanent & Full Time, part-time applicants will be considered     under job share arrangements. The unit is supportive of and encourages flexible working and compressed hours candidates will also be considered. Non-civil service candidates would typically start on the pay band minimum.