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Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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Project Delivery
Property
Quality
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About the job
Job summary
The Government Property Agency is changing the way the Civil Service works and is at the forefront of Government’s transformation agenda; reshaping the relationship civil servants have with their place of work. The Agency is central to the delivery of key Government policies including moving 22,000 Civil Service roles out of London by 2030 and tackling climate change by contributing to the Net Zero agenda. To do this we are delivering a major change programme across the UK and consolidating our portfolio in order to save £1.4 Bn over 10 years.
Beyond the bricks and mortar, the GPA is about providing great workplaces for our people. Through programmes like Hubs, Whitehall Campus and Smart Working you will be in the vanguard of creating model working environments and promoting flexible working practices.
This is an ambitious and exciting task, for which we need innovative people, with strong commercial acumen, who are passionate about visualising and implementing customer needs. Launched as an Executive Agency of the Cabinet Office in 2018, were a relatively new department and we are growing fast so we also need people who thrive in ambiguity, can adapt quickly to change and are comfortable stepping outside of their remit to drive outcomes.
The GPA is committed to representing the communities we serve by making Diversity, Equality and Inclusion part of everything we do.
To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Job description
The Workplace Designer (WD) is responsible for ensuring the Government Workplace Design Guide and supporting technical annexes are applied consistently across specific projects. They also provide day to day advice and guidance to the project team on design matters.
Supporting the Workplace Design Manager, and acting as the tactical Intelligent Client on specific projects, the WD interprets the Government Workplace Design Guide, GPAs Employer Requirements and any client specialist requirements, informing design briefs for developers and GPAs consulting design partners to produce designs for each RIBA stage.
The WD provides assurance that all designs support the GPAs commitment to create workplaces that are safe, inclusive and accessible and as flexible as possible to support smarter and hybrid working practices.
Working as part of a wider team, the WD provides ad-hoc support on other projects as required, including the development and maintenance of our guides and standards to ensure our projects are at the forefront of sustainable and inclusive workplace design.
Reporting to a Workplace Design Manager, the Workplace Designer is responsible for:
- Advising the Workplace Design Manager on the status of the projects design, ensuring they are aligned to the Government Workplace Design Guide and supporting technical annexes.
- Providing professional advice and guidance to the project team, escalating design related risks and issues as appropriate to the Workplace Design Manager.
- Technically assuring the designs produced by the GPAs consulting design partners and developers architects, to ensure compliance with GPA standards, including inclusive and accessible design and the GPA look and feel.
- Supporting client engagement on all design matters.
- Implementing the Government Workplace Design Guide in full, as far as is reasonably practicable, and managing exceptions (client specialist requirements) into appropriate briefing material for designers to use during Cat A and Cat B RIBA stages, minimising the need for bespoke spaces.
- Work with the Stakeholder and Approval Manager(s) to review client specialist requirements to minimise costs and unnecessary derogation from the Government Workplace Design Guide and technical annexes.
- Providing information to inform detailed briefings, options analysis and information on design for senior leaders and stakeholders.
- Monitoring and reporting on the project specific design progress.
- Supporting the GPA Workplace Experience team to advocate smarter working.
- Supporting the GPAs Technology and Data team to deliver interoperable AV/IT solutions.
- Supporting the GPA Workplace Solutions team to design customer focussed products and services.
- Working with subject matter experts in design-related areas across government, and private sector professionals including the property industry.
- Acting as a client design point of contact for designers, contractors, consultant partners and their supply chains on specific projects.
The Workplace Designer is directly accountable to the Workplace Design Manager for the status of their allocated projects design.
Person specification
We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities and wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a sense of belonging in a workplace where everyone feels valued.
We are looking for an experienced design professional who can demonstrate knowledge, skills and experience in:
Essential:
- Knowledge and understanding of construction, technical specifications, workspace design and procurement.
- Previous knowledge and practical experience of design management and delivery on large scale projects or programmes in multi-disciplinary project teams.
- Managing effective governance controls in a complex business environment.
- Successful end-to-end delivery of large change projects through forming effective relationships with senior stakeholders, customer groups, policy makers, and creating engaged teams.
- Experience of effective client engagement and relationship management with senior leaders and stakeholders.
- Ability to make value based decisions and drive continuous improvement.
- Excellent IT skills including Adobe Creative Suite, MS Office and PDF mark-up software (e.g. Bluebeam Revu).
- Experience of effective team working.
- Experience of communicating and influencing at a senior level.
- Understanding of project management methodologies.
- Understanding of Government or BSRIA Soft Landings process.
- Understanding of projects using BIM level 2.
- Experience using Common Data Environments (CDE) for document management.
- Experience gained in an architectural, design or construction based role.
Desirable:
- Experience of working in or with the Government Property Profession.
Qualifications & accreditations
Desirable:
- An associate or bachelor’s degree in architecture, interior design and/or another relevant subject.
- Membership of a relevant professional body.
- Relevant project management qualification (eg APM, MSP etc).
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Customer Perspective
- Commercial Acumen
- Property Market Knowledge
- Innovation
Benefits
£10,557 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- 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%
- Generous annual leave
Things you need to know
Selection process details
We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities and wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a sense of belonging in a workplace where everyone feels valued.
Sift
The sift is due to take place week commencing 16th October 2023.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a CV and a 500 word personal statement. The personal statement should then align with the person specification.
Interview
Interview questions will be a blend of Behaviour, Experience, Technical (core skill) questions and a 10 minute presentation based on your portfolio.
Applicants successful at sift will be invited to interviews, which are due to take place week commencing 6th November 2023 in the Birmingham office. This is subject to change dependent upon where most successful candidates are based. You must be willing to travel to any of the GPA locations for your interview. If you are unable to attend a face to face interview due to extenuating circumstances, we advise that you reach out to the recruitment admin team to find out if alternative means can be arranged prior to submitting your application.
At interview, applicants will be scored against 3 behaviours – Working Together, Seeing The Big Picture, and Leadership.
If you are invited for an interview, you will be asked to give a 10 minute presentation of your design portfolio.
Your presentation should contain examples of projects that you have worked on which demonstrate relevant experience for this role. Your portfolio must be in PDF format to be presented digitally.
Your portfolio should be submitted in advance of your interview by email.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to GPA 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.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
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 applicants 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.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via gparecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the Assistance required 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 youre deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Andrew Nelson
- Email : andrew.nelson@gpa.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : gparecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission:
Click here to visit Civil Service Commission
