Corporate Centre Support (Sheffield)

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 front line 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 support as the Estates customer interface in a Corporate Hub, 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.

Government Property Profession Career Framework (Link)

 This role sits within the following:

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

Key accountabilities

• Establish professional relationships with a range of stakeholders to ensure an effective day to day customer interface, ensuring a quality service delivery and issue resolution.
• Operational oversight of all service delivery by Estates and their supplier partner network, investing time to develop a common focus and genuine positive team spirit to keep the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities.
• Establish ways to find and respond to feedback from customers about the services provided, encouraging a joined up team work within own team and across the wider supplier partner network to resolve and maintain professional excellence.
• Manages and develop a clear strategy which provides a smooth handover from construction to operation and establish the handover procedures from projects into BAU, working with key stakeholders to set priorities, objectives and timescales.
• Attendance at appropriate onsite meetings to broaden knowledge of the Corporate Hub requirements, feeding knowledge or information into relevant Estates area as required to support customer insights eg. Demand/churn requests.
• Liaise with OGD and wider Estates departments to resolve any building services related operational issues.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of the estate strategy plan, making sound recommendations on behalf of individual projects to select the best value for money solutions for the delivery services on behalf of stakeholders and customers.
• Act as an escalation point for any issues, working with supplier partners to resolve and rectify as appropriate, in a timely manner.
• Manage DWP’s Health & Safety, legislative and policy obligations and requirements taking resolution action on areas of non-compliance, remaining alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact your work area.
• Support nominated programme leads and ensure the delivery of building programmes/projects on time and budget, considering the impacts of own and team’s activities on stakeholders and end users.
• Ensures that services are developed with strategies, policies and procedures in line with the operational requirements to ensure well managed and well maintained Corporate Centres/Hubs, in partnership with the Integrator Supplier Partner.
• Contributing to and approval of development and changes to operating processes in partnership with the Integrator supplier.
• Provide commercial assurance and support with challenge and advice to the relevant Estates colleagues by acting as a liaison point to ensure approval/steers are received relating to Corporate Hub buildings.
• Oversee supplier performances to assure full compliance with standards established, in support of the Performance & Audit Team.

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Experienced within a property profession discipline.
• Commercial experience gained within the Property/FM division of a complex, matrix organisation.
• Understanding of building condition and performance, and related contract and clause management.
• Management of external suppliers/contractors who deliver a wide range of project activities, from design phase onwards.
• Experience and understanding and knowledge of health & safety provision.
• High level management of key suppliers in supporting negotiations, managing/escalating issues, and engaging in key decision making with strategic consequences.
• Interpretation and analysis of data to inform decision making.
• Understanding and complying with Real Estate and related Statutory, Regulatory and Professional requirements.

Qualifications/professional memberships

Desirable

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

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

• 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%

This role is suitable for a hybrid working arrangement, a type of flexible working arrangement, blending a combination of all workplace options (including home) with an office identified as a base and which remains the contractual place of work.  Hybrid working means an employee working part of the week in their DWP office and, part of the week from home.

Hybrid workers will spend a minimum of 40% of their time in the office over a four-week period. 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. This means that colleagues’ experiences of hybrid working will differ.  Also, any employee’s experience of hybrid working could change over time as role requirements and possibly personal circumstances change.

Appointments may be made to candidates in merit order based on location preferences

Job contact :

• Name : Lindsey Chipchase
• Email : lindsey.chipchase@dwp.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dwprecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk