Assistant Workplace Services Manager

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate. We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. We are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading significant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost-effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplace services. Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged.

Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and grow together:

• Striving for excellence - We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect - We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity - We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together - We rely on each other to achieve success

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.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.

The Assistant Workplace Manager is a pivotal position within the Workplace Service Delivery Team. Reporting to and supporting the Workplace Management, the post holder will be the face of Workplace Services to the customers, suppliers and GPA stakeholders across their designated sites within one of four GPA operational regions (North, Central, South and London).

The Assistant Workplace Manager is responsible for first line engagement with workplace service supplier’s contractor delivery, and customer/stakeholder relationships in the everyday BAU management of workplace services throughout your designated properties. The role is the daily face to customers, and our supplier partners. The post holder will be responsible for resolving customer issues and complaints from client organisations or those arising from the helpdesk, escalating as necessary to workplace manager and wider GPA directorates to ensure timely action. The role may also oversee the delivery of low value resource projects and provide information to help define and deliver capital projects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for understanding and delivering operational processes required to manage the delivery of services, payments and audit regime.
• Responsible for the effective management of all delegated spend within agreed internal governance procedures.
• Review and audit delegated sites, highlighting issues with suppliers, ensuring a high quality of service for prestigious sites.
• Responsible for ensuring appropriate internal governance procedures are implemented in procuring and authorising spend to ensure appropriate value for money and contract delivery.
• Responsible for BAU day to day management of workplace suppliers service delivery and ensuring agreed delivery standards are met, alongside business requirements/H&S/value for money and procurement guidelines.
• Ensuring that remedial action is taken where this is not the case.
• Undertaking supplier audits including but not limited to performance audits, cleaning and work orders.
• Undertaking site visits required to manage service as required, completing a full site audit of each premise under their responsibility once a year, resolving issues where possible.
• Resolving customer issues and complaints, escalating when appropriate to Workplace Manager.
• Ensuring suppliers provide proposals for lifecycle replacement and planned maintenance work at a property level and retain oversight of any agreed actions.
• Managing rechargeable works i.e., work that is requested by the customer that is outside the fixed price element of the Workplace Services contract, reactive work, and new works, cost management and reporting to the WS Service Lead.
• Actively maintains trackers and information repositories to support auditable trains and reconciliation processes.
• Liaising with the wider GPA stakeholders as required to seek advice / guidance.
• Monitoring of reactive and project spends and reporting against budget.
• Reviewing and updating, as required, contractual service details for each property via agreed variation/scheduling and commercial process; ensuring data accurately reflected on relevant systems.
• Utilise management information for audit, assurance and validation of service purposes and to direct physical checks and as leverage with suppliers to focus any improvement in processes, specifications or services.
• Supports the provision of information to enable responses to FOIs and PQs within the set timescales.
• Responsible for incident management and reporting for sites within scope.
• Implements change initiatives at sites within remit on time and to the expected quality standards, this includes managing suppliers to deliver these where required.
• Deputise for the Workplace Manager where required.
• Any other reasonable and authorised request to support business needs.

External Interfaces:

• Managing external interfaces e.g., landlord's services provided under a service charge in conjunction with GPA Asset Management, and internal interfaces, with Security, IT etc.
• Managing delivery of minor works and churn projects (lower value / less complex projects) and escalation of higher value / more complex projects to Projects team.
• Ensuring all relevant stakeholders have been identified and liaising accordingly to ensure local customer requirements for works/small projects are fed into project definition.
• Providing local knowledge to GPA Asset management in their liaison with landlords / managing agents on service deficiencies and other matters.
• Identify opportunities to deliver portfolio strategic and individual property efficiency, sustainability and environmental savings.
• Provide support to Projects team in obtaining landlords’ approval for projects delegated to the regional teams.