Direct Labour and Maintenance Manager in Chester

Department - Building Services Team (Estate Management Dept)

Primary location - Eaton Estate, Chester

Contract type - Permanent

Working pattern - Full Time, on-site, 40 hours per week Mon - Fri

Main purpose of role

The primary purpose of the role is to lead and manage the direct labour team in the delivery of projects, reactive maintenance and planned maintenance activities across the Eaton Estate. The role holds lead responsibility for the effective planning, procurement, resource management and delivery of works undertaken by the direct labour team, ensuring that activities are carried out safely, efficiently and to the required quality, cost and programme standards. Working closely with the Director of Building Services, the team’s in-house building surveyors and wider estate management colleagues, the role supports the delivery of operational and strategic estate objectives through proactive coordination of maintenance and minor works activity. The role requires a proactive, self‑motivated individual with strong experience across construction and the built environment, capable of setting and upholding appropriate standards across the Estate. It plays a key role in shaping processes and systems to ensure the effective delivery of projects by the direct labour team and the delivery of reactive and planned maintenance activities across the estate. The role also carries significant responsibility for the management and oversight of the Estate’s consultant and contractor supply chain in relation to building maintenance.

Key responsibilities

• Oversight and delivery of all projects identified for delivery by the in-house direct labour team comprising carpenters, masons, labourers and electricians.
• Oversight and delivery of specific planned maintenance projects as directed by department head and estate management team colleagues.
• Oversight of reactive maintenance activities and line management of reactive maintenance manager.
• Quality assurance (clerk of works role) in support of wider Building Services Team project and maintenance activities.
• To ensure H&S responsibilities are fulfilled, including:
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, health and safety regulations, and industry best practices.
• To have responsibility for personal safety and the safety of others.
• To ensure that all H&S responsibilities are fulfilled and that safety and welfare is maintained.
• Plan enough time for work to be done in a healthy and safe way.
• To assume delegated authority to take aversive/proactive action where appropriate to prevent a potential situation escalating to an accident or health and safety failure.
• Prepare, update and communicate all required RAMS for direct labour team activities.
• Manage PPE and safety equipment requirements of the direct labour team.
• Manage and oversee the servicing of all direct labour team assets, vehicles and equipment.
• Manage and oversee occupational health monitoring and actions arising in relation to the direct labour team.
• Management of environmental compliance requirements including waste management.
• Manage and oversee occupational training delivery for all direct labour team operatives.
• Full compliance with RAMS, PUWER, CDM and estate H&S procedures across all direct labour equipment and activities.
• Liaise with Health and Safety representatives for incidents/accidents/ill-health investigations, carry out training needs analysis and arranging training, plan for and provide suitable and sufficient resources to meet policy requirements.
• Manage maintenance and compliance records and documentation for audit and reporting purposes.
• To assist with audit processes with a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Lead, attend and input into team meetings.
• To complete any other duties as required from time to time.
• The role may require additional travel from the principal location from time to time.
• The role will require the employee to be available out of hours on an emergency basis and as a result it is anticipated that the role will be housed in an estate property for better performance of duties.
• Some weekend work may be required from time to time.

Essential skills and attributes:

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Recognised trade qualification (e.g. City & Guilds, NVQ Level 3 or 4 in a construction trade or maintenance operations).
• Relevant management / professional qualification within the construction and built environment sector.
• Strong technical competence in construction and maintenance.
• Demonstrable knowledge and competence in understanding and discharging legal responsibilities relating to construction, maintenance and property management.
• Full driving licence.

Project Delivery

• Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise workloads and manage competing demands.
• Demonstrates commercial awareness, including budget control, value for money and delivery to agreed financial targets.
• Delivers high‑quality outcomes to agreed programmes while operating within time and budget constraints.
• Applies specialist expertise effectively, maintaining up‑to‑date technical knowledge and awareness of relevant legislation and best practice.

Personal Attributes

• Self‑motivated and capable of working autonomously to achieve agreed objectives.
• Strong problem‑solving skills with a proactive, solutions‑focused mindset and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage, influence and build positive working relationships.
• Adapts confidently to change, managing uncertainty and supporting the communication and implementation of new ideas.
• Committed to continuous learning and professional development, actively seeking to capture and share knowledge.
• Communicates with clarity and focus, differentiating clearly between fact, opinion and professional judgement.
• Plans and organises work effectively by setting standards, developing processes and monitoring performance.
• Demonstrates integrity, professionalism and a strong customer‑focused approach in all interactions.

All employees must uphold the shared values of Grosvenor:

• Integrity, be honest, fair and open.
• Trust, be loyal, reliable and deliver on commitments.
• Respect, be inclusive, straightforward, collaborative, caring and thoughtful.

Key performance indicators

• Works Programme Delivery – Delivery of agreed works / planned projects to programme, cost and quality targets.
• Reactive Maintenance Performance – Percentage of reactive jobs responded to and resolved within agreed SLA targets (by priority band).
• Health & Safety Performance – reportable incidents; audit reports.
• Quality of Workmanship – Low defect and re‑attendance rates on completed works; acceptable outcomes at inspection and handover.
• Resource Utilisation & Productivity – Effective deployment of direct labour resource.
• Cost Control– Delivery of works within approved budgets and accurate, timely internal labour and materials recharges.
• Statutory & Compliance Works Completion – Completion of statutory, compliance and safety‑critical duties within required timescales and without escalation.
• Customer & Stakeholder Satisfaction – Positive feedback from tenants, estate teams and internal clients on responsiveness, communication and quality of delivery.
• Contractor Interface & Integration – Effective coordination of contractors working alongside direct labour to maintain safe, efficient and coordinated site delivery.
• Data, Reporting & Forecasting – Timely and reliable reporting of work volumes, progress, costs and emerging risks to support proactive decision‑making by department head and estate senior leadership team.

For the better performance of duties, this role will be housed within the vicinity of the Eaton Estate in an Estate property.