Area Property Operations Manager in Accrington

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). The MoJ Property Directorate brings together a property portfolio including Prisons, Probation, and MoJ HQ and Arm’s Length Bodies. 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 £9.3bn 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.

Are you looking for a high profile, unique, exciting and challenging opportunity to join an award-winning Property Services (PS) team that works in collaboration and partnership with our customers and suppliers? We work on a varied portfolio across the Ministry of Justice and Home Office estate, providing property services to HM Prison and Probation Service, Ministry of Justice headquarters and supporting the Home Office and its departments such as Border Force within the ports and airports. We provide both Hard and Soft Services across the UK, through our integrated supply chains to provide the best possible property services support. PS is a challenging environment in which to work, with interdependencies between the customers, suppliers and users of the estate. It requires good leadership, collaboration and excellent drive and determination. The candidate should be a self-starter, good leader, have personal resilience and excellent customer engagement skills. You will be required to deliver at pace and demonstrate effective application of service delivery management, skills, tools, and techniques. If you have the passion, enthusiasm and skill to be the best Facilities Manager, then joining the Ministry of Justice Property Directorate PS Team is the place for you.

Area Property Operational Managers (APOMS) are responsible for working directly with clients and suppliers, including on regular site visits, to ensure efficient and effective delivery of hard and soft FM services for their portfolio. This is a key contract management role requiring specialist knowledge, with responsibility for overseeing the delivery of the contract and works projects, for defining projects and for technical and statutory assurance. APOMs work alongside Property Operational Managers (POMs) and report directly to Regional Property Operational Managers (RPOMs) for their region. The properties allocated to the role and sometimes the account it focuses on can sometimes be altered over time to meet business demand, providing excellent development opportunities for the post holder.

You will be allocated your nearest base location from the list below:

• The Globe Centre, BB5 0RE
• Aikengill, LA1 4NU
• Layton Cemetery Building, FY3 7BD
• The Neighbourhood Police Office, WN8 8LQ
• Highfield House, BB5 0PX
• Edith Rigby House, PR1 3JE

This is a regional role and you will be expected to attend sites across your portfolio area in the course of your duties on a daily basis.

Responsibilities will include the following:

• Understand your assets and deliver operational strategies, policies and processes in line with operational requirements to manage the delivery of services, payments, and the audit regime.
• Manage day-to-day the contracts across a number of sites within a region through MI data and visual inspections of sites, including checking that work carried out by contractors is in accordance with the contract in terms of quality, compliance, and specification and where appropriate contractors adhere to local and national security strategies.
• Liaise with the supply chain and other MoJ Property teams to proactively understand issues across the portfolio and facilitate improvements.
• Understand the priorities of stakeholders and how they fit into plans and activities.
• Consider whether Early Warning Notices (EWNs) and compensation events are required and advise RPOM accordingly. Monitor to ensure they are being addressed and ensure mitigation plans and risk register are in place and maintained.
• Manage issues (including requests for additional spend, elective new works and changes to scope or specification) to resolution and elevate to RPOMs where necessary.
• Follow the schedule of visits for each asset (to be agreed with RPOM) to discuss performance, issues and update on work orders.
• Engage with the PS supply chain and other MoJ Property teams to ensure legislative and statutory compliance through Health and Safety, business resilience and the provision of fit for purpose accommodation to meet customer needs.
• Ensure that you follow fire risk assessment procedures.
• Ensure that actions relating to inspections and audits are delivered through the contract.
• Work with the technical team, MI and reporting procedures to enable audit, assurance and validation of service delivery including taking accountability for carrying out site audits to departmentally agreed frequency and managing actions that arise from these to ensure statutory, mandatory and contractual compliance.
• Where it applies, manage the transition to the delivery of services to new contracts and operating models.
• Identify the requirement for project works, including contributing to business cases, bids and the procurement process.
• Oversee the delivery of works projects on sites within your portfolio.
• Ensure that waste management/recycling, energy management and biodiversity sustainability strategies are in place and adhered to by contractors.
• Liaise with MoJ Property on the planning and delivery of new builds, refurbishments and change of use across the sites, adhering to statutory planning and legislation.

Customer Management:

• Act as the client’s first point of contact.
• Report MI data on contract performance.
• Engage through site visits, regular communication and running or attending client engagement meetings as appropriate.
• Understand the wider strategic needs and priorities of clients and how they are incorporated into plans and activities.
• Manage supplier issues and complaints to resolution, escalating to RPOMs where necessary.
• Encourage, recognise and share innovative ideas and improvements from customers and other stakeholders.
• Where required, work with the supplier to contribute to the preparation of site contingency and emergency plans and ensure implementation.
• Support operational emergencies by providing technical management assistance and support.
• Develop strong relationships with suppliers.
• Engage with the supply chain to ensure that contracts provide satisfactory delivery and to drive value for money in accordance with business targets.
• Conduct weekly interfaces with suppliers to accelerate issues and scrutinise performance.
• Manage issues to resolution and elevate where necessary to RPOMs.
• Encourage, recognise and share innovative ideas and improvements from both suppliers and other stakeholders.

People & Resource Management:

• Independently monitor your progress and work towards fulfilling objectives within your own development plan.
• Ensure that you are fully compliant with your mandatory learning, competencies and skills & behaviours required to discharge your role.