Estates and IT Manager (Belfast)

Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Departments pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules. The national starting salary is £35,335. The London starting salary is £40,014. Your salary will be dependent on your base location BACKGROUND The Northern Ireland Office supports the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in promoting the best interests of Northern Ireland. We make sure that Northern Ireland interests are represented within the UK Government and that UK government responsibilities are fully and effectively represented in Northern Ireland. We are the centre of expertise on Northern Ireland issues across Government. The Northern Ireland Office employs around 170 staff, with offices in Belfast and London. As a small Department, we adopt a flexible project-based approach to ensure that we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place to support the delivery of our key objectives. Due to our structure and size, we are able to offer extensive exposure to Ministers and the opportunity to work on a far wider portfolio of policy and responsibilities than might be the case in a larger department. This creates an interesting and stimulating work environment. Our key priorities are set out in our Operational Delivery plan and include: Supporting greater inclusion, tolerance and openness in Northern Ireland Contributing to a safer Northern Ireland, where terrorist and paramilitary groups are less able to cause harm to communities Ensuring that governance in Northern Ireland is responsive, transparent and able to deliver effective public service. Addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland For more information about what we do: Visit: ABOUT THE ROLE: The Estates and IT Senior Manager post is a dynamic and multifaceted role that calls for a blend of technical expertise and exceptional interpersonal skills. This position offers the unique chance to join a dedicated team that provides crucial operational services, directly impacting the daily lives of our colleagues. You will oversee the daily management of IT provision across the Department, also acting as the Estates manager for the site. This role presents an exceptional opportunity to gain firsthand experience with a diverse range of IT products and services. You will be required to collaborate with various shared service providers across our key site in Belfast (and at times, our London office) in order to deliver a top quality service to our staff. To excel in this role, the ideal candidate will have a background in delivering IT services in line with industry best practices, strong communication skills, and impeccable attention to detail. Previous experience of estates and facilities management, including Health and Safety matters, would be beneficial. This exciting opportunity is best suited for someone who thrives in a dynamic environment, is proactive, enthusiastic, and prepared to tackle challenges head-on, both with colleagues and third-party suppliers. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The main responsibilities of the role include but are not limited to: Provide IT support to staff through the configuration and allocation of IT equipment, including onboarding and offboarding. Act as the on-site estates lead for Erskine House in Belfast, dealing with issues as they arise and maintaining a close relationship with our facilities management service providers and landlords. Day-to-day management of the Departments relationship with Hillsborough Castle. Management and maintenance of the Departments IT infrastructure and software including laptops, phones, video conferencing systems and specialist software. Day-to-day management of the relationship with third-party IT and facilities suppliers to ensure contracts are managed effectively, faults are logged, and requests are resolved in line with agreed timescales. Responsibility for Health and Safety compliance and emergency incident procedures across both Belfast and London sites. Day-to-day oversight and financial management of the Estates and IT budget including working to ensure the effective processing of invoices and requests. ESSENTIAL CRITERIA: The post holder will need to demonstrate the following in their application and at interview: A minimum of two years within the past five years working in an IT environment. Experience in providing customer-facing services and managing suppliers/contracts. Willingness to obtain SC clearance if not already held. DESIRABLE CRITERIA: Basic experience of networking and supporting common technology services such as MS Office/ Google Apps/ Phones etc Experience in general estates and facilities management Experience in dealing with Health and Safety matters, including a NEBOSH qualification (or similar) or a willingness to gain the qualification in post. This post is considered to be customer-facing and as such, the post holder will be required to attend the office at least four days a week. Requests for flexible working will be considered prior to the commencement of employment. BEHAVIOURS: We will assess you against the following Success Profiles behaviours and strengths for HEO level during the application sift and interview process: Managing a Quality Service (Lead Behaviour) Delivering at Pace Working together Please note that in the event of a large number of applications being received we may run the initial sift on the lead Behaviour, which is Managing a Quality Service. EXPERIENCE: Please provide a CV and a statement of suitability of 500 words. Both will be used in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role. Your statement of suitability needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets the behaviours set out above. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. One narrative example may cover the requirements needed. You dont have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used. Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why. What you can do, the skills you have that are transferable and the life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role. If you dont have work-based examples then give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in. You will also be asked to complete a CV with details of your professional skills and full employment history. Your CV will not be formally assessed so please put the main evidence of your skills into your personal statement. Your CV will be used to add context to your personal statement. More information on behaviours and success profiles can be found here. Please note that in the event of a large number of applications being received we may run the initial sift on the lead Behaviour, Managing a Quality Service. INTERVIEW: You will be assessed against the same behaviours at the interview stage and will be asked to provide examples of how you have demonstrated the behaviours. You will be asked to respond to one strength question in the interview. It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain: WHO- What it was? How you approached the work/situation? What the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? or STAR- What was the Situation? What were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions? Strengths It is difficult to prepare for strength type questions. However, you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role. While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this. If you do not have work-based examples then please give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in. All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit. OFFER Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome by email. Offers will be made in strict merit order to the highest scoring candidate first. The successful candidate will be notified of a start date following successful security checks. Additional information received after the closing date will not be considered. Failure to provide sufficient information in support of an application prior to the closing date will not be considered as grounds for an appeal if an applicant is not shortlisted for interview. SECURITY CLEARANCE: Security Clearance to SC level is required for this post. You can find more information by reviewing the information held in the following links: United Kingdom Security Vetting: Applicant - GOV.UK ( The vetting charter - GOV.UK ( In addition, there is a minimum UK residency requirement set by the Cabinet Office which is dependent on the security level required for the role. This role requires - and to be eligible to apply for this role you should have been present in the UK continuously for the past 5 years. Neither Detached Duty terms nor relocation costs will apply to this post. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. Further Information: Further information about the post may be obtained from the Vacancy Manager, Laura Fretwell, via email to All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit. This job description should not be taken as constituting conditions of employment. Please note that due to the high interest in NIO opportunities, feedback cannot be given if you are unsuccessful at the sift stage. Feedback is available on request if unsuccessful following the interview. COMPLAINTS: The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. Please contact SSCL () in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: RESERVE LISTS: In the event that the advertised post following interview, identifies more appointable applicants than available posts, we may hold applicant details on a merit/reserve list for a period of 12 months from which further future appointments can be made. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact to be removed from the reserve list. Additional Information Working Arrangements & Further Information The NIO offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different NIO sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity. Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyones circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. Flexible working hours The NIO offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. NIO welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the NIOs Flexible Working policy. Benefits: Access to learning and development A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity A Civil Service pension 25 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after five years service. Public Holidays Season Ticket Advance TPBN1_NI