Environmental Compliance Lead Officer - Legionella and Radon in Dundonald

The post-holder will be required to work flexibly in order to successfully carry out the role.

Grade/Scale: Senior Principal Officer (1) | NJC pts 45 - 48 | £56,677 - £59,855 per annum

Additional Information: Base location to be agreed with the Senior Environmental and Fire Risk Compliance Manager and expected to travel throughout NI in support of schools and services in accordance with the duties of the post.

Service area: Facilities Management – Quality, Safety, Health and Environment (QSHE)

Responsible to: Senior Environmental and Fire Risk Compliance Manager

Responsible for: The post holder will have direct line management responsibility for 7 Legionella and Radon Specialists and overall leadership responsibility for a large, diverse and geographically dispersed team of approximately 25-30 professional and technical contractors to ensure effective delivery of the EA Legionella and Radon Management Strategy across the Education Authority.

Job Purpose: The overall purpose of the role is to lead, manage and develop the Legionella and Radon aspect of the Authority’s EFRC service. As a key member of the EFRC Team, the Environmental Compliance Lead Officer – Legionella and Radon is accountable for the provision of an effective and efficient Legionella and Radon Management Service which complies with statutory requirements and relevant legislation, to a diverse number of locations across the NI Educational Estate.

A key focus of the role is to ensure that service delivery is focused on fostering and driving continuous improvement in meeting the needs of EA Services and Schools. The post holder will manage the transformational change and will implement new structures, strategy, policy, procedures and processes for the service.

The Environmental Compliance Lead Officer – Legionella and Radon will work with EA colleagues, Schools across all sectors, Department of Education (DE), Suppliers, External Stakeholders including HSENI to ensure continuous service improvement and delivery on key performance priorities.

The post-holder will establish ownership and accountability for the challenges the service faces and work to improve the management of Legionella and Radon in order to deliver the statutory responsibilities of EA.

This will require ongoing liaison as identified above with External Stakeholders and Trade Unions to ensure that current and emerging legislative priorities are embedded in the programme of work to be delivered by the service.

The Environmental Compliance Lead Officer – Legionella and Radon will advise and support the Senior EFRC Manager in the development of the strategic direction for these services and will work closely with other senior EA colleagues and the Corporate Leadership Team within the EA to ensure that all Legislative and Organisational priorities are clearly identified and communicated in line with Service requirements.

The Environmental Compliance Lead Officer - Legionella and Radon will be expected to provide strong leadership and direction to ensure the significant ongoing change and harmonisation process to create and implement a fit for purpose Legionella and Radon Management function.

In acting as an integral member of the EFRC Team, the post holder is required to fully contribute to all Legionella and Radon Management issues related to the corporate plan, operational business plan, service development proposals, savings proposals and risk register to ensure that the Directorate operational plans support the overall strategic direction of the Authority and the achievement of its objectives in line with its vision, mission and values.

As part of DE’s Transformation of Education and the EA’s Transformation Programme, it is recognised that EFRC and the services which it provides will play a key role both within the Facilities Management Division, across the Operations and Estates Directorate and the wider EA.

Service reviews are required in specific areas and this work will be required to develop as part of the transformational change programme in future years. Future development of services will also be an important aspect of this work.

Leadership and management responsibilities

The Post-holder has the following leadership responsibilities for this portfolio of services:

• Setting Vision and Strategy
• Work with the Senior EFRC Manager to establish, maintain and communicate a clear and compelling strategic direction for the service.
• Contribute to the development of a strategic plan for the Senior EFRC Manager and lead on the development of the service-specific business plan.
• Translate the Corporate vision into service-specific direction.
• Lead the regionalisation and transformation of the service, and all related processes and procedures.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of new policies in line with strategic direction.
• Contribute to the management of the EFRC Service, attending Executive Team and Board meetings as required by the Senior EFRC Manager.
• Challenge conventional approaches, harness new approaches and technology and maximise efficiencies.

Managing the Organisation to Deliver

• Manage service delivery effectively to ensure that the service achieves the highest possible standards of performance and focuses on the needs of internal and external customers.
• Agree service performance targets with the Senior EFRC Manager and provide regular progress reports.
• Develop, agree and implement a robust annual operational plan for the service.
• Delegate responsibilities and deploy staff according to their skills and abilities to meet the needs of the service.
• Regularly monitor and review plans and make adjustments as required.
• Manage and continuously improve the service to ensure delivery against performance targets, and to ensure that best value for money is achieved.
• Ensure that the service contributes to overall Directorate and Corporate performance as appropriate and provide update reports as required.
• Ensure that the Senior EFRC Manager receives high quality service-specific advice.
• Apply resources effectively across the service to maximise the delivery of front-line services.
• Consider the financial implications relating to effective models of service delivery and contribute to the successful achievement of the Savings Delivery Plan.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legal, regulatory and statutory performance requirements.
• Manage the service budget in accordance with all relevant financial policy and procedures.
• Monitor the financial position of the service and report regularly to the Senior EFRC Manager.
• Follow agreed measures to deliver the service within budget, and take immediate corrective action as required.
• Contribute effectively to quality and performance management systems and ensure that the service is being managed as per the requirements of these systems.
• Ensure that employees within the service team are provided with clear structure, roles and responsibilities and are supported to work in an integrated way.
• Focus on addressing key workforce issues including recruitment, employee engagement, retention and training and development.
• Investigate all complaints and adverse incidents where outcomes are below expected standards.
• Establish effective and rigorous quality assurance systems to maintain high standards.

Leadership

• Work closely with the Senior EFRC Manager to provide the service with leadership and direction ensuring that corporate, directorate and service performance standards are achieved.
• Promote the ethos and values of the authority and ensure that the service is focused on customer needs.
• Foster a culture that supports achievement of the authority’s Strategic Plan by role modelling core values and leadership behaviours to staff in the service.
• Lead/manage and communicate change and improvement initiatives within the service.
• Lead, manage and develop staff within the service.
• Encourage staff involvement and engagement in the strategic development and operational delivery of the service.
• Actively encourage teamwork and self-development, and create opportunities to maximise individuals’ potential, stimulate innovation and connection at all levels with front line services.
• Promote a positive culture of performance management within the service through individual and small-team accountability.
• Foster a culture of constructive feedback and learning, and a genuine commitment to regular and effective appraisals.
• Prepare and deliver reports on behalf of the Authority as required.

Building Relationships and Working with Others

• Build and maintain effective, professional and respectful stakeholder relationships.
• Ensure efficient and effective internal communication with staff in the service.
• Work closely with partner organisations, the Senior EFRC Manager /Head of QSHE and colleagues to benchmark services and lead/manage and monitor change.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships and clear lines of communication with other Heads of Service within the Directorate and in other Directorates.
• Develop and maintain clear lines of communication and effective working partnerships with relevant external stakeholders and service user groups.
• Lead on/manage engagement with staff, schools and the public on major changes in the service that may affect them.
• Work with external agencies; for example, education sector partner organisations, to identify opportunities for joint working that might bring greater consistency across the sector, and/or improve efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.

Service-specific responsibilities

• Support the Senior EFRC Manager in leading responsibilities listed below:
• Provide clear, strategic leadership to staff within the Legionella and Radon team to ensure the wider EFRC Service has a highly skilled, flexible and motivated workforce.
• Contribute to the development of an EA Legionella and Radon Management strategy underpinning policies and be responsible for the implementation of supporting actions in the area of Legionella and Radon Management.
• Devise and implement effective systems to monitor, measure, control and report on the work of the service to take account of changes in the internal and external environments, which may impact on and influence priorities and needs.
• Ensure that corporate Legionella and Radon priorities are delivered to a high quality, provide value for money, support the delivery of Departmental policy and are consistent and integrated in approach across all areas of the EA.
• Ensure that feasibility studies and other technical input to capital business cases are sufficiently robust and meet Departmental requirements.
• Be responsible for the delivery of significant transformational projects / initiatives / programmes, including digital transformation programmes to achieve service-wide business objectives and meet customer expectations.
• Have overall responsibility for the project management of all Legionella and Radon related projects in line with time, cost, quality and sustainability targets.
• Ensure compliance with all best practice guidelines, legislation, regulatory inspection matters, Departmental directives and other statutory requirements.
• Advise the Senior EFRC Manager on compliance with and effectiveness of all memorandums of agreement for the provision of services to partners in education and other sectors.
• Meet with and respond to enquiries and complaints from parents, school principals, Board members, MLAs, MPs and other public representatives on all issues relating to service delivery, including correspondence, AQs, FOIs and the like.
• Publicly represent and act on behalf of the EA in engagement and negotiation with school principals, boards of governors, senior civil servants, MPs, MLAs, industry groups and leaders in private sector organisations on high-level, complex matters including those relating to policy.
• Support the Senior EFRC Manager with staff training and development.
• Support the Senior EFRC Manager with recruiting, managing, mentoring and developing placement students, graduates and interns.
• Deputise for the Senior EFRC Manager as required.
• Work closely with Service Managers across the directorate and wider EA to ensure that all services are integral to the delivery of an efficient and effective Legionella and Radon Management service.
• Co-ordinate and prepare DMT, CLT, EA Board and Committee papers as required, to include Business Cases.
• Co-ordinate responses to Assembly Questions, Freedom of Information requests and complaints relating to the work of the Directorate as requested.
• Support the Senior EFRC Manager to fulfil the EA’s statutory responsibilities under for example The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17), GDPR and Equality legislation.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders as required.
• Contribute to emerging service developments and service reviews as required.
• Liaise with the HR directorate regarding recruitment and selection processes and participate in selection panels as required.
• Manage and co-ordinate the deployment of staff resources and negotiate reallocation of resources across EA as required.
• Manage the delivery of an effective and efficient Legionella and Radon Management service to ensure ongoing development and implementation of a robust Legionella and Radon strategy across the Estate.
• Comply with EA policies and procedures in relation to the duties and responsibilities of the post.
• Any such other duties that the EA may from time to time require.

This job description will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works.

In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), the post-holder is expected to promote good relations, equality of opportunity and pay due regard for equality legislation at all times.