Estate Officer

The RFCA NI Estate Officer plays a significant role in assisting the oversight and support of the management and assurance of Hard and Soft FM services in support of users of the Volunteer Estate, including Reserves and Cadets., We are responsible for:

· Providing regional advice on behalf of the UK’s volunteer reserve forces and cadets.

· Working with the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force to deliver support to the reserves and cadets against Service Level Agreements.

· Establishing and maintaining links within the Northern Ireland community.

· Delivering employer engagement on behalf of Defence.

· Managing the volunteer estate through the maintenance and support of reserve training centres, cadet centres and training areas., Estate Officer Grade: EO Department: Estates Reporting To: Estate Manager Location: 25 Windsor Park, Belfast, BT9 6FR

General Description of Role

The RFCA Northern Ireland Estate Officer plays a significant role in assisting the oversight and support of the management and assurance of Hard and Soft[1] FM services in support of the users of the Volunteer Estate, including Reserves and Cadets. The role will include liaising with site contacts, assisting in contract assurance, facilitating site meetings and works and vehicle fleet management.

Reporting to the Estate Manager, the Estate Officer will be expected to work closely with customers, industry partners, CRFCA and other stakeholders on a day-to-day basis to assure delivery of Hard and Soft FM services to the estate enabling it to be utilised to its fullest extent. This will include the oversight and support of all aspects of the delivery of day-to-day Hard and Soft FM services and undertaking assurance of maintenance/Billable Works and acting as a point of contact to ensure customer needs are met.

The Estate Officer will be expected to deputise for the Estate Manager as required.

Principal Areas of Accountability, Tasks and Duties

1. Leadership and Management:

a. Carry out line management duties ensuring that staff effectively meet their objectives and achieve their professional goals.

b. Ensure direct report is compliant with mandatory training requirements appropriate to their role, including continuous professional development.

c. Demonstrate a personal commitment to the aims and objectives of the RFCA.

1. Communication/Engagement and Stakeholder Management:

a. Act as point of contact for their area of responsibility, proactively addressing internal and external stakeholders’ concerns and issues, ensuring they are effectively addressed and/or escalated. Ensure all stakeholders are kept informed of the status of the concerns and issues raised.

b. Develop and maintain open, honest and collaborative working relationships with customers and industry partners.

c. Ensure customers remain fully informed on all aspects of service delivery.

d. Ensure compliance with CRFCA and RFCA corporate approaches.

1. Programme management:

a. Support the adoption of a programme management approach, including working closely with the Estate Manager, customers and industry partners in respect of Billable Works projects, supporting the development of the Statement of Need and assurance of completed works.

b. Support the review and monitoring of progress of Billable Works, escalating any issues using the respective Early Warning, Recompense Events, Supplier Non-Performance, Defects, and risk management processes.

c. Work with customers to identify future requirements to support the development of future Billable Works plans.

1. Contract/Performance Management, Reporting and Assurance:

a. Carry out the delegated assuranceduties and responsibilities on behalf of the Estate Manager, working closely with the industry partners on the preselected Hard FM works orders and tasks, to include Work in Progress, Retrospective Audits, PPM, Grounds Maintenance and Asset File Checks, as required under Practitioner Guide EM02.

b. Ensure Health and Safety compliance of Hard FM industry partner deliverables in accordance with SFG20 and SOP19/02 reporting and escalating any instances of non-compliance to the Estate Manager as necessary.

c. Identify matters falling short of the contracted standards and escalate to Estate Manager any concerns that cannot be mitigated at a local level.

d. Address matters falling short of the contracted standards and escalate to Estate Manager any concerns that cannot be mitigated at a local level.

e. Support the identification of opportunities for exploiting benefits of the contract in the delivery of Hard FM services.

f. Ensure customers receive regular reports on the delivery of Hard FM services to their respective area of responsibility.

g. As required, support all meetings with industry partners and/or customers as laid down in the contract to support the effective delivery of Hard FM services.

h. Provide support to the Senior Estate Manager in the execution of the Property Change Form process.

1. Financial management: a. Ensure Financial Propriety for all T&S transactions and other manpower associated delegations under your control is maintained, including record keeping and audit requirements as required.

2. Staff management responsibilities:

a. Line Manager for the Admin Support, as required.

1. Budgetary responsibilities:

a. May occasionally have delegated budget responsibilities for small projects and/or Soft FM items., In addition to regular visits to sites within the RFCA area, this role may require occasional travel throughout the UK to other sites.

Skills & Behaviours (EO grade) (Success Profiles – Civil Service Behaviours)

· Seeing the Big Picture – Understand how your work and the work of your team supports wider objectives and meets the diverse needs of stakeholders. Keep up to date with the issues that affect your work area. Take a keen interest in expanding knowledge in areas related to your work. Focus on overall goals and not just specific tasks to meet priorities.

· Changing and Improving – Regularly review own and team’s work and take the initiative to suggest ideas to make improvements. Give feedback on changes in a constructive manner. Take a positive, open approach to the possibility of change and encourage others to do the same. Help others to understand changes and the reasons they are being put in place. Identify and act on the effects changes are having on your role and that of the team. Look for ways to use technology to achieve efficient and effective results. Consider accessibility needs of the diverse range of end users.

· Making Effective Decisions – Take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner. Analyse and research further information to support decisions. Talk to relevant people to get advice and information when unsure how to proceed. Explain how decisions have been reached in a clear and concise way, both verbally and in writing. Demonstrate the consideration of all options, costs, risks and wider implications, including the diverse needs of end users and any accessibility requirements.

· Leadership – Show pride and passion for your work and positive, inclusive engagement with your team. Understand your areas of responsibility and display awareness of the wider impact of your actions. Proactively role model and promote an inclusive workplace, promptly dealing with inappropriate language and behaviours when they arise, including any instances of discrimination or misconduct. Give praise and credit to colleagues and stakeholders where appropriate.

· Communicating and Influencing – Communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. Take time to consider the best communication channel to use for the audience, including making the best of digital resources and considering value for money. Interact with others in an enthusiastic way. Express ideas clearly and with respect for others. Listen to and value different ideas, views and ways of working. Respond constructively and objectively to comments and questions. Handle challenging conversations with confidence and sensitivity.

· Working Together – Develop a range of contacts outside own team and identify opportunities to share knowledge, information and learning. Show genuine interest when listening to others. Contribute to an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges are listened to and all individual needs are taken into account. Ensure it is clear that bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable. Offer support and help to colleagues when in need, including consideration of your own and their wellbeing. Change ways of working to aid cooperation within and between teams in order to achieve results.

· Developing Self and Others – Identify gaps in own and team’s skills and knowledge. Set and consistently meet development objectives. Seek learning opportunities. Support the development plans of all colleagues, recognising how diversity of experience/background can help to build an inclusive team culture. Consider the contributions of all team members and delegate work to aid the learning and development of all. Encourage and listen to developmental feedback from colleagues.

· Managing a Quality Service – Work with customers to understand their needs and expectations. Create clear plans and set priorities which meet the needs of both the customer and the business. Clearly explain to customers what can be done. Keep colleagues and stakeholders fully informed of plans, possibilities and progress. Identify common problems that affect service, report them and find possible solutions. Deliver good customer service which balances quality and cost effectiveness.

· Delivering at Pace – Regularly review the success of activities in the team to identify barriers to progress or challenging objectives. Identify who and what is required to ensure success, set clear goals and areas of responsibility and continually assess workloads considering individual needs. Follow relevant policies, procedures and legislation to complete your work. Ensure colleagues have the correct tools and resources available to them to do their jobs. Have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite any setbacks. Regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary. Ensure that colleagues are supported where tasks are challenging.

Applications are invited for an Estate Officer with the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for Northern Ireland (RFCA NI). This full time Crown Service (Civil Service grade HEO equivalent) post is available for an immediate start., The successful applicant will have good inter-personal skills and experience of working with customers to identify and quantify needs in a Hard FM environment., The successful candidate will be required to serve a probationary period of six months and final confirmation of the appointment is dependent upon the satisfactory completion of this probationary period. The successful candidate will be required to be Security Cleared (SC)., The skills and training identified below represent those required on appointment or within a short time scale (up to 12 months) from appointment to this position. Complete in-house:

a. DIO Service Delivery Infrastructure Management System (IMS) – modules applicable to role

b. ISO 44001 Collaborative Business Relationships Management

c. Finance Certificate Foundation v1.10

d. Commercial Awareness and (where mandated) Managing Defence Contracts Online Training (MDCOLT)

e. Asbestos Awareness

f. Legionella Awareness and ACOP L8 (BS6) – for Service Manager Representative (L8 Duty Holder)

g. Dangerous Substances Explosive Atmosphere Regulations (DSEAR) Awareness, a. Essential

(1) Experience of working with customers to identify and quantify needs in a Hard FM environment.

(2) Good interpersonal skills.

b. Desirable

(1) Experience in customer relationship management and stakeholder liaison.

1. Government Property Career Framework Requirements (Workforce & FM – Facilities Management Practitioner):

[_A = Awareness; W = Working; P = Practitioner; __E = Expert]_

· Property Professional Expertise (W)

· Customer and Client Service (P)

· Stakeholder Engagement (W)

· Strategy and Business Planning (A)

· Analytical Decision Making (A)

· Technology and Innovation (A)

· Sustainable Practice (W)

· Commercial Acumen (A)

· Property Programme and Project Management (A)

· Health and Safety, Compliance and Inclusion (W)

1. Professional membership:

Hold or be willing to work towards associate level membership of relevant professional body or have equivalent relevant experience.

The salary for the appointment at commencement is £28,300 per annum plus a Northern Ireland Allowance of £750 per annum. The successful candidate will be eligible to elect to join the Council of RFCAs pension scheme. This is a Career Average Revalued Earnings scheme (CARE).

The successful candidate will be entitled to 25 days’ annual leave entitlement on appointment, plus bank holidays. (Annual leave entitlement increases by 1 day per year up to 30 days; those with 5 years’ prior service with HM Forces/OGD will start with 30 days’ entitlement.), · Salary of £28,300 plus Northern Ireland allowance of £750 pa

· Pension Scheme 5% Employee and 13% Employer

· Annual Leave 25 Days (rising by up to 5 days for reckonable service) plus bank holidays

· Hybrid working is negotiable, with up to 2 days working from home

· Bonus Scheme

· Support for further training and CPD

A full job description is available from ni-adminao@rfca.org.uk., Applications should be received no later than Thursday 24th October 2024 and should be sent by email to ni-adminao@rfca.org.uk marked "Estate Officer Application". The shortlist of applicants called for interview will be notified shortly after this date.

Applications should comprise:

· A completed application form (available on request from: ni-adminao@rfca.org.uk)., Interested Candidates are asked to submit a completed application form and covering letter by noon on Thursday 24th October 2024. They may be sent by mail to RFCA for Northern Ireland, 25 Windsor Park, Belfast, BT9 6FR, FAO Business Administrator, or emailed to: ni-adminao@rfca.org.uk.

(Application forms are available from ni-adminao@rfca.org.uk. The covering letter should explain the applicant’s motivation for applying for the role and outline their suitability and eligibility.)