Deputy Director Scientific Facilities in London

This role is based at either our scientific campuses in Colindale (London) or Porton Down (Salisbury) with the expectation of regular travel to our other sites including Leeds and Glasgow. We offer a hybrid working model for this position.

The Scientific Facilities and Performance Directorate is responsible for the safe, effective and resilient operation of UKHSA’s core scientific estate. The Directorate leads strategic transformation and capital delivery programmes, oversees business management functions, and provides operational performance insight across the group.

Based within the Scientific Facilities and Performance Directorate, the Deputy Director – Scientific Facilities is responsible for operational site management, security, engineering services, media services and other site services at our three main UKHSA scientific campuses at Colindale, Porton and Chilton, as well as sites at Leeds and Glasgow. The role holder must support our specialist functions to deliver our services safely and effectively. This includes collaborating with a matrix of stakeholders including:

• Scientific functional leads and their teams which operate at each site.
• Corporate leads including the Finance Business Partner, HR Business Partner, Health & Safety, and Security leads.
• The Deputy Director for Workplace, and Health and Safety.
• UKHSA Health Security Campus programme.
• Leadership within other Groups which use our sites.

The scientific campuses provide critical national infrastructure, and this role will advise and work with peers to maintain these designations. The role holder must ensure the sites are robust, safe, sustainable, compliant, and adaptable, and that they are available to meet UKHSA’s strategic priorities. The role requires strategic leadership and the ability to inspire others, particularly when navigating complex change whilst supporting the welfare and wellbeing of staff, and ensuring our sites meet the diverse needs of our people. Additionally, our sites must operate with consideration to the environmental impact e.g. waste, access by public transport, utilities, noise, emissions etc.

To effectively discharge their duties the Deputy Director for Scientific Facilities will maintain frequent attendance and visibility at all three main campuses, with regular travel to Leeds and Glasgow. The role requires a building engineering background of specialist estate management or a scientific technical background with comprehensive experience of the operation of specialist scientific facilities such as high containment microbiology laboratory operation.

The role holder must ensure the following requirements are met:

• Sites are properly maintained and suitable for operational use.
• Each site has a 5-year plan in place to ensure enduring suitability for operational delivery.
• All legal, statutory and contractual requirements are adhered to.
• Sites are managed and maintained by suitably qualified staff.
• Government property standards are met and best practice is always strived for.
• Resources are prioritised to ensure responsibilities are discharged in a timely manner and to an appropriate and/or required standard.
• Contracts for site support, security, estates management and engineering services are in place and always planned for in relation to expiring arrangements.
• Contracts are arranged according to best practice and to deliver high quality services with value for taxpayers, working with Commercial and Corporate teams to achieve this.
• At each scientific campus site a lead person from the Scientific Facilities Division is in place to ensure day-to-day responsibility for the safety and security of staff and visitors and a first point of contact for issues on the site.
• The team must keep staff and visitors informed about the operation of the site, liaising with the designated Site Lead should an issue occur, to include where serious enough to potentially be an incident where formal response may be required.
• Common standards and arrangements are applied across all sites to ensure consistent quality and safety of service is achieved.
• Commercial and Corporate teams are collaborated with and that UKHSA’s policies and procedures for property are adhered to.
• Site asset plans for all three campuses (and associated sites) are maintained.
• Effectively integrate the development, day to day operations, and business continuity activities of all UKHSA and contractor teams at scientific campus sites, to enable the most efficient and effective provision of essential utilities and other support services required to provide and maintain UKHSA operations.
• Actively support and provide input to the specifications, design and delivery of the new Health Security Campus.
• It is expected the role holder will prioritise scientific facilities resource where needed to ensure the successful delivery of this core UKHSA programme.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level in an Engineering, Scientific, or comparable discipline, including a relevant professional registration/qualification.
• Evidence of relevant continuing professional development qualifications.
• Educated to PhD level in an Engineering, Scientific, Medical or equivalent discipline.

Knowledge and Experience

• Significant experience in providing building management, operations and engineering of a scientific estate, operational public health or health related services at a senior level.
• Experience in the leadership and management of a science focused or other relevant specialist campus, including engineering, hard and soft facilities management, health and safety, media production and site security.
• Expertise which links to this and relates to microbiology, epidemiology, chemicals, radiation, or nuclear science will be beneficial.
• Experience of managing significant revenue and capital projects to time, cost, and quality, including negotiation in tender processes and knowledge of complex Government Frameworks.
• Experience of overseeing regulatory and compliance, operational quality and safe sites, from development of policy through to implementation and monitoring.
• Knowledge and experience of working under regulations and standards associated with the operation of scientific campus sites.
• Proven working knowledge and experience of site and laboratory health & safety and compliance regulations.

Skills and Capabilities

• Leadership of operational services for a national organisation.
• Evidence of managing major change and delivering major works successfully and positively.
• Proven skill in people management in mobilising and motivating multi-disciplinary teams to learn, develop and deliver to high standards.

Equality and Diversity

An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems.