Role: Estates Lead and Strategy Support Manager

Business: Office of Public Guardian (OPG)

Location: Birmingham or Nottingham

Grade: SEO

Salary: £42,914 - £46,182

Contract Type: Permanent

Minimum Hours: 16 hours is the minimum requirement for part time

Organisational Overview

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) protects people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, such as about their health and finance. We are an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), set up in 2007 following the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act of 2005.

OPG is responsible for registering lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and enduring powers of attorney (EPA) and supervising deputies who are appointed by the Court of Protection.

OPG is a fantastic place to work offering a range of development opportunities. The OPG is a disability confident employer and is committed to developing a supportive and inclusive environment that reflects the diverse community we serve.

OPG is currently delivering an ambitious transformation programme. This will change the way we provide services and help us meet the growing needs of our users, partners and our stakeholders. It will make sure our users experience a better level of support and will help us to respond to the changing needs of society. Transformation will ensure we can better support adults at risk and create high-quality services that are accessible and affordable.

Team Overview

The OPG Estates and Health & Safety function sits within the Strategy and Central Services Directorate and has two separate teams present at both Embankment House in Nottingham and Victoria Square House in Birmingham.

The teams ensure the smooth and efficient operation of our estates on a day-to-day basis. We manage contractors and suppliers to deliver essential facilities services such as workplace maintenance, property and leasehold, cleaning, and facilities management. We also provide physical security services, managing pass access and overseeing and responding to physical security incidents. Many of these services are business critical and we cannot safely open our offices without them.

We are also responsible for ensuring organisational compliance with health and safety regulations, supporting staff to undertake Display Screen Assessments, and monitoring and responding to health & safety incidents in the office.

Duties and Responsibilities

This is a challenging and fast-paced post, which will have responsibility for managing our teams at Embankment House and Victoria Square House and ensuring efficient delivery of our Estates & H&S services.

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

• Oversight of the Facilities and H&S teams and direct line management of up to three staff, coaching and mentoring them and ensuring that staff are valued and supported to deliver their best at work.

• Be a visible leader, providing specialist advice in terms of health and safety and facilities to senior management and staff across the business when required.

• Responsibility for the delivery of BAU Facilities and H&S services, ensuring that our offices remain operational and safe for staff use.

• Support the Head of Estates with the wider strategic Estates workstreams which will include development the Future OPG Estates Strategy.

• Support the Head of Estates with delivery of OPG’s 2029 estates move, contributing towards effective planning to ensure the right accommodation is found for OPG.

• Work closely with wider OPG stakeholders to respond to emerging requirements and challenges relating to Facilities and Health & Safety in a timely manner.

• Proactively contribute to wider improvement initiatives across OPG such as change initiatives, diversity and inclusion and other programmes.

Agreed Expectations

The successful candidate will be expected to work from their base location on a daily basis in line with current Civil Service requirements, outside of any reasonable adjustments.

The successful candidate will also be expected to travel between Birmingham and Nottingham regularly.

Skills & Qualifications

Essential Skills

• Experience in facilities management (Lead Criteria at Sift)

• Strong leadership skills, including the ability to build and oversee diverse and inclusive teams.

• Experience of health and safety principles

• Good communication planning and organisational skills

• IOSH / NEBOSH qualified (or willing to work towards) or IWFM qualified (level 3) (or willing to work towards)

• Experience of developing close beneficial relationships with stakeholders and customers to understand and manage their needs and expectations.

Desirable Skills

• Project Management skills

• Membership of IWFM

Application process

This recruitment will follow the Civil Service Success Profile process. Candidates will be expected to provide a Personal Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words in support of your application based on essential.

In the event of a high number of applications, the lead criteria will be Experience in facilities management

Interview Process

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will use the Civil Service Success Profiles. At interview, candidates should expect questions on:

• Strengths relevant to the role

• The following Behaviours at Level 3:

  • Leadership (Lead criteria at Interview)

  • Communicating and Influencing

  • Managing a Quality Service

  • Delivering at Pace

Please note: ‘Leadership Behaviour" has been marked as a lead behaviour at Interview stage, and we reserve right to score this as a priority if the number of candidates is high.

All interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Reasonable Adjustments

At OPG we consider all applications on the basis of merit and want you to feel able to demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any reasonable adjustments for any aspect of the selection process, do not hesitate to get in contact with us.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. If you are applying for a role within OPG and would like to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the selection process.

For further information on benefits of working for OPG, such as our Flexible Working Policy and a FAQ, please check the candidate information pack attached to this advert.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, we may offer you an alternative role at the same or lower grade should one be available.