Client Surveying Manager

About Us:
THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE POWER OF LISTENING
 
Growth, Planning and Housing in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories, where little things can have a huge impact on people’s lives.
 
Take Mitin, our Head of Estates Services. Mitin’s team is responsible for cleaning, gardening and bulk refuse removal across several housing estates where many of our residents require a greater degree of assistance. It’s not just about keeping our blocks and estates shipshape, it’s about human contact and letting residents know that we care.
 
Mitin’s team contribute to our Smart City commitment and make full use of new technology to help track and solve problems such as fly tipping and graffiti. But what many residents value most is his ability to listen. For example, when residents were telling him about carrying out gardening improvements and the positive impact that it has on their wellbeing, he and his team engaged with residents, working closely with them to give them garden areas they could be proud of and a vibrant community.
 
Mitin is immensely proud of the relationships he’s built with residents, not only because it helps them feel proud of where they live in a greener and cleaner city, but because it makes him proud of where he works.

The Role:
As a Client Surveying Manager you can make your own powerful contribution to Westminster’s success. Helping to define our five year investment programme and the scope of individual projects, you’ll be responsible for managing a team of surveyors who lead the briefing process for all new projects. These will be delivered via Term Partnering Contracts, which is a relatively new delivery model for us, and involves each Partnering Contractor taking responsibility for the design and delivery of major refurbishment works.
 
You’ll have a technically-focused role as you manage projects through RIBA Stages 0 (Strategic Definition) and 1-2 (Preparation & Brief), and monitor and review the lessons learnt from previously completed projects. You’ll also ensure that our Capital Programme delivery team and the Partnering Contractors are briefed regarding the scope and performance of design works for each project, and lead the process for bringing together key technical information.
 
You’ll have a wide range of additional responsibilities – amongst these will be the management of technical issues relating to the planning of projects, including general building refurbishment and, possibly, elements of M&E works. You’ll also need to accommodate specific works relating to condensation and fire strategy. Another key task will involve supporting the Senior Client Programme Manager in the strategic decision-making and monitoring of works programmed in the Housing Revenue Account business plan.
 
About You:
With a degree in a relevant subject or an equivalent qualification in building surveying, engineering, construction management or a related specialisation, we’d prefer you to have Chartered status of the RICS, CIOB, CIBSE or a similar organisation. It’s important that you possess experience of working collaboratively either with or for a Building Consultancy, and of managing a team of surveying professionals in the delivery of a multi-million pound annual programme of planned maintenance.
 
We’ll expect you to have practical knowledge of building surveying or project management environments, and of delivering medium value, high impact construction projects to time, cost and quality standards. It’s also important that you possess a thorough understanding of the implications of the Landlord and Tenant Act and how this affects leaseholder responsibilities, and the ability to ascertain improvement works and the liability of each element of work that has been identified.
 
You’ll have a flexible approach to everything you turn your hand to, and the ability to question proposals and ensure they offer value for money. Capable of quickly understanding complex and multi-faceted initiatives, we’ll expect you to appreciate how the political landscape affects the delivery of real estate projects. You’ll also possess the ability to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction by delivering schemes to time, quality and cost, and your excellent interpersonal and communication skills will give you the confidence to work closely with senior managers and a wide range of stakeholders.
 
The Council is committed to achieving diverse shortlists to support our desire to increase the number of staff from underrepresented groups in our workforce. We especially encourage applications from a global majority background and, while the role is open to all applicants, we will utilise the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 to appoint a candidate from a global majority background where there is a choice between two candidates of equal merit. If you are from a Global Majority background, you can self-declare this to the hiring manager as part of our positive action commitments.

What We Offer:
Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.
 
At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit  https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties
 
As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.
 
The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.

Closing date: 19 March 2024.

Vetting requirements: Standard DBS Check 

Contact details for Informal discussion: Gavin Ridgewell, Senior Asset Strategy Manager, via email: GRIDGEWELL1@WESTMINSTER.GOV.UK

To apply for this role, please click the 'apply' button today.