Head of Workplace and Facilities Management

Are you a property professional with considerable experience of building environments and leading strategic and operational Facilities Management across a large portfolio of buildings?

Would you relish an opportunity to shape the Department for Transport’s (DfT) future Workplace and evolving spaces strategies?

If so, we have a fantastic opportunity for a Property Professional to join our Workplace, Facilities Management and Sustainability team, and we would love to hear from you!

Our Group Property provides property leadership across the Department for Transport’s (DfT) agencies and arms-length bodies (ALB) and has direct responsibility for the Department’s central estate covering the whole property lifecycle.

We manage the DfT property portfolio to maximise value, reduce costs and increase returns. Working in our team isn’t just about property, it’s about people, the new transport infrastructure that we enable, and the vital services our buildings support. We also contribute to wider government goals such as ‘levelling up’ through releasing surplus land to support new homes, jobs and public value.

As Head of Workplace and Facilities Management, you will lead our team that provides professional management for a national office estate of 150,000sqm and 3,400 staff, and property and workplace advice to Ministers and senior partners. You will be accountable for the operational delivery of these services across the estate, and driving a culture of service excellence through continuous improvements and commercially sound decisions relating to all aspects of property. This will include ensuring fit for purpose buildings and great workplace experience, by delivering efficient and effective services to meet customer needs and balancing the delivery of the Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) to support business objectives and ways of working.

Our team is also responsible for delivering Facilities Management and workplace related cross government strategies and the delivery of our office accommodation nationally.

You will also lead on creating, maintaining and implementing sustainability strategy and policy within a property context across the DfT Group and Arm's Length Bodies. You will lead on enabling the department to achieve cross government sustainability aims, including the Greening Government Commitments, and engage with cross government green networks to align departmental work where appropriate and share best practice.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Providing leadership and direction to the facilities and workplace function with oversight of all facilities services, property management and projects related to operational delivery for the portfolio.
• Leading and managing the Sustainability function, including collaboration with other Government Departments to define and shape Government Property best practice, and across business areas and the ALB to influence business strategies.
• Collaborating with multiple senior leaders to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction, playing a pivotal role in customer liaison, and working collaboratively to ensure a high quality of service.
• Managing interfaces with stakeholders including colleagues in the DfT Change team to ensure that workplaces support ways of working.
• Developing a programme of work and suitable governance arrangements to improve workplace quality and standards.
• Accountability for implementing our health and safety agenda across all areas of the organisation, which complies with all legislative requirements and policies to ensure a safe working environment for all staff and customers.
• Collaborating with colleagues in other teams to ensure the security of our buildings.
• Ensuring best value objectives are met through procurement and cost improvement projects.
• Building and managing multi-disciplinary services teams, empowering teams and individuals to create an environment of excellent delivery and driving inclusive and diverse behaviours.
• Direct line management responsibilities for three G7 colleagues within a team of circa eight people.