Workplace Services Manager

Job summary

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading significant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost-effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplace services.

Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and grow together:

• Striving for excellence- We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect- We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity- We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together- We rely on each other to achieve success

We are committed to representing the communities we serve by making Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) part of everything we do. Our strong emphasis on EDI is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces. To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth.

We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.

Job description

The Workplace Services Manager is a pivotal position within the Workplace Service Delivery Team. Reporting to the Area Workplace Services Manager, the post holder will have responsibility for coordinating the delivery of high quality customer services for a cluster of sites within an area and/or Hub within the Central region. Passionate about customer service excellence, the successful candidate needs to be able to coordinate business and accommodation support activities within their responsibility and liaise externally with the wider community. This will include but not be limited to:

• Management of contract delivery and change control process' across contracts

• Delivering Workplace Services commercial compliance across contracts

• Strong customer ethos with the ability to build communities, within our GPA managed portfolio supporting customer organisations, between our internal and external communities and their places, and between multiple delivery partner organisations (commercial and non-commercial), and

• Excellent change management to support senior leaders with the transformation of our workplace services

• Experience of workplace and facilities management, including health and safety would be advantageous, with the stakeholder engagement and skills to help customers get the best from their workplaces and the relationships between property, technology, people policies and organisational culture.

Key Responsibilities

You will put customer service excellence at the heart of everything, and:

• Lead, organise and coordinate the delivery of workplace business and accommodation support services within the responsible location(s)
• Be responsible for creating and inspiring the customer community and support the delivery of a workplace that:
• Build strong stakeholder relationships with clients and suppliers, ensuring that continuous and effective engagement is in place
• Be responsible for managing a team of FTE’s either directly and via the supplier organisations, leading and inspiring team members to consistently deliver excellent customer service across our portfolio
• Undertake robust contract management to achieve quality service standards and value for money, exercising commercial terms to drive performance where needed
• Support the Regions Workplace Service Managers and Area workplace Managers in leading the effective integration of new assets, services and teams as part of the ongoing GPA on boarding programme and the delivery of projects in the Hubs and Whitehall Campus programmes
• Have strong organisational skills, a proven track record of managing diverse competing priorities/changing deadlines and are resilient when working in a changing and fast paced environment.
• Utilise the data and information to make decisions and close collaboration with the data team to identify areas of improvement.

Person specification

• Have the capability to be an excellent leader and manager, with experience of identifying and implementing improvements and promoting a culture of a high-performance customer service
• Have the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels
• Creative, innovative and adaptable, and able to evolve as the Agency develops, supporting the Area Workplace Services Manager with any change that needs to be implemented
• Comfortable working in a fast paced environment, dealing with uncertainty and handling a range of challenges competently as they emerge, and
• Experience of leading and/or supporting workplace-related services (hard and soft FM, operational security, ICT services, hospitality, community engagement) ideally with strong commercial skills and competency having the ability to drive a number of stakeholders.

Experience and Technical Skills

• A proven experienced property and/or workplace service management professional with knowledge of asset management, maintenance, customer service and supplier management.
• Analytical mind-set with the ability to assimilate a wide range of data sources to inform decision making.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentational and team working skills.
• Line management experience of managing a small team of employees in some cases remotely
• Persuasive influencer who is able to confidently and articulately make an argument in support of a position.
• Highly organised with demonstrable experience of driving change initiatives in complex matrix environments
• Must be willing and able to travel within the geography of the Region (and occasionally nationally) to deliver the duties and attend management meetings visiting sites not easily accessible by public transport

Qualifications and accreditations

• IWFM qualified or willing to work towards
• Able to demonstrate personal development through continued professional development.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during t