View Vacancy - Estates Manager – Corporate Services (20/22 PTA)

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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)
Estates

Main purpose of job:
This is an exciting job that offers the incumbent the opportunity to contribute to the wider Corporate Services (CS) function in the British High Commission, specifically in the area of Estates. Main responsibilities include:

  • Delivery of the key tasks in relation to the effective maintenance of the British High Commission’s Estate across South Africa, comprising both offices and residential accommodation
  • Managing the operational delivery of the estates functions within the team including the line management of the Estates Officers
  • The position involves managing of the estates team duties around rental payments, accommodation searches, managing furniture and appliances, utility payments, maintenance payments, maintenance scheduling, general maintenance, health and safety checks and works in properties and offices. In also includes inventories and other tasks
  • Engaging contractors, including negotiating around contracts and works projects, ensuring value for money and effective contract management. 
    Planning, monitoring and managing expenditure through Estates budgets
  • One of the main focuses is customer service, ensuring that the estates team is providing a professional service to all clients, maintaining quality standards and seeking and acting on feedback from customers
  • Close working with the British High Commission’s Security and Technical Works teams to ensure the effective implementation of: projects, reactive works, and preventative maintenance; processes around the arrival and departure of British Diplomats; general estate procurement including furnishings and appliances; work to maintain health & safety standards; and, procedures to manage and deploy maintenance personnel to works

Roles and responsibilities:

The below roles and responsibilities are general guidelines. They are not limited to the detail below and are subject to change from time to time subject to priorities and changes in policy.

  • Together with the other Estates Managers oversee health & safety related issues across the British High Commission’s properties/ offices throughout South Africa to ensure full compliance with current British High Commission policy comprising both UK and local legislation/ regulations, working closely with the Technical Works team
  • Planning, forecasting, monitoring and using effectively the maintenance and furnishings budgets and all estate related expenditure in the British High Commission
  • Lead and effectively line manage the Estate teams, together with the other Estates Managers, ensuring high quality delivery of all Estates work within the overall team, including resolving promptly issues
  • Delivering individual and team performance management, making sure SMART objectives are set and followed, and all performance appraisals are completed on time and in line with performance management policy and best practice.  Effective remote management of teams based at office locations beyond Pretoria
  • Ensure visibility and accessibility to all network stakeholders and customers at all times.  Travel to other locations in SA will be required to manage effectively colleagues based elsewhere, and to visit/ plan projects, plan and oversee maintenance programmes, and for liaison with diplomats and spouses
  • By delivering through others, ensuring that:  data on the Estates IT applications is well maintained and reports are run on a monthly basis to identify missing data;  and,  estates related invoices are paid in a timely fashion and POs are raised and receipted in accordance with the P2P process including avoidance of any retrospective purchasing
  • Ensure Value for Money (VFM) is continually sought and achieved with all suppliers, contractors and maintenance/ furnishing purchases 
  • Ensuring delivery against the preventative maintenance contracts that have been procured and flagging issues to the head of department to be addressed at quarterly review meetings
  • Regular review, including through others in the team, of the supplier optimisation list to ensure we have sufficient suppliers to deliver on key estates works. This will need to cover locations in Cape Town and Gauteng
  • Other General corporate service team tasks as required to assist covering absences and demanding periods
  • Collecting regular feedback on the team’s performance and using the tools available to monitor delivery of works from both the team and the suppliers we use and implementing actions to ensure continuous improvement of the performance of the team and its overall delivery
  • Identifying risks within the delivery model for the estates. Mitigating against fraud risks. Ensure the team are maintaining proper records and inventories of all estates and stores/ stock related activity

Resources managed:

  • Line Management of the members of the Estate team
  • Together with the Head of Department help ensure effective spend against a maintenance budget of £2 million

  • Line management experience or able to demonstrate the ability to manage staff well
  • Budget management – the ability to work with allocated budget forecasts and spend in accordance with the agreed forecast
  • Valid Driver’s License
  • Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and excellent customer service
  • Professional and with exceptional integrity
  • Procurement experience
  • Experience in Project Management
  • Experience in property and/or facilities management
  • Experience in health & safety issues in building/ properties/ offices
Changing and Improving, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Working Together, Developing Self and Others
26 May 2022
Executive Officer (EO)
Permanent
Africa
South Africa
Pretoria
British High Commission
R 23,997.87
1 July 2022

The British High Commission pays in full for the Key Care Plus option on Discovery Health for staff including spouses/partners and dependants.

  • Once you have successfully completed your probation the British High Commission will contribute 9% of your monthly salary to a Provident Fund.
  • Annual leave entitlement of 25 days
  • Working hours per week of 36.5

Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.

  • Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
  • The British High Commission will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
  • Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Pretoria are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in South Africa.
  • All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit. 
  • The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to;
  • Obtain the relevant permit
  • Pay fees for the permit
  • Make arrangements to relocate
  • Meet the costs to relocation 
  • The British High Commission do not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so. 
  • Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
  • Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profilesPlease note:  AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5 
  • Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
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This opportunity is closed to applications.