Area Estates Operations Lead (North west England, Wales and the Marches)
| Posting date: | 11 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £55,557 to £66,058 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 27 July 2025 |
| Location: | Pontypridd |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 415445/1 |
Summary
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is one of the government’s largest public service departments with a sizeable annual budget, serving over 20 million citizens.
The estate spans 1.4 million square metres across 800+ sites and supports around 78,000 colleagues.
Our vision includes DWP colleagues, supply chain, partners and, most fundamentally, the customers the Department exists to serve. They are the reason for our existence.
We are responsible for the day-to-day operation of our vast Estate by managing a private sector supply chain that delivers essential services such as Security Guarding, Maintenance, Property and Leasehold Management, Construction, Cleaning and Facilities Management.
DWP Estates is not just about maintaining buildings - it’s about transformation. Our strategic goals include:
- Transitioning to a smaller, more affordable, and adaptable estate to meet future needs
- Investing in infrastructure through planned replacement works
- Embedding sustainability in line with Government Greening Commitments (GGCs)
- Delivering cost-effective services while maintaining high standards
- Creating a professional, best-in-class working culture across the Government Property profession
Our Estates strategy ambitions have been refreshed to take us through to 2030:
• OPTIMISE: Continue to transition to a more affordable and adaptable DWP estate that creates productive environments
• INVEST: Investment in an improved environment that better meets the needs of customers and colleagues and minimises service disruption
• SUPPORT the drive for sustainability throughout DWP
• DELIVER: Expertly deliver improving, cost-effective services for DWP
• THRIVE: Continue to develop a working culture for DWP Estates that is best in class across government
There is no better time to join the award winning DWP Estates team.
This senior management position will support operational engagement, oversight, query resolution and act as an escalation point for all Estates related services, working in close partnership with the Integrator to ensure everyone clearly understand and owns their roles, responsibilities and business priorities.
** Location - The successful candidate can be based in Manchester, Blackpool, Pontypridd or any location with space in the regions specified (North West, Wales or the Marches) no other locations will be considered **
Key accountabilities
- Act as the senior stakeholder in performance management of the supply chain members, supporting the Supply Chain Manager team. Own the operational relationship across the designated regions with the supply chain members. Act as the National lead from operational management perspective, at the regular key supply chain members meetings to drive service delivery and performance.
- Ensure the field team effectively manage and address any compliance issues relating to supply chain members, providing senior stakeholder input as required. Supply Chain Management team and then escalating in accordance with SLA (e.g. H&S, compliance, risk assessments, asset maintenance, etc.) . Review of management information to identify improvement opportunities and trends and deploying and utilizing subject matter expertise within the team to drive improvements at either site, regional or national level.
- Drive innovation and service and process improvements across the portfolio, maximising expertise from the supply chain.
- Works closely with key business stakeholders at a National level and the supply chain to identify and prioritise key service delivery initiatives, ensure those initiatives are completed in a practical, expedient manner and ensures the delivery of high quality day-to-day support levels.
- Ensures all supply chain members develop operational strategies, policies and procedures in line with DWP's operational, compliance and H&S requirements. Ensure portfolio is well managed and maintained across all regions, in partnership with the supply chain members. Manage plans and activities in your area of work and ensure they reflect wider strategic priorities and that are well communicated with senior leaders to influence future strategies.
- Using extensive and pan-regional view, provide relevant information and advice to support Subject Matter Experts in Estates to meet the needs of the business, relating to strategic planning, compliance and policy. Ensure that any business driven or estates led projects are supported by the Field Team, ensuring that all Estates stakeholders are informed and engaged.
- Oversee delivery of annual service improvement plan ensuring that it reflects customer feedback and is communicated fully to key stakeholders within defined geographical area.
- Contributing to and approving development of changes to operating processes in partnership with the supply chain members to improve service. Ensure the supplier service matrix across designated Regions is accurate and reflective of change, supporting the management of service changes.
- Manage the field team to ensure project planning, mobilisation and delivery is supported and ensure smooth transition to BAU, minimizing any impact to customers.
- Ensure, through direct reports, that there is an incident management process across designated portfolio and that there are appropriate procedures and processes in place to ensure remedial action. Effectively manage the Field Team and the supplier partners to respond to crisis and incidents. Engage senior stakeholders as appropriate and deal with escalations or required improvements/changes.
- Review and approve costs within Delegated Financial Authority, seeking savings and value for money at all times. Ensure that audits and validation of estimates, application for payments and invoices are undertaken where required. Ensure that Financial Governance rules are being adhered to across the team, obtaining support from DWP Estates Cost Management team for respective service lines.
- Be aware of allocated annual budgets and manage Estate portfolio within budget envelope, when making decisions be aware of impacts against financial forecasts and escalate accordingly to Senior Manager.
- Acts as the National escalation point for issues raised across the regional sites and troubleshoot significant operations/service delivery issues in support of the business. Demonstrating positive customer service by understanding the complexity and diversity of customer needs and expectations.
- Act as a national lead role in customer liaison working closely with business and regional management, and key stakeholders nationally and on a regional basis, delivering a high quality, efficient and cost effective service by considering a broad range of methods for delivery.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme