Candidate Information Pack:
Assistant Director (Property and Estate Management)
Executive Summary
Working at the UK Parliament offers a unique and rewarding career at the heart of the UK’s democratic system. With a wide range of roles available, our impartial colleagues enable the day to day running of the House of Commons, House of Lords, and joint departments. Together, we make Parliament happen. The Property and Asset Strategy team lead the strategic development of an integrated property and asset management approach for the estate, managing the lifecycle of the buildings, day-to-day corporate property management and providing advice to the Project Delivery and Maintenance groups. The successful candidate will develop and lead an in- house team, and supporting supply chain, accountable for the property and asset management functions of the Parliament Estate and have professional oversight of estate management, property performance, property running costs, business rates, agency, landlord and tenant transactions. You would support and successfully define optimum (incl. value for money) property and asset strategies for the parliamentary estate, which best responds to the requirements of the Houses’ strategies and supporting functional/customer strategies in the short, medium and long term.
Parliamentary Estate
The Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster, or the Houses of Parliament as it is also known, has changed dramatically over the course of nearly a thousand years of history. Transformed from royal residence to the home of a modern democracy, the architecture and cultural collections of the Palace and the wider Parliamentary Estate have continually evolved, sometimes by design, sometimes through accident or attack. The 1,100-room Palace dates from the mid-1800s and is now one of the most iconic and significant buildings in the world. The Palace is now a Grade I listed building and, with Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church, forms part of the UNESCO Westminster World Heritage Site. One of the most recognised buildings in the world, the Palace of Westminster owes its stunning Gothic architecture to the 19th century architect Sir Charles Barry. The Palace contains a fascinating mixture of both ancient and modern buildings, and houses an iconic collection of furnishings, archives and works of art. Westminster Hall is the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate. What makes it such an astonishing building is not simply its great size and the magnificence of its roof, but its central role in British history. In and around the Hall, grew up the major institutions of the British state: Parliament, the law courts and various government offices. Big Ben The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell but the name was first given to the Great Bell. The Elizabeth Tower, which stands at the north end of the Houses of Parliament, was completed in 1859 and the Great Clock started on 31 May, with the Great Bell’s strikes heard for the first time on 11 July and the quarter bells first chimed on 7 September.
The Northern Estate Increasing demand for space has meant the Parliamentary Estate now extends well beyond the Palace of Westminster. It includes a collection of Grade 1, 2 and 2* listed buildings, located between the Embankment and Parliament St, including the Norman Shaw buildings that were originally used by the Metropolitan Police. The more northerly building was actually the first building to be called New Scotland Yard in 1890. The Southern Estate The Southern Estate consists of a number of buildings occupied by the House of Lords, including Millbank House, a Grade 2* listed building designed by architect W D Caröe for the Church Commissioners as their headquarters on the island site bounded by Millbank, Great Peter Street, Great College Street and Little College Street. Over the years the separate parts of the buildings have been integrated together with the final section at 5 Great College Street now incorporated into the overall island site, forming a single building with full circulation throughout. Fielden House is located on Great College Street, behind Millbank House, which opened in 2023. St James Campus This includes a number of buildings in the St James area of Westminster occupied by House of Commons staff.
Our Values The House Service is proud of our organisational values, which will deliver our strategy. We are looking for people who can bring these values to life.
Inclusive: We value everyone equally; We respect each other; We all have a voice.
Collaborative: We share our knowledge and experience; We work towards a shared vision; We know we work better in a partnership. Trusted: We trust each other to do a good job; We are impartial; We build confidence in Parliament with our integrity. Courageous: We try new things; We own our actions and decisions; We learn from our mistakes.
Job Description
The Team The Property and Asset Strategy team lead the strategic development of an integrated property and asset management approach for the estate, managing the lifecycle of the buildings, day-to-day corporate property management and providing advice to the Project Delivery and Maintenance groups. Property and Asset Strategy has a core of expert in-house technical staff providing continuity, direction and support to colleagues, consultants, and contractors, and represents the estate with key external bodies. It is staffed by professionals covering Property, Architecture and Conservation, Fire Engineering, Environment Sustainability, Building Services Engineering, Electronics, Control Systems Engineering, Asset Management, Information Management and Interior Design and Workspace.
The Role
Job Title: Assistant Director (Property and Estate Management) Salary: £68,900 - £81,879 (Pay Band A1)
Develop, mentor and support their team members, fostering an environment that encourages personal development and enables individual members of staff to achieve their potential.
Leadership and strategic planning The successful candidate will develop and lead an in-house team, and supporting supply chain, accountable for the property and asset management functions of the Parliament Estate and have professional oversight of estate management, property performance, property running costs, business rates, agency, landlord and tenant transactions. Support and successfully define optimum (incl. value for money) property and asset strategies for the parliamentary estate, which best responds to the requirements of the Houses’ strategies and supporting functional/customer strategies in the short, medium and long term. Support the Director of Property and Asset Strategy & Portfolio, as required to assist in the delivery of business plan objectives and Houses’ strategies. Consult and build relationships with the heads of a variety of in-house departments and Clerks of Domestic Committees of both Houses to translate new requests into practical, value-for-money projects. Work with other Assistant Directors across Strategic Estates to keep an up-to-date and live database of cross cutting lessons learned, typical risks and post project evaluations. Staff management and development Responsible for the good management and welfare of their team, ensuring that all human resources practices and procedures comply with the staff handbook and ‘Good Manager’ guide. Promotes proactive communication and teamwork through regular departmental meetings/briefings. Ensures that all staff understand the department and Directorate’s objectives, and their own role in achieving them.
Motivate, lead and inspire their team through regular ‘Coach & Focus’ appraisals and 1:1’s.
Hours: Full Time Contract Type/Duration: Permanent Security Clearance Type: Counter Terrorism Check (CTC)
Lead and actively participate in teamwork events and activities.
Ensure equality of opportunity and access to learning and development.
Act as first line of escalation in the event of difficulties arising in a project/ BAU managed by direct reports, supervising, managing and providing support as required. Act as an oversight manager and role model to the team demonstrating best practice. Personal quality assurance review of documentation produced by their team to check for errors, accuracy and compliance/consistency with the agreed standards policies and procedures of both Houses. Managing the quality review process for members of their team. Other duties To undertake any other duties within their competence as directed by the Director Property of Asset Strategy & Portfolio Directors. The precise duties and responsibilities of this job may be expected to change over time. The job holder will be consulted over any proposed changes to this job description before implementation.
Parliament Working at the UK Parliament offers a unique and rewarding career at the heart of the UK’s democratic system. With a wide range of roles available, our impartial colleagues enable the day to day running of the House of Commons, House of Lords, and joint departments. Together, we make Parliament happen.
Key Responsibilities • Manage, lead and mentor a team of Estate Surveyors & Town Planners, ensuring that they meet and deliver requirements of the Houses’ property estate strategy, driving efficiency and ensuring property transaction represent value for money, not limited to:- o Strategic acquisitions and disposals. o Landlord/tenant management. o Manage the relationship with Parliaments Legal Advisors, both internal and external to achieve these objectives. o Support the Houses in Town Planning, Listed Building & licence discussions and negotiations. o Evaluate workplace options to support option appraisals and property solutions including acquisitions, disposals, and relocation planning.
Stakeholders • Assure that the Property & Asset Strategy team fosters and owns the external stakeholder relationships for to meet our obligations and associated responsibilities for the property and asset management of the Parliamentary Estate, as well as representation for Parliament’s membership of the State Party for the UNESCO Westminster World heritage site. • Assure Parliament that the appropriate standards have been adopted and complied with during project delivery. • Manage defined elements of the interface with the Strategic Programmes. • Represent SE on committees including member bodies, working groups, review panels and meetings, to advise on relevant strategies and interventions.
• Oversee the regular financial & programme reporting and budgetary control of works within the post holder’s control, ensuring the timely and accurate submission of monthly team forecasts and reporting any exceptions and suggested mitigations as soon as they arise. • Preparation of reports to Committees or to Boards of the authorities of either House, and attend these as required by the Director of Property and Asset Strategy. • Ensure that completed works and documentation are in accordance with approved scope and meets agreed standards. • Keep abreast and disseminate new legislation, industry best practice and guidance notes, policy, and business changes, recommending and implementing any changes or altering business. • Management responsibility will vary and will be dependent on the size and nature of workload but will include line management duties.
o Lead the relationship with in-house legal counsel and external legal property advisers. • Develop, implement, and contribute towards strategies for property including the property asset management plan, estate Masterplan & Development Framework (and sub-strategies) including carrying out property asset reviews of current and future supply and demand, and to underpin risk-based decision making. • Support the collation, analysis and presentation of key property data contributing to strategic decisions; ensure the accurate and timely submission of reports and annual returns to external agencies. • Embed a positive culture of continual improvement and ensure collaborative working between all members of the Property and Asset Strategy team to deliver improvement in the property management processes. • Annual capital budget and forecasting responsibility.
Person Specification
Qualifications Chartered or equivalent, member or fellow of a recognised professional body.
• Ensure diversity and inclusion, motivation and good practise cascades through the team, and that objectives and outcomes are achieved. • Proven ability to operate and thrive in an environment of uncertainty and ambiguity, supporting others to operate and thrive by demonstrating leadership open-mindedness, innovation, and curiosity. • Demonstrable track record building capability in individuals, multi-disciplinary teams, and team leaders to meet current and future business needs. • Experienced developing structured plans across a range of activities, monitoring progress towards achieving strategic objectives and priorities, securing and maximising the use of available resources. • Experienced ensuring business decisions are aligned with overall Strategic Plans, including financial management and business planning accountability within a relevant environment. • Commitment to the health, safety, and wellbeing of others. • Experience of working within a heritage or/and campus environment. • Understanding of public procurement regulations and practices. • Contract management experience.
Experience, Skills and Knowledge Substantial experience of: • Developing long term, sustainable development plans to support effective efficient and responsible estate development. • Extensive experience of successfully leading technical asset development strategies in complex-built environment portfolios. • Proven track record applying a rang of analytical techniques using numerical data and other information from a range of sources to understand complex issues, make strategic decisions, and deliver process improvements and innovation. • Evidence of experience influencing others to achieve objectives at senior level, whilst maintaining relationships. • Proven ability to explain complex or sensitive information to senior leaders and stakeholders using a variety of channels, in a concise, understandable, and meaningful way. • Demonstrable experience of understanding the needs of the internal or external clients and leads others to embed approaches in support of this commitment. • Evidence of a demonstrable ability and drive
to lead, motivate, empower, and coach a leadership team of professional heads.
Benefits and Support
House of Commons pension You’ll be eligible for the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) from the day you join. Loans In order to support our staff, we offer the following House of Commons loans: • Season ticket and/or bicycle loan for transport into work • Rental deposit loan Cycle to Work scheme The Cycle to Work scheme is a Government- supported initiative aimed at promoting healthier journeys to work and reducing environmental pollution. Not only does it help you reduce your carbon footprint and increase your fitness, it also allows you to spread out the cost of buying a new bike, as well as saving on Income Tax and National Insurance. Learning and development opportunities and sponsorship for professional qualifications All staff, managers and leaders can access development to help them thrive, perform and develop at work. From workshops, online resources, career coaching, study leave, apprenticeships and grants, everyone at the House of Commons has an opportunity for personal and career growth through learning. We support professional qualifications and apprenticeships, including time off for study leave for certain qualifications.
Health and wellbeing service Our in-house Parliamentary Health and Wellbeing Service provides advice and guidance to support good health at work. Services available to staff and managers include: • Occupational health • Mental health and wellbeing support • Clinical Nurse – drop-in clinic for ill health and minor treatment • Access to an on-site GP. This service is available to all staff whether on the Estate or working remotely • Annual flu vaccination clinic available to all staff • Health and wellbeing annual programme of events • On-Site support from our Parliamentary Mental Health First Aider network Disability and workplace adjustments We support staff with a range of workplace adjustments, physical or otherwise, help with obstacles relating to mental health and physical or non-physical requirements. Common adjustments include: • Assistive technology – such as software or hardware • Speech recognition software or large computer screens • Ergonomics – such as chairs and standing desk
House of Commons gym membership Access to a subsidised gym located on the estate on a full membership or pay as you go basis, with a network of over 100 leisure centres across the UK. Catering services You’ll have access to a range of cafés, bars and restaurants catering for all preferences and budgets in both traditional and contemporary surroundings. House of Commons nursery The House of Commons Nursery is a modern, welcoming facility with capacity for 40 children aged from three months to five years.
We’re proud to be able to offer our people a range of attractive benefits and support. Hybrid Working Our mission is to support a thriving parliamentary democracy – and today more than ever, this means being ready to carry out our essential functions in Westminster and elsewhere. Since 2020 our workforce is involved in developing new, business resilient capabilities for hybrid working. We support colleagues to deliver excellent services on the Parliamentary Estate and remotely, while the balance of location varies according to the requirements of each job role. Annual leave 30 days annual leave per annum, increasing to 35 days after the first full leave year, plus Bank Holidays (pro rata for anyone working part time). Eligible staff may apply to buy or sell up to a maximum of five days leave during the annual leave year. Special leave Staff who are members of the auxiliary or reserve forces may be allowed leave to attend training courses or camps. If you receive a call-up notice, special leave will be granted for the period of your absence. This will usually be unpaid.
Caring responsibilities A variety of leave options including: • Maternity, Paternity, Shared Parental and Adoption
• Caring leave • Special Leave
Application Process
The UK Parliament is being supported on this recruitment campaign by The Management Recruitment Group.
To arrange a briefing discussion, please contact our advisor at MRG:
Stephanie Howe stephanie.howe@mrgglobal.com
Applications should consist of a CV and cover note and should be sent to stephanie.howe@mrgglobal.com
The closing date for applications is Sunday 12th January 2025.
The first stage interviews will take place on Thursday 30th January 2025, with the second stage interviews on Thursday 6th February 2025.
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