Head of Capital Development Candidate Information Pack
CONTENTS About the GDST
4
The GDST Estate
6
The Estates Vision and the Estates Programme
8
The Capital Investment Programme
10
The Role
12
Person Specification
17
Application process
20
About the GDST
The Girls’ Day School Trust is the UK’s leading family of independent girls’ schools. In all of our schools, academic excellence is a given – at the GDST we develop character beyond the curriculum. The GDST is a charitable trust which owns and operates 25 schools across England and Wales. Our schools are mainly girls only, with the GDST ethos to ‘reach as many girls as possible’ permeating everything we do. Most schools are Junior, Senior and sixth form, with some having nurseries as well; one of the school’s remains a boarding school. The Council of Trustees oversee the strategic direction of the Trust, with an Executive Board who run the day to day operations, based at the Trust Office in Victoria, London. The Heads of the schools report into the Chief Executive, and all have Directors of Finance and Operation (DFO’s) who help to run the 23 schools and 2 academies. The GDST owns most of its property freehold, although there are certain leasehold landholdings, plus other property retained for investment purposes. There is also an outward bound centre in north Wales. Each of the schools and academies are run separately, with central services including Estates, Finance, HR and IT located in Trust Office. This is also where the strategic Education and Innovation strategy is set, along with most of the teacher and staff training, reinforcing the GDST ethos.
A list of the main schools and sites are given below: 1. Blackheath High School, London 2. Brighton and Hove High School 3. Bromley High School, London 4. Croydon High School 5. Howells School, Llandaff, Cardiff 6. Kensington Prep School 7. Newcastle High School for Girls 8. Northampton High School 9. Northwood College, Middlesex
The GDST Estate
Our Estate is diverse, both geographically and chronologically, with buildings dating back to the 1800’s up to the present day. A significant number of the older properties are listed or locally listed and sit in Conservation Areas. Many of our properties are converted residential buildings, others are purpose built as schools. All of our current schools are in England and Wales and amount to over 200 buildings, predominantly owned by the GDST, plus also Trust Office in central London. Most of our properties are occupied for educational purposes, although some sites also have residential accommodation for staff, in addition to the one boarding school in Bath. Further investment properties are let out to external occupiers.
10. Norwich High School for Girls 11. Nottingham Girls High School 12. Notting Hill & Ealing High School 13. Oxford High School 14. Portsmouth High School 15. Putney High School
16. Royal High School, Bath 17. Sheffield High School 18. Shrewsbury High School
19. South Hampstead High School, London 20. Streatham & Clapham High School, London 21. Sutton High School 22. Sydenham High School 23. Wimbledon High School 24. Belvedere Academy, Liverpool 25. Birkenhead High School Academy, Birkenhead
The Estates Vision
The Estates Programme
Our Estate is the physical representation of the schools and the GDST; with the Estates Strategy a reflection of the Trust’s strategic vision. It is the responsibility of the Estates department to deliver against this context. Although primarily for educational purposes, our schools host numerous events for the school community plus for the wider public benefit within their local communities. We aim to provide an appropriate quality of environments, infrastructure and buildings to support the educational and recreational needs of our schools; working to deliver sustainable and innovative spaces for our students to enjoy, whilst enhancing the GDST’s reputation as a leader in girls education. The GDST is committed to ensuring all of its operations are as sustainable as possible. As such, it is now certified a carbon neutral organisation and currently progressing towards a carbon zero strategy, driven primarily by the Estates team. Sustainability is embedded in all property work, as the estate is evolved towards carbon net zero both in construction and operation.’
Our mission is to provide an integrated customer service, providing strategic leadership and well as technical support and advice across the Estate, ensuring consistency of approach and critically ensuring compliance with all statutory requirements across the Estate at all times. The Estates department under the Director of Estates, hold the delegated responsibility from the Trustees to assure, maintain, enhance and develop the estate to ensure it is fit for purpose to provide innovative education and learning facilities as well as the breadth of functions that allow the schools to operate, including external spaces and sports fields. Our primary aim is to keep our Estate safe for our students, staff, visitors as well as members of the public. The Estates department run a continuous programme of maintenance programmes, minor works, refurbishment and new build projects, varying in scale from £100,000 to over £20 million. Each school also has a delegated maintenance budget, directly managed by the school, used to address minor repair and maintenance works. The Estates team act as the central Technical and Trusted Advisors for the schools, supporting them in all Estates related decision making, scoping and delivery.
The Capital Investment Programme
The GDST invests over £30 million annually in capital programmes across the Estate; based on a prioritisation of compliance and condition related works, educational need, as well as improvement and expansion of the Estate, as appropriate.
Examples of projects recently completed include:
• A new STEAM tower and dining room at Wimbledon High School; • A new Science and Arts facility at Oxford High School; • An extension to Bromley High School; • The refurbishment of Waterlow Hall at South Hampstead High School into a high quality performance space.
Significant projects currently underway include:
• A new integrated carbon net zero designed Junior School building at Notting Hill & Ealing High School, (see CGI images on the next page); • A programme of works at Sutton High School including an extension to the junior school, new refectory and improvements to sports facilities, which aims to target net zero carbon; • Major external refurbishment of Howell’s School listed buildings; • Proposed new sixth form and design technology hub under development; • Fire compliance works programme for all schools.
In parallel, there are a significant number of refurbishment and improvement works across the Estate, infrastructure works and maintenance programmes covering both fabric and mechanical and electrical works.
The post holder will have experience in a construction and property project and programme management role, with a track record of leading a team of project managers to deliver a multi-faceted capital programme. They will have strong reporting and presentation skills and experience of procurement and supply chain management in the construction and property industry. The post holder will follow the GDST Strategic Vision, the emerging Estate Strategy and the school business plans. Accountabilities • Accountable to the Director of Estates for all matters relating to the development of the GDST schools. • Accountable for managing the capital projects team of estates project managers. • Maintaining a level of customer service and accountability that is in line with the requirements of the ethos and governance of the GDST. • Advising on effective construction and development solutions and prioritisation across the 23 schools. • Ensuring best practice in the procurement, award, administration and management of Estate related contracts. • Ensuring the appropriate approach to risk across projects, programmes and the GDST estate. • Advising on the effective management of external supply chain of consultants and contractors delivering products or services to GDST estates related activities. • Ensuring evidence based transparency in terms of decision making for estates related investment.
Head of Capital Development - The Girls’ Day School Trust
Location:
10 Bressenden Place, Westminster, London, SW1E 5AE
Accountable to:
Director of Estates
Grade:
Grade 1
Job Purpose / Background The Estates Department acts on behalf of the Trust and deals with all property related matters to ensure that the Trusts interests and its estate is developed and maintained to agreed standards. The estate consists of 23 schools, two academies and the Trust Office based in Victoria. Reporting to the Director of Estates, the Head of Capital Development leads the realisation of the Trust’s capital programme, with responsibility for leading a team to deliver a circa £30m a year portfolio of new-build, redevelopment and refurbishment projects. As a member of the Estates SLT, this role will be one of the key people responsible for evolving the wider strategic estates strategy across all 25 schools, as well as contributing to the continuous improvement of all estates related matters. The post holder will be a senior member of the Estates team and will demonstrate the behaviours and culture expected of this team which include • Leadership – both directive and supportive • Excellent written and oral communications • A strong Team Player • A collaborative approach to working and to colleagues at TO and in the schools plus with external consultants and contractors; • Utilising the Estate systems and processes to support evidence-based decision making • A technical and trusted advisor to the schools on estates related development.
Key Responsibilities • Supporting the Director of Estates to deliver a professional Estates focused service to the schools, and act as an ‘intelligent client’ to contractors, consultants and supply chain. • Supporting Trust strategy to be leaders in educating girls through Estates and charitable objectives of maximising use of estates assets for the benefit of current and future students. • Hold a thorough technical knowledge base to support and inform best practice and decision making throughout the Trust in order to implement appropriate strategic investment. • Strong leadership and line management of the project management team within the Estates dept. • Plan, prioritise, coordinate and resource planning of projects/tasks; liaising closely with other SLT members and TO colleagues, to ensure effective, customer focussed solutions. • Oversight of all commercial aspects of project delivery – budgeting, forecasting, cost control and reporting – feeding into the PMO. • Ensuring effective collaboration and communication with all GDST stakeholders, in particular Heads of Schools and DFO’s. • Being the key liaison point for estates and GDST colleagues for matters relating to capital development. • Advise on contract and consultant procurement (type, version, standard clauses etc) for Estates projects with the legal team. • Work closely with the estate management team to ensure all capital works are closely aligned with maintenance.
• Work closely with the sustainability team to ensure the design and delivery of estates works minimises the carbon footprint. • Carry out any other duties that are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the role.
Key Relationships • Director of Estates, Head of PMO, Head of Infrastructure and Sustainability, Head of Estate Management, Head of Compliance, Other Executive Directors. • Project & Estate Managers. • School Heads, Directors of Finance & Operations (DFO’s). • Finance, Legal and other members of the Trust Office Directors and Management team. • Outsourced service providers (e.g. professional consultants, contractors etc.).
Person Specification
• Professional, pro-active, ‘can do’ attitude that engenders confidence in the wider Estates team and its capabilities.
• An excellent communicator, both verbal and written.
• A strong collaborator at all levels.
• Ability to generate and maintain stakeholder confidence in you as an individual and in the team as a whole.
• Approach of taking proactive ownership of a situation and seeing it through to a successful conclusion whilst escalating issues when necessary.
• Ability to work effectively and flexibly on own initiative under pressure.
• Excellent negotiating and presentation skills, often to ‘lay’ end users.
• Ability to motivate staff and to manage collaborative team working.
• Ability to create excellent working relationships both internally and externally and manage stakeholders effectively.
• Ability to work outside normal office hours as required.
• Ability to challenge in a constructive manner and develop creative solutions to difficult issues.
• Open and diplomatic approach.
Qualifications / Training
• Experience of working within the education sector.
Education/ Training Essential: • Professionally recognised property or construction related qualification eg. RIBA/RICS and /or • Professionally recognised project management related qualification i.e. BSc Construction Management / MCIOB / APM Desirable : • Relevant postgraduate qualification Relevant Experience Essential: • Substantial experience in programme/ project management, and/or a professional design role such as architecture or engineering.
• Understanding environmental, M&E, sustainability and energy conservation applications and processes.
• Experience of working on the client side of an organisation.
Relevant Skills / Aptitiudes Essential: • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong influencing and negotiation ability.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to effectively manage time and meet deadlines whilst under pressure.
• Strong verbal and numerical reasoning ability.
• Experience of managing staff and project teams.
• Strong analytical and research skills, able to produce technical content and organise material. • Responsible for co-ordinating planning, development, delivery, implementation and organising complex programmes. • Ability to persuade and motivate staff to develop and adopt new working practices, which will require excellent negotiation and influencing skills. • Ability to think strategically but still maintain attention to detail in preparation and delivery of management information to a wide audience. • Ability to effectively use Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, particularly for production of reports. Desirable: • Experience of large asset or project management related database systems. • Lead the facilitation and presentation of complex, sensitive or contentious information to both small and large groups in relation to complex objectives and processes.
• Ability to manage strategic programmes of work, and a number of consecutive, different tasks.
• Ability to manage risks and understand and articulate impacts.
• Ability to develop and influence strategic aims and goals and organise delivery effectively to time, budget and agreed quality standards, both personally and through others. • Experience of financial management across a wide range of project budgets, with proven analytical skills and the ability to collate financial and other information from a range of sources, analyse it, draw conclusions and propose solutions. • Experience of construction contracts, contract management and procurement practices relating to project and service delivery. • Experience of building and maintaining effective working relationships, with the ability to communicate clearly, confidently and persuasively with people at all levels both orally and in writing, including the ability to communicate compiles technical issues to non-technical audiences. Desirable: • Experience of working with multiple projects across a multi-site Estate.
• Experience of working with BIM.
General Requirements
All staff are expected to: • Work towards and support the Trust vision and current objectives outlined in the GDST Strategic Development Plan. • Work within the Trust’s health and safety policy to ensure a safe working environment for staff and visitors. • Work within the GDST’s Diversity Policy to promote equality of opportunity for all staff, both current and prospective. • Maintain high professional standards of attendance, punctuality, appearance, conduct and positive, courteous relations with Trust Office colleagues, Schools staff, external contacts and visitors.
• Engage actively in the performance review process, and training and development opportunities available.
• Adhere to policies as set out in the GDST Council Regulations, Notes of Guidance and GDST circulars. • Undertake other reasonable duties related to the job purpose required from time to time. Other Requirements Essential : • Enhanced DBS check. Circumstances • Full driving licence preferable for travel in support of the duties of the role.
For a confidential conversation please contact our advisors Ben Duffill (ben.duffill@mrgpeople.co.uk) and Nick Coppard (nicholas.coppard@mrgpeople.co.uk) of MRG on 020 3962 9900. Applications should consist of a comprehensive CV and covering letter. Applications should be sent to ben.duffill@mrgpeople.co.uk and nicholas.coppard@mrgpeople.co.uk.
Closing date for applications is 8th May 2022.
• Occasional stay overnight in support of the duties of the role. • Work flexibly as required in support of the duties of the role.
Review and Amendment This job description should be seen as enabling rather than restrictive and will be subject to regular review.
15 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 3AR +44 20 3962 9900
www.mrgpeople.co.uk
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