Candidate Information Pack:
Deputy Director - Maintenance Operations
Executive Summary
The Parliamentary Maintenance Services Team (PMST) is a team of approximately 250 directly employed House staff and contractors. This team maintains the Parliamentary Estate (Commons & Lords) buildings, engineering systems and furnishings in order to ensure a fully functioning, safe working environment for the many thousands of people for who work in and visit Parliament and ensure the buildings are equipped for the demands of the 21st century. Consisting of buildings that range from the historic Palace of Westminster to the modern Portcullis House, the estate is located within a UNESCO World Heritage site and spans four conservation areas and is about to embark on a significant restoration programme. PMST enable the key functions of Parliament to take place, working directly with other teams to support the important work of both Houses, including Security; Digital; Safety; Catering; Service Delivery and Strategic Estates. This is a critical senior level role in PMST with a mandate to deliver within a highly technical and politically complex environment. The role will report to the Director of Parliamentary Maintenance and will be responsible for all maintenance operations, ensuring the continued and safe operation of all building services which form part of the Parliamentary Estate. The role holder will be required to deputise for the Director of PMST as and when required. PMST receives in excess of 45,000 maintenance enquiries each year and successfully deliver over 33,000 planned jobs per year. The team deal with a wide range of jobs including maintenance of the Great Clock “Big Ben” and an additional 200 clocks on the estate, conducting mechanical and engineering works, statutory compliance works, electrical repairs and the other maintenance activities required across a large estate.
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, and will open in May 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
Job Title: Deputy Director – Maintenance Operations Salary: £80,000 - £98,500 per annum (Band SCS1) Team: Parliamentary Maintenance Services Team (PMST) Contract Type/Duration: Permanent Team Information The Parliamentary Maintenance Services Team (PMST) is a team of approximately 250 directly employed House staff and contractors. This team maintains the Parliamentary Estate (Commons & Lords) buildings, engineering systems and furnishings in order to ensure a fully functioning, safe working environment for the many thousands of people for who work in and visit Parliament and ensure the buildings are equipped for the demands of the 21st century. Consisting of buildings that range from the historic Palace of Westminster to the modern Portcullis House, the estate is located within a UNESCO World Heritage site and spans four conservation areas and is about to embark on a significant restoration programme.
PMST enable the key functions of Parliament to take place, working directly with other teams to support the important work of both Houses, including Security; Digital; Safety; Catering; Service Delivery and Strategic Estates. The team aims to deliver a comfortable, safe and efficient environment for Members, Peers, their staff and the staff of both Houses to work in; as well as providing a welcoming and functional environment for all visitors to the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Job Information This is a critical senior level role in PMST with a mandate to deliver within a highly technical and politically complex environment. The role will report to the Director of Parliamentary Maintenance and will be responsible for all maintenance operations, ensuring the continued and safe operation of all building services which form part of the Parliamentary Estate. The role holder will be required to deputise for the Director of PMST as and when required. PMST receives in excess of 45,000 maintenance enquiries each year and successfully deliver over 33,000 planned jobs per year. The team deal with a wide range of jobs including maintenance of the Great Clock “Big Ben” and an additional 200 clocks on the estate, conducting mechanical and engineering works, statutory compliance works, electrical repairs and the other maintenance activities required across a large estate.
The role will work closely with Directors (Project Delivery, Property Planning and Design, Transformation, Business Management), Senior Management teams (Director-General, MDs, Management Boards), Member committees and Commissions (Lords and Commons), and the Trade Unions (with support from the People and Culture Team) maintaining strong collaborative partnerships as appropriate. Key stakeholder relationships (to include, but not limited to): • House of Commons Executive Board and House of Lords Management board • Director of PMST and senior management team • The Parliamentary Design Authority • Fire risk management team • Other operational teams incl. Logistics, Security, Digital, Broadcasting, Customer experience catering etc • Parliamentary safety team • External contractors and consultants • Members and member’s staff
• House of Lords facilities • Serjeant at Arms Office
Line management responsibility includes A1 and A2 staff.
Director of PMST SCS
Deputy Director PMST Projects SCS
Deputy Director PMST Operations SCS
Head of PMST Engineering Projects A1
Head of PMST Operations A1
Building Services Projects Engineer A2
Electrical Projects Engineer A2
Mechanical Project Engineer A2
Historic Building Surveyor A2
Building Services & Ceremonial Works Manager A2
EC Operations Manager A2
Reactive Team Manager A2
Responsibilities To ensure overall successful delivery of building and building services operations across the Parliamentary Estate by supporting and leading accountable managers and ensuring that maintenance activities deliver results in line with the wider HOC, HOL and PMST strategic plan. • To assist the Director of Maintenance in the strategic planning for PMST, including development of the Maintenance Strategy and its integration into the strategic framework of the organisation. Taking a leading role in the strategic planning and direction as a member of the Senior Management Team. • To develop the directly employed House maintenance team increasing their capabilities to deliver services through forward planning for resources utilising apprenticeship schemes and training for existing and new staff. • To provide effective leadership and management of the Parliamentary Maintenance Service Team, ensuring all work is delivered in a customer- centred, quality driven manner and managed against agreed service standards. • Have responsibility for the operational planning for the Parliamentary Estates including co- ordinating the workload and building the capacity of the Parliamentary Maintenance Service management team in line with established strategic goals and required standards of operation. • Develop a proactive maintenance sub strategy which will provide resilience and future planning ensuring improved preparedness and mitigations. • Provide specialist professional, technical and expert advice across Parliament. Representing the Service professionally on committees,
Security Successful candidates will be required to complete pre-employment checks. This includes security vetting to Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) level or higher, as described in the job description. All successful candidates are required to pass these checks before an offer can be confirmed. You should be aware that if you have resided outside of the UK for a total of more than two of the last five years, you are not eligible to receive security clearance to work on the Parliamentary Estate. Hours We offer a range of flexible working options and actively encourage applications from candidates expressing a wish to perform the role in a flexible working arrangement such as part-time working, job-share and compressed hours. SCS Positions Net conditioned full-time working hours for staff of the House in the Senior Commons Structure are 36 hours per week plus additional hours as the service of the House may require. This excludes daily meal breaks of one hour. Exact times of attendance each day are to be agreed with line management. 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.
working groups, review panels and meetings, where appropriate, to give input on relevant strategies and interventions and to provide advice on the future maintenance requirements. • Have responsibility for managing the maintenance budget for area of responsibility, prioritising and focusing resources as necessary to meet Parliament’s needs and properly administer the funds allocated in accordance with Parliament’s Financial Regulations guidelines. • Have accountability for all operations and maintenance of the estate to ensure that Parliament adheres to all relevant health & safety and environmental legislation and that the PMST implements working practices that minimise risk to staff, members and visitors. • To drive performance, using key performance metrics and data analysis techniques to analyse trends, opportunities for improvement and advise the Director of Maintenance on suitable courses of action. • Presents assurance and risk-based reports to the PMST Director, outlining remedial actions and targets for completion. Deploys plans to mitigate against any potential delays to key areas of delivery. • To represent the PMST Director at boards and meetings as appropriate. • Monitors, coaches, supports, motivates and develops team members to enable them to deliver to the best of their ability and upholds the values of collaboration and inclusion in their approach to leadership. • • Ensure monthly audits are carried out to identify and record all maintenance activities via Planon work management system to monitor and develop improvement plans to ensure services are delivered to required standards.
If you are selected for an interview, please discuss the working arrangements for this role with the interview panel. Workplace Adjustments As an inclusive employer, the House of Commons supports individuals in need of workplace adjustments. The workplace adjustment process prevents, reduces or removes problems you might face at work. Adjustments can be requested to help with obstacles relating to mental health, and physical or non-physical requirements. You can request a workplace adjustment if you have a disability or suffer from a difficulty or disadvantage in your workplace. Application and Selection Process Further details will be provided if you are successful at the initial application stage. We may ask you to complete a test, presentation or other assessment as a part of your recruitment process. If you are invited to interview, we will ask you a combination of competency questions and role specific questions solely based on the criteria below. Any presentation or test requirements will be clearly communicated to you well in advance of your interview. As a Disability Confident Leader, it is important that we are able to make appropriate arrangements or adjustments where necessary in order to create a full and equal participation in the selection process. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please contract the recruitment team to see how we can meet your needs.
Person Specification
Criterion 1 Ability to build strong collaborative partnerships at all levels and create a teamwork environment to achieve organisational goals, taking the initiative as required and upholding and embedding the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion at all times.
Criterion 2 Significant experience of leading and managing a
large team in a complex, multi- site organisation and successful leadership of a professional multi- disciplinary planned & reactive maintenance and/or M&E services team in an FM environment.
Criterion 3 Ability to communicate clearly, confidently and
persuasively with people at all levels, both orally and in writing. Ability to explain technical issues to technical and non-technical audiences in a manner that is clear, easily understood and well presented.
Criterion 4 A relevant professional qualification, such as a chartered electrical, mechanical or building services engineer or an electrical, mechanical or building services first degree or significant experience as an alternative.
Criterion 6 Demonstrable experience of managing stakeholders in a sensitive and political environment with the ability to understand their requirements
Criterion 5 Demonstrable experience of leading and driving process and operational improvement, collecting, analysing and presenting data in a compelling way to aid managerial decision making, developing and implementing proactive maintenance approaches, innovating, through the use of technology and delivering measurable and sustainable results.
and to provide effective solutions to meet these.
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 search consultancy The Management Recruitment Group (MRG).
To arrange a briefing discussion, please contact our advisor at MRG:
Michael Hewlett michael.hewlett@mrgpeople.co.uk Matthew Giles matthew.giles@mrgpeople.co.uk
Applications should consist of a CV and cover note and should be sent to michael.hewlett@mrgpeople.co.uk
The closing date for applications is Sunday 18th June 2023.
Interviews at UK Parliament will commence on w/c 26th June (1st stage) and w/c 3rd July 2023 (2nd stage)
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