Senior Project Manager 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.
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.
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
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
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 Estates Programme
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.
In the last few years these projects have been undertaken and are now complete.
• 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:
• New Junior School at Notting Hill & Ealing High School (see CGI images on the next page) • Fire compliance works programme for all schools
• Long Term Maintenance programme across all schools • Major external refurbishment of Howells listed buildings
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.
Senior Project Manager – The Girls’ Day School Trust
Location:
10 Bressenden Place, Westminster, London, SW1E 5AE
Accountable to:
The Head of Capital Development (HCD)
Grade:
Grade 2
Job Purpose / background To oversee, co-ordinate and manage a significant number of Estates projects and programmes, with responsibility for external and internal resources and budgets. Accountabilities Requirement to manage a number of projects, ranging from £100,000 upwards to potentially £20m; appointing and managing appropriate external consultant teams and specialists where necessary. Ability to manage contract process, contractors and construction works on site, with full knowledge of compliance related liabilities, and a thorough understanding of the challenges of working in a live educational environment. • Maximise the commercial opportunities for the GDST group, ensuring projects and programmes of Estates work are delivered within programme and budget. • Strong people management skills - Accountable for actions of internal reports and external consultant teams. • Accountable for accurate and regular reporting through GDST finance and PMO systems and processes, keeping HCD and Director of Estates informed of significant risks. • Ensuring projects are delivered within GDST plus legislative compliance related to Estates work. • Understanding and responsibility for overseeing and reporting on town planning process. • Contribute to best practice/ lessons learnt into team and helping to inform improvements to processes. • Autonomy in role required; ability to understand when can make decisions and when escalation/sign off required.
Key Responsibilities Key responsibilities involve managing a number of Estates projects within agreed processes. Involvement in projects from initial prioritisation and briefing, scoping, approvals process, through all RIBA stages of delivery. Role requires self-motivation and management but with responsibility for regular and transparent reporting, plus working across the Trust and the Estates team to ensure all works are fully co-ordinated. • To provide leadership and overall programme and project management responsibility for new build and refurbishment capital projects as well as smaller long term maintenance works. • Providing end-user/ stakeholder interface analysing ‘needs vs. wants’ and ensuring all parties are fully engaged in project briefing process, ensuring regular communication and updates on progress, delivery, programme, cost and risk. • Project and programme management across a number of projects consecutively, with varying scales of budget and complexity. Showing an ability to understand prioritisation of workload and to share this across teams – both internal and external. • Ability to implement thorough process across projects to enable cost, programme and risk monitoring as well as transparent reporting for all areas of responsibility. • Ability to manage both internal and external stakeholders effectively, getting best out of teams and ensuring they deliver. • Consultation skills – internal and external stakeholders (including local authorities, statutory bodies as well as parents, children and neighbours). • The role will include responsibility for both capital and long term maintenance projects – scoping, briefing and delivery across all RIBA work stages. • Ensuring all projects consider ‘soft landings’ integration at all stages • Ensuring projects consider all aspects of sustainability at key stages • Works proactively to find solutions to project issues with responsibility for delivering projects on time and on budget. • Analyse and challenge project briefs, budgets and programmes to ensure best value is achieved. • Ability to think strategically as well as in detail across projects; analysing programmes of work. • Ability to resource projects correctly. • Ability to communicate internally and externally both in written form, verbally and through presentations. • Work proactively, taking responsibility for actions but ensuring advice sought when necessary.
Key Relationships Head of Capital Development, all members of the Estates team inc. Director of Estates, Education and IT projects team, finance, SMT as necessary. Forming positive relationships with the schools; with Heads, DFOs and FM teams in particular.
Person Specification
• Professional Project management qualification preferred. • Degree and/or HND/ HNC in relevant subject qualification ideal or equivalent. • Thorough understanding of Construction and Estates related compliance ensuring all works are compliant. Construction compliance training beneficial (CDM/asbestos etc). • Knowledge of implementing PMO systems and processes. • Requisite number of years’ experience in the project and programme management of construction related projects of varying scale and complexity. • Educational experience preferred. • Strong team player with people management as well as customer facing skills. • Experience of managing a diverse stakeholder group, listening, assessing and representing numerous interested parties. • Ability to successfully lead diverse teams, both internal and external, essential. • Ability to think and work both strategically and in detail, depending on project stage and level of challenges. • Strong communication skills at all levels; with ability to manage upwards as well as downwards. • Experience of detailed financial monitoring, cash flow and cost plan analysis and reporting.
Requirements
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 fire, health and safety and other estates related policies and procedures 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
• Based in Trust Office, central London. • Travel in support of the duties of the role • Stay overnight in support of the duties of the role within the UK required. • Work flexibly as required in support of the duties of the role • Flex working
For a confidential conversation please contact our advisors Ben Duffill (ben.duffill@mrgpeople.co.uk) and Nick Coppard (nicholas.coppard@mrgpeople.co.uk) of The Management Recruitment Group on 020 3962 9900. Applications should consist of a comprehensive CV (of not more than 4 pages) and a project list (of not more than 2 pages).
Applications should be sent to ben.duffill@mrgpeople.co.uk and nicholas.coppard@mrgpeople.co.uk.
Closing date for applications is Sunday 18th July 2021.
51 Eastcheap, Billingsgate, London EC3M 1JP +44 20 3962 9900
www.mrgpeople.co.uk
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