12933 - Business Manager - Estates and Facilities Management - North East Probation Region

Ministry of Justice; England; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in the United Kingdom is seeking a proactive individual to support the Head of Operational Function. The successful candidate will oversee the management of estates and facilities, acting as the Single Point of Contact for various enquiries. Responsibilities include collaborating on office refurbishments, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations, and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders. This role requires adaptability and effective communication skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in Estates or Facilities Management is desirable.
• Completion of IOSH within the first three months is required if not already achieved.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Estates/FM Enquiries.
• Collaborate with Business Managers on office moves, refurbishments, and estate projects.
• Monitor the Functional or Cluster Delivery Plan and risk register.

Job description

Job Advert Summary

We are seeking a proactive, adaptable and experienced individual for an innovative role in the North East Probation Region, supporting Estates and Facilities Management (FM). The successful candidate will be a key point of contact across the region. The role will require frequent travel across regional office locations. Previous experience in Estates or FM is desirable.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Estates/FM Enquiries.
• Collaborate with Business Managers on office moves, refurbishments, and estate projects.
• Support regional Health, Safety and Fire (HSF) matters, contributing to the Regional Estates Strategy.
• Liaise with MoJ Estates on lease arrangements, amendments, and renewals.
• Oversee planned and backlog maintenance, ensuring projects stay on track.
• Monitor and escalate critical job issues, chairing fortnightly meetings with Area Property Operations Managers.
• Provide regular updates to Corporate Services on FM performance and regional estate issues.
• Act as the SPOC for various regional processes, including OccuEye, Matrix Room Booking, Probation Finder queries, and Sustainability Projects.
• Work with IT and Digital teams on new demands, telephony issues, and escalations.
• Contribute to governance procedures by working with the Regional Estates Board secretariat.

The list above is not exhaustive, and the role may evolve to include line management and other responsibilities in accordance with the Business Manager job description. Completion of IOSH within the first three months is required if not already achieved.

Overview of the job

The Business Manager post within the Function or Cluster provides support to the Head of Operational Function, including making recommendations to them about operational and administrative requirements.

The jobholder acts as an interface between the Head of Operational Function and Divisional Hub, cluster staff and other agencies on a wide range of issues.

This is a non‑operational post although an understanding of the wide range of Probation procedures, and policies across the organisation both operationally and at HQ are required.

The jobholder will report directly to the Head of Operational Function and have line management responsibilities for the Diary Manager and Senior Administrative Officers.

Summary

The purpose of the role is to provide support to the Head of Operational Function. The jobholder will ensure that performance across the Function or Cluster is monitored, that issues are highlighted and opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness are proactively pursued.

The job holder will ensure the Head of Operational Function and others as appropriate, are informed of priority matters and are given options and/or recommendations to help them to operate effectively.

The job holder will ensure that good working relationships with Head of Operational Function and are maintained by communicating priorities effectively.

The jobholder acts as a single point of contact for the Operational Function on a number of key areas including Litigation, Complaints, Information Assurance, Communication, Business Continuity, providing appropriate signposting as necessary.

The jobholder will ensure effective management of the estate portfolio within their remit, acting as Single Point of Contact / Estates Liaison Officer and has overall management of Health and Safety within Division/Function/Cluster including compliance with Health, Safety and Fire Regulations (H&S).

The post holder will ensure all risk assessments are undertaken and staff are made aware of their personal responsibility toward H&S compliance.

The jobholder will also manage relationships and liaise with a range of internal and external stakeholders and support the partnership working in the Function or Cluster.

Responsibilities, Activities & Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

Assist with Deputy Director/ Head of Operational Function’s workload.

• Have oversight of the Head of Operational Function workload, ensuring that work is prioritised appropriately and that deadlines are met.
• Ensure that all papers/correspondence submitted to the Head of Operational Function are reviewed, and actioned and that correspondence is responded to on the Head of Operational Function’s behalf.
• Monitor the Functional or Cluster Delivery Plan and risk register, ensuring the Head of Operational Function is kept informed of progress.
• Effective management of health and safety within operational portfolio.
• Manage the clusters approach to Business Continuity, Information Security and Data Protection.
• Work with colleagues to develop plans and strategies to deal with risks.
• Ensure operational and management information systems are in place to monitor and report on performance by division, locality, function and cluster identifying operational, resource or organisational issues that may impact on performance.
• Analyse business information, determining relevance and benefits and compiling information reports for the Head of Operational Function and senior managers.
• Update the Head of Operational Function on policies and procedures, the implications for colleagues and provision of recommendations for action.