7301 - MoJ Property Directorate - Property Operations Manager – Probation, South West

Ministry of Justice; Plymouth; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ministry of Justice is seeking a Facilities Manager to join their Property Directorate. This role involves managing relationships and ensuring compliance in service delivery across a diverse property portfolio. Candidates should exhibit strong leadership and stakeholder management abilities, alongside requisite technical knowledge to effectively oversee facilities operations.

Benefits

Annual leave of 25 days, increasing to 30 after five years.

Flexible working arrangements.

Access to training and development opportunities.

Pension scheme.

Qualifications

• Experience in property and facilities management disciplines.
• Full UK Driving Licence required.
• Technical compliance awareness in Asbestos and Fire Safety.

Responsibilities

• Manage customer and stakeholder relationships effectively.
• Conduct regular site visits and manage compliance.
• Deliver service management strategies and operational processes.

Skills

Customer engagement

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Education

NEBOSH General Certificate

Tools

Microsoft Office

Power BI

SharePoint

Job description

Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Truro, Weston-super-Mare, Weymouth

Region

South West

Closing Date

17-Jul-2025

Post Type

Permanent

HEO

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

7301

Descriptions & requirements

Overview

The MoJ Property Directorate is a customer focused organisation that exists to enable our customers to perform to their very best. We do this by providing high quality, easy to use services, and working environments that our customers want to work in, which support them to deliver their individual outputs efficiently. Our job is to manage one of the most diverse and complex estates in Government – hosted by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The MoJ Property Directorate brings together a property portfolio including Prisons, Probation, and MoJ HQ and Arm’s Length Bodies.

MoJ Property provides specialist services including facilities management, health and safety, fire safety and security, technical design expertise, and sustainability. We also have business management teams who support the entire Directorate and each of our partners is supported by account management teams. We are responsible for a great deal - our portfolio consists of properties valued at £8.5bn for the MoJ alone. We are part of the Government Property Profession (GPP) and through active membership and engagement we will work with the Office of Government Property to develop the maturity of the profession and also encourage our people to join the GPP. We continue to build our capability through training and recruitment, aspiring to be the best that we can be as individuals and as a directorate.

We continue to deliver new ways of working across our portfolio – leading on the scale and pace of activity for central government – proposing ways to achieve, and then providing more dynamic and flexible workspace, while driving down the cost of the estate.

Team Overview

Are you looking for a high profile, unique, exciting and challenging opportunity to join an award-winning Property Services (PS) team that works in collaboration and partnership with our customers and suppliers? We work on a varied portfolio across the MoJ, providing FM services to the National Probation Service (NPS), MoJ Headquarters. We provide both Hard and Soft Services across the UK, through our integrated supply chains to provide the best possible facilities management (FM) support.

PS is a challenging environment in which to work, with interdependencies between the customers, suppliers and users of the estate.It requires good leadership, collaboration and excellent drive and determination. The candidate should be a self-starter, good leader, have personal resilience and excellent customer engagement skills. You will be required to deliver at pace and demonstrate effective application of service delivery management, skills, tools and techniques. If you have the passion, enthusiasm and skill to be the best Facilities Manager, then joining the MoJ Property PS Team is the place for you.

Property Operational Managers (POMS) are responsible for working directly with clients and suppliers, to ensure efficient and effective delivery of hard and soft FM services for their portfolio.Key activities for the role include:

• Managing customer and stakeholder relationships
• Collaboration with the integrator, FM supply chain and other MoJ Property teams
• Supplier management and monitoring.
• Regular site visits along with client engagement meetings, compliance management and project management.

POM’s work to the Area Property Operational Manager (APOM).SC level security clearance is required for this role.

Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include the following:

Service Management :

• Understand and deliver operational strategies, policies and processes in line with operational requirements to manage the delivery of services, payments and the audit regime
• Routinely identify and manage risks to resolution escalating to APOM as appropriate
• Liaise with the FM supply chain and other MoJ Property teams to proactively understand issues across the portfolio and facilitate improvements
• Understand the priorities of stakeholders and how they fit into plans and activities
• Manage issues (including requests for additional spend, elective new works and changes to scope or specification) to resolution and escalate to APOM where necessary
• Ensure you understand your assets, to allow you to provide better and more specific customer service
• Follow the schedule of visits for each asset (to be agreed with APOM) to discuss performance, issues and update on work orders
• Engage with the PS supply chain and other MoJ Property teams to ensure legislative and statutory compliance through Health and Safety, business resilience and the provision of fit for purpose accommodation to meet customer needs
• Ensure that you follow fire risk assessment procedures
• Work with the APOM & technical team, reporting procedures to enable audit, assurance and validation of service delivery including taking accountability for carrying out site audits to departmentally agreed frequency and managing actions that arise from these to ensure statutory, mandatory and contractual compliance

Customer Management :

• Act as the client’s first point of contact within a dedicated number of properties (3)
• Engage through site visits, regular communication and running or attending client engagement meetings as appropriate
• Understand the wider strategic needs and priorities of clients and how they are incorporated into plans and activities
• Manage supplier issues and complaints to resolution, escalating to APOM where necessary
• Encourage, recognise and share innovative ideas and improvements from customers and other stakeholders
• Develop strong relationships with FM provider and suppliers
• Adhere to the appropriate governance procedures in procuring and authorising spend, to ensure appropriate value for money and contract delivery
• Deliver a range of small scale project works (to the value of £50K), FM Routine Works (to the value of £10k)
• There may be opportunities to take on responsibilities for a site under supervision of the APOM subject to suitability / need etc
• There may be opportunity to take on small projects subject to availability, priorities, performance rather than the above.
• This is your role, and you will be trained with the expectation for you to progress.
• Engage with the supply chain, to ensure that contracts provide satisfactory delivery and to drive value for money in accordance with business targets
• Conduct weekly interfaces with suppliers to escalate issues and scrutinise performance
• Manage issues to resolution and escalate where necessary to APOM
• Encourage, recognise and share innovative ideas and improvements, from both suppliers and other stakeholders

Stakeholder & Resource Management :

• Independently monitor your progress and work towards fulfilling objectives within your own development plan
• Ensure that you are fully compliant with your mandatory learning, competencies and skills & behaviours required to discharge your role
• Effectively manage all delegated spend within agreed internal governance procedures
• Where required, contribute data and information to enable the development of cyclical or ad-hoc business planning or business case development

Project Management

• Applying governance processes and managing spend within budget delegations

Wider Initiative Involvement :

• Understand why and how the wider strategic priorities of the Property Directorate are incorporated in plans and activities
• Proactively support the delivery of government soft landings and programmes
• Represent the interests of the PS team and the wider MoJ Property within the Government Property Profession
• Ensure that your behaviours reflect government and departmental requirements for diversity and inclusion (D&I)
• Play an active role in staff D&I networks and/or attend D&I events
• Actively participate in client unit, MoJ Property, wider MoJ and industry networks to share best-practice

Skills and Experience

Highly Desirable

• Experience in property and facilities management disciplines and be able to demonstrate compliance with statutory, regulatory and professional requirements in previous roles. Including: Asset management, maintenance and contract and supplier management
• Managing customer relationships and stakeholder liaison

Use of various digital platforms including but not limited to Microsoft Office, Power BI and SharePoint

Full UK Driving Licence

Desirable and/or Willing to work towards –

Experience in FM service delivery suitable technical compliance awareness - Asbestos, Legionella, Fire Safety, Construction Design Management awareness

Professional Development

This role provides an ideal opportunity to launch a career in the Government Property Profession.The post holder will gain the necessary grounding in Facilities Management Operations in the Ministry of Justice for progression to the next grade including the necessary qualifications.There will likely be opportunities to take on projects or responsibilities on sites under supervision to build relevant skills and experience for progression.Any promotion will be subject to availability of roles and a successful application through fair and open competition.

The postholder is encouraged to take up opportunities for training and support such as mentoring which are on offer from the MoJ Property Directorate team, the Ministry of Justice People Group and from the Government Property Profession.

Qualifications & Accreditation you can achieve in this post

Support and funding will be provided to achieve the required qualifications and accreditation for this role with an expectation that this will commence within 6 months of taking up post and a commitment of time from the successful candidate will be required to complete this.Additional training to keep up to date with developments in the role, and statutory requirements may be required. There is mandatory training for all civil servants which must also be completed in a timely manner.

• Member level or higher accreditation with the Institute of Workplace & Facilities Management (IWFM)(RICS or CEng accreditation may be supported as an alternative for applicable candidates).
• For this accreditation an IWFM qualification at Level 3-4 or equivalent experience will be required and training or apprenticeship options will be available for this where needed.A NEBOSH General Certificate or IOSH qualification is required in the role and if not already held the post holder will be expected to join a course to complete this

Government Property Profession (GPP)

This role sits within the MoJ Property Directorate and is part of the Government Property Function aligned with the Government Property Profession.

The GPP Career Framework is aimed at staff working in property or property-related roles and consider property to be their career anchor profession. This usually encompasses posts where professional qualifications and experience are directly relevant to the work being undertaken. However, it is also applicable to those who are currently not qualified property practitioners but wish to make this their profession of choice. Those with a property background at any level are encouraged to register with the GPP, which exists to support property practitioners at all levels.Details of the GPP Career Framework can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-government-property-profession-career-framework--2

This role falls under Facilities Management, Working Knowledge level in the GPP Career Framework and some or all of the following Technical Skills will be tested during the selection process:

• Property Professional Expertise -Working Knowledge
• Stakeholder Engagement -Working Knowledge
• Health and Safety, Compliance and Inclusion -Working Knowledge

The Property Directorate offers a flexible working system in many teams.

Requests for reduced hours contracts will be considered in line with business needs.

Flexible working requests will be considered in line with business needs.

The Directorate is supportive of and encourages flexible working. Non-civil service candidates would typically start on the pay band minimum.

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised role: all successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map . All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Support

• A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
• Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
• For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on www.GOV.UK or Childcare Choices .You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ .
• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here )

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos .

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

PS HEO RP Property Operations Manager - Probation SW.docx(Job Description Attachment)

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Specific licence requirements

A Full U.K driving Licence

Statement of Suitability

Guidance for the Statement of Suitability

A 1000 max word Statement of Suitability along with your CV is required. This statement should clearly demonstrate how your skills and experience align with the job description, highlighting your relevant experiences and skills to allow us to effectively evaluate your application. Please note that this Statement of Suitability and CV will be scored and assessed as part of the selection process. If the statement of suitability does not meet the requirements, or is not provided, candidates will be automatically rejected.

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Technical

Technical Questions Application Form Question Word Limit

250

Property Professional Expertise - Working Knowledge

Stakeholder Engagement - Working Knowledge

Health and Safety, Compliance and Inclusion - Working Knowledge

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Interview dates to be confirmed

Strengths

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here .

Technical

Property Professional Expertise - Working Knowledge

Stakeholder Engagement - Working Knowledge

Health and Safety, Compliance and Inclusion - Working Knowledge

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.