Assistant Facilities Manager – Operations & Projects

Greater London Authority (GLA); London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The Greater London Authority (GLA) is seeking a Facilities Specialist to manage facilities operations at its key locations. This role encompasses project management, compliance assurance, and overseeing facilities contracts while ensuring a high standard of service delivery. Ideal candidates will possess strong project management experience and a robust understanding of health and safety regulations.

Benefits

30 days’ annual leave

Interest free season ticket loan

Interest free bicycle loan

Career average pension scheme

Qualifications

• Proven track record of managing outsourced hard services contracts.
• Experience of maintaining and conserving historic monuments.
• Project management experience for complex projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead project management and delivery of hard services operations.
• Ensure compliance with building regulations and health and safety legislation.
• Manage outsourced contracts and monitor service performance.

Skills

Project Management

Health and Safety Legislation

CAFM and CAD Systems

Emergency Response Planning

IT Literacy in MS Office

Job description

About the team

The role of the Facility Management Unit is to ensure that the GLA’s headquarters at City Hall, the GLA demised space at Union Street and the national heritage assets of Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square Gardens are managed effectivity, meet the needs of those using them and comply with statutory requirements, providing a suitable and safe environment for everyone. The responsibility for managing the Squares is set out in the Greater London Authority Act 1999 and covers the care, control, management and prevention of abuses. The Unit is split into 3 teams covering hard services (engineering, maintenance and infrastructure), support services (including security and accommodation) and amenities and events (including cleansing, porterage, catering and hospitality). Managing and delivering projects ranging from building works, refurbishments, events through to office moves are common across all 3 workstreams.

About the role

This role is the facilities specialist leading in project management and the day to day management and delivery of hard services and infrastructure facilities operations. This includes setting the standards, tone and culture for hard services to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive customer experience at the Authority’s core sites at City Hall, Union Street, and the iconic listed sites at Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square Garden,

Projects and Technical Services:

• Deputise for the Facilities Managers and other Assistant Facilities Managers when required.
• Project management of infrastructure and building fabric projects, accommodation moves and changes, procurement of allocated facilities contracts and providing facilities management input into corporate projects such as high profile event and the GLA elections.
• Manage and oversee the capital project programme across the Authority’s core sites, taking ownership of the projects calendar and liaising with the events team to deconflict programmes.
• Act as the technical specialist in Computer Aided Drawing systems, designing, editing and maintaining building drawings and developing and maintaining a suitable drawing filing system.
• Manage the technical services areas of the Computer Aided Facilities Management System. Analysing performance data, monitoring trends, and acting on findings and the preparation and execution of improvement plans. Training other members of staff and contractors in the use of FM IT systems.

Facilities Operations:

• Ensure compliance with building regulations and health and safety legislation and participate in risk assessment of all areas and activities under control of the job.
• Manage and coordinate the day to day delivery of outsourced Hard Services contracts ensuring compliance with terms, conditions and specifications, monitoring key performance indicators and overseeing and co-ordinating the work of their on-site teams, including:
• Building and fabric maintenance covering both planned preventative maintenance and reactive maintenance tasks.
• Conservation and protection of the listed national heritage sites and their statues, monuments and structures at Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square Gardens.
• Broadcasting and audio-visual services in direct support of the Authority’s statutory meetings and the GLA Elections, including checking the operability of AV systems in the principle public meeting rooms and assisting and advising users, in conjunction with the broadcast contractor, with set-ups.
• Managing the utility contracts, ensuring continuity of supply and that the Authority is getting best value and meeting its carbon net zero commitments.
• Provide management and operational support to events and facilities operations at City Hall, Union Street, Trafalgar Squares, Parliament Square or at other locations, as and when required.
• Monitor quality and performance of FM hard services and technical building assets, analyse data, carry out trend analysis, benchmark services and act on findings.
• Budget monitoring of the services and projects for the areas of responsibility.

Operations planning and managing Emergencies & Incidents:

• Develop and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and instructions for the areas of responsibility, that support operational plans and the facilities strategy, quality assuring service delivery and maintaining standards.
• Prepare and deliver operational emergency response and business continuity procedures for the areas of responsibility, including power outage response and recovery plans and creating aide memoires that support tactical plans.
• Act as the first line of management response in dealing with complaints and facilities or service failures at Authority sites and liaising with the appropriate FM workstream and implementing contingency procedures when required.
• Design and implement testing and exercising for the areas of responsibility, including fire evacuation exercises and leading on the co-ordination of providing technical building information to the emergency services during fire incidents.
• Participate as a member of the command and control cadre for emergencies and incidents.
• Participate in the out of hours Duty Officer and management rota for the Authority’s premises at City Hall, Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square Gardens.

Duty Building Manager:

• Perform the role of the duty building manager, ensuring the building is presented to a high standard and that the services provided meet the Authority’s operational requirements.
• Monitoring the general functioning and safety of the building and events, liaising with specialist service suppliers, relevant Facilities Managers and addressing any issues that need resolving or that are emerging. This will mainly focus on immediate operational needs and taking responsibility for events that take place in City Hall. This will mean having operational management control over other FM disciplines such as Reception/Helpdesk, Catering, Cleaning, Porterage, Broadcasting and Maintenance.
• Resolving service complaints and complex issues from internal and external event organisers and assisting them in delivering their activity in line with contracts/service levels.
• Carry out the duties of a Greater London Authority (GLA) warranted Enforcement Officer in relation to Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square and when required prepare evidence for prosecutions under the byelaws and Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. Attending court to give evidence as necessary.

Staffing:

• Responsible for managing one Facilities Officer. This includes all aspects of staff management, maintaining standards, ensuring that staff work in accordance with the SOPs, instructions, the Authority’s policies and code of ethics. Carrying out recruitment, conducting performance reviews, monitoring and managing absence, carrying out return to works interviews after sickness, conducting informal guidance meetings, standard setting meetings and disciplinary investigations.
• Ensure that the Facilities Officer is trained and competent to carry out their roles, including any statutory or mandatory corporate training and maintaining training records.
• Realise the benefits of a flexible approach to work in undertaking the duties and responsibilities of this job, and participating in multi-disciplinary, cross-department and cross-organisational groups and project teams.
• Realise the benefits of London’s diversity by promoting and enabling equality of opportunities and promoting the diverse needs and aspirations of London’s communities.

Special Conditions

This is predominantly an operational role that requires attendance in person at the Authority’s core sites at City Hall, Union Street, Trafalgar Square or Parliament Square. Some occasional working from home is possible when carrying out planning and project work.

The job holder will be required to qualify to become a warranted enforcement Officer in relation to the legislation covering Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square Gardens, within 4 months of commencing the role, training for this will be provided.

The job holder must maintain a valid first aid at work qualification, or equivalent qualification appropriate to the workplace.

The job holder must have personal resilience and maintain an appropriate level of physical fitness to carry out all aspects of the role including the ability to access plant rooms, read meters, climb ladders and move items of portable equipment and furniture should the need arise.

This is a non-uniformed position. The job holder will be required to maintain a standard of personal appearance which is appropriate to a front of house role, and which is acceptable to the Facilities Manager – Hard Services. This requires the job holder to supply and wear their own formal business suit.

The job holder will be required to participate in a duty manager rota to provide cover out of normal business hours, for which a special allowance is paid. When on call as the Duty Officer the job, holder must be within 4 hours travelling time from City Hall and fit for duty.

What your day will look like:

• Multi-tasking across a range of subject areas and prioritising your work
• Ensuring that City Hall and the GLA demised space at Union Street are available and that all the key services and facilities are operational.
• Working with the FM Helpdesk team and picking up any escalated issues.
• Liaising with the Facilities Operations Team Leader and Facilities Managers
• Manage and develop the Facility Officer (Hard Services).
• Manage the Hard Services project plan, ensuring works are progressing tim time and to budget.
• Developing and updating risk registers for the projects and provide a 360 degree project management.
• Manage the day to day delivery of the outsourced hard service contracts and associated asset registers.
• Oversee the broadcasting contract ensuring that broadcast meetings and events run smoothly.
• Carrying out condition surveys and health and safety inspections at all sites
• Carry out condition surveys and arrange and co-ordinate works on the fabric and listed monuments and structures at Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square Gardens
• Provide data and response to stakeholders on contract, utility usage.

Skills, knowledge and experience:

• To be considered for the role you must meet the following essential criteria:
• Project management experience for complex projects
• Proven track record of managing outsourced hard services contracts
• Experience of maintaining and conserving historic monuments in a public setting
• Experience of managing and operating CAFM and CAD systems
• Good understanding of the building regulations, health and safety legislations in relation to building services
• Experience in dealing with emergencies and providing business continuity planning
• IT literate in MS office products

The GLA Competency Framework Guidelines further detailing each competency and the different level indicators can be found here:GLA Competency Framework

How to apply

If you would like to apply for the role you will need to submit the following:

• Up to date CV
• Personal statement with a maximum of 1500 words. Please ensure you address how you demonstrate the essential criteria outlined above in the advert.

Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement have a maximum file size of 1.5MB each and upload your Personal Statement to the ‘CV and Cover Letters’ section’ of the form, ensuring you address the technical requirements and competencies in your Personal Statement.

Word or PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement are saved with the job reference number as part of the naming convention (E.g., “CV – applicant name - 012345)

As part of GLA’s continuing commitment to be an inclusive and equal opportunity employer we will be removing personal identifiable information from CVs and Personal Statements that could cause discrimination.

If you have questions about the role

If you wish to talk to someone about the role, the hiring manager Ali Raeiskarimi would be happy to speak to you. Please contact them [e-mail]

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, contact [e-mail] support the GLA with recruitment.

Assessment process

Once you have submitted an application, your details will be reviewed by a panel.

If shortlisted, you’ll be invited to an interview/assessment.

The interview/assessment date is: to be confirmed

Equality, diversity and inclusion

London's diversity is its biggest asset, and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London's diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.

We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic candidates and disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements.We would welcome applications from candidates who are seeking part time work as this role is open to job share.

Please note we are a Disability Confident Employer so for candidates who wish to be considered under the scheme and meet the essential criteria, they will automatically be invited to interview.

Please note, should you require any adjustments through the process, we will accommodate as much as possible. Please contact the recruitment team for further information if required.

Benefits

GLA staff are hybrid working up to 3 days a week in our offices and remotely depending on their role. As part of this, you will need to split your time between home working and coming into the office.

In addition to a good salary package, you will be paid every four weeks, providing frequent salary payments. We also offer an attractive range of benefits including 30 days’ annual leave, interest free season ticket loan, interest free bicycle loan and a career average pension scheme.

Additional Information

Please note, all candidates will need to confirm that the information provided in this application form is true and correct. Should a candidate deliberately give false information, including the use of AI software, they understand that this would disqualify them from consideration.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record (DBS) check but some roles may require additional security screening.

Find out which DBS check is right for your employee - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

More Support

If you have a disability which makes submitting an online application form difficult, please [e-mail]