Building Repairs Manager (Voids)

Portsmouth; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Portsmouth City Council is seeking a forward-thinking leader to head the voids team within a Council office. You will manage, train and review performance to meet NEC-based voids contracts, ensuring proper survey work and timely repairs that keep our housing stock fit for purpose.

You will guide surveyors, issue specifications, and manage contractor activities. The role requires experience in repairing/void contracts, building construction knowledge, and strong stakeholder communication to

Qualifications

• Experience managing repair or void contracts.
• Qualification in construction or related field preferred, CIH status or progression toward it.
• Knowledge of building construction technology and building pathology.
• Familiarity with Decent Homes Standard and HHSRS in practice.
• Understanding Energy Performance Certificates and MEES.
• Experience with contract management and payments to contractors.
• Ability to coach and develop staff and manage interdepartmental relationships.
• Knowledge of social housing consumer standards and related legislation.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and train a voids team of surveyors across Portsmouth sites.
• Oversee surveying of assets, defect diagnosis, and recommend work options.
• Issue specifications, classify void categories, and manage contracts and payments.
• Maintain customer service standards and liaise with other services and clients.
• Monitor service performance, KPIs, and data accuracy from stock and voids data.
• Ensure compliance with CDM Regulations and asbestos regulations.

Skills

Contract management

NEC contracts

Budget management

Stock condition surveys

EPC/HHSRS knowledge

Building construction knowledge

Leadership & coaching

Stakeholder engagement

Data analysis with Excel

Health & safety compliance

Education

CIH member status / Level 4-5 repairs qualification

Job description

You will be specifically leading, managing, training and reviewing our performance to meet the requirements of the voids process, ensuring all provisions are addressed to the standard set out in the contract along with undertaking additional surveying activities. You will be based at one of our Council offices leading a voids team. The team is responsible for providing a repair and voids service, ensuring that it is undertaken in accordance with our NEC term service contracts including all contractor payments. Your voids team will assist us in maintaining and improving our properties, ensuring the right repair is carried out at the right time whilst helping us to provide suitable homes when needed. You will lead and manage a team of surveyors who are responsible for surveying our assets, assessing the condition, evaluating and diagnosing what work is required, assessing the best options to carry out the work, issuing specifications, agreeing the void category and managing a varied range of void property projects.

You need to:

• Have relevant experience of managing similar repair or void contracts
• Have a relevant construction related qualification, ideally have an appropriate qualification such as member status of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) with an appropriate level 4 or level 5 repairs qualification or a plan to work towards gaining the qualification.
• Have good knowledge and experience of building construction technology and building pathology together with the ability to coach and advise others.
• Have good knowledge of the Decent Homes Standard and HHSRS with experience of applying it in practice.
• Have good knowledge of Energy Performance Certificates and the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard and experience of applying them in practice.
• Have knowledge contract management, ideally NEC contracts, including experience of managing contractors, application of contract service schedules, KPIs, contractor meetings negotiating contractual matters, resolution of disputes and improving the service.
• Have experience of developing relationships with other services, clients and customers, understanding their aspirations, managing expectations and ensuring that excellent communication occurs to ensure that they are fully informed regarding the voids service, receiving exceptional customer service.
• Have experience of working with interdepartmental teams and working towards a common goal while acknowledging conflicting priorities.
• Have good knowledge of the Social Housing Regulator consumer standards and experience of applying building related legislation, contract law and guidance including the building regulations, planning law, party wall act, fire safety, electrical inspections, gas installations, legionella, with the ability to advise others.
• Have knowledge and experience of construction related health & safety legislation generally with the ability to advise others, specifically the CDM Regulations 2015 and asbestos at work regulations 2012 with the ability to advise others.
• Be able to assess technical staff, demonstrate and coach practical surveying skills as appropriate; specifically, be able to carry out stock condition surveys, identify stock data and record stock information. Surveys undertaken include energy performance certificate (EPC) surveys, identifying building defects or elements that are at the end of the lifecycle, assess quality of work undertaken, offer solutions to resolve any issues and condition assessments to identify potential planned maintenance schemes.
• Have relevant knowledge and experience of making contractor payments, applying cost control and budget management techniques including undertaking audits. Demonstrate commercial awareness and be able to undertake cost estimates for building work, exercise financial control and assess value for money for the service provided when evaluating the contractor's application for payment on a cost reimbursable contract.
• Have relevant knowledge and experience of using all Microsoft packages; in particular, be able to demonstrate practical IT skills using Excel spreadsheets to analyse data to prepare measures including using capability charts. You will need to be able to use various software packages to accurately update data as part of undertaking the role.
• Be able to work independently and as part of a team, using PLAN (Proportionate, Lawful, Accountable, Necessary) to resolve problems and find appropriate and effective solutions.
• Be able to interrogate, analyse and evaluate stock and voids data, to ensure that data is accurate and use measures to evaluate the performance of the voids service.
• Have relevant knowledge and experience of recruiting, managing and developing staff, including coaching apprentices, to meet the demands received by the team including applying HR policies as appropriate.
• Be organised and methodical when measuring demands received by the building voids team and managing resources available to provide the repairs service.
• Be able to investigate void service complaints or enquiries from stakeholders and respond to as appropriate.
• Have a full driving licence and provide a car for work, as you will be visiting sites across Portsmouth and will need to travel effectively between them.