Head of Technical Compliance

Vivo Defence; Idmiston; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Vivo Defence is looking for a Head of Technical Compliance to provide technical leadership, governance and assurance across the contract. This is a senior role with significant influence, working across operational, technical and support functions to ensure the delivery of the contract meets statutory, contractual, MOD and industry requirements.

You'll act as a trusted technical authority, translating legislation and technical guidance into clear, practical actions and leading a team of

Responsibilities

• Provide technical oversight of designs, specifications and major works, reviewing information from external design practices and supporting acceptance into Built Estate Central.
• Lead and manage a team of Authorised Persons, implementing MOD safe systems of work and maintaining knowledge and competence across the function.
• Establish and maintain a robust compliance assurance framework, lead audits and provide independent assurance to leadership and customers on compliance performance, risks and issues.
• Coordinate governance for Safety Alerts, Technical Bulletins, Engineering Instructions and Regulatory Change Notices, ensuring timely action and closure.

Job description

VIVO Defence is looking for a Head of Technical Compliance to provide technical leadership, governance and assurance across the contract. This is a senior role with significant influence, working across operational, technical and support functions to ensure the delivery of the contract meets statutory, contractual, MOD and industry requirements.

You'll act as a trusted technical authority, providing advice and making informed decisions based on legislation, technical standards, industry guidance, practical experience and best practice. You'll be comfortable presenting complex technical and legislative requirements at all levels, including to senior internal and external stakeholders, and translating them into clear and practical actions.

A key part of your role will be providing technical oversight of designs, specifications and major works. You'll review and challenge information produced by external design practices and support the acceptance of refurbishments, new builds and major projects into the Built Estate Central function. You'll ensure that appropriate asset and maintenance information is captured within the CAFM system so that statutory maintenance, warranties and ongoing operational requirements are properly managed.

You'll lead and manage a team of Authorised Persons, providing technical direction and supporting the implementation of MOD safe systems of work in accordance with JSP 375 and HSE Approved Codes of Practice. You'll also take ownership of the central training plan, working with the business to establish appropriate learning and development budgets and ensuring employees, trainees, apprentices and new starters have the knowledge and competence required to perform their roles safely and effectively.

You'll have a strong focus on assurance. You'll establish and maintain a robust compliance assurance framework, lead technical audits and inspections and provide independent assurance to senior leadership and customers on compliance performance, risk and emerging issues. Where weaknesses are identified, you'll ensure effective corrective and preventative actions are implemented and tracked through to completion.

You'll also play an important role in external assurance, preparing for and supporting audits undertaken by organisations such as BSI and BM TRADA. You'll ensure that evidence, certification, records and processes are robust, accurate and auditable, while using audit findings and lessons learned to drive continuous improvement across the contract.

The role will also oversee professional and technical inspections, ensuring findings, remedial actions and opportunities for improvement are clearly recorded and actively managed. You'll provide clear monthly and quarterly reporting, presenting compliance performance, risks, trends, deficiencies and improvement actions in a way that provides confidence to both customers and senior leadership.

You'll take ownership of the governance surrounding Safety Alerts, Technical Bulletins, Engineering Instructions and Regulatory Change Notices. You'll ensure emerging risks and regulatory changes are assessed, communicated and acted upon, with appropriate actions implemented and closed. You'll also act as the focal point for technical compliance incidents, investigations and lessons learned, ensuring that the organisation remains proactive in managing risk.

Your responsibilities will extend across specialist services including grounds maintenance and arboriculture, ensuring statutory, safety, environmental and asset-related risks are appropriately managed. You'll work closely with operational teams and other VIVO specialists to maintain a consistent and integrated approach to compliance across the estate.

You'll also contribute commercially by developing scopes, specifications and specialist maintenance arrangements, ensuring suppliers have the appropriate credentials, experience and track record to deliver high-quality services while achieving value for money. You'll ensure contractual requirements are fully understood and that technical compliance supports successful contract performance and the achievement of KPIs.

Safety leadership will be at the heart of the role. You'll undertake Health & Safety Senior Leader Tours, promote best practice and help create a culture where safe working is embedded into everyday operations rather than simply treated as a compliance requirement.

Are you a senior technical or compliance professional who can provide expert leadership across a complex, highly regulated operational environment? Do you have the technical credibility, confidence and influence to shape compliance, drive assurance and ensure that people, assets and the estate remain safe and legally compliant?, You'll have demonstrable experience leading technical compliance, assurance or engineering governance functions within a complex operational environment. You'll bring strong technical knowledge of statutory compliance relating to building engineering systems and infrastructure, together with a detailed understanding of health and safety legislation and the ability to translate legislation, standards and technical guidance into practical operational controls.

You'll be confident working independently, solving complex problems and making sound decisions using your technical knowledge and practical experience. You'll be equally comfortable challenging established practices, influencing senior stakeholders and working collaboratively with operational teams to achieve practical solutions.

Strong communication skills are essential. You'll be able to produce clear and concise technical reports, analyse compliance performance and risk information, and present your findings confidently to senior leadership teams, customers and other stakeholders.

Experience working within a disciplined MOD environment would be highly advantageous, together with knowledge of CDM regulations and areas such as asbestos, legionella, DDA, energy performance and sustainability. Experience managing compliance risks, audit programmes and governance frameworks would also be beneficial.

You'll need the ability to obtain and maintain Security Clearance (SC) or higher, together with a full UK driving licence. The role has a mobile remit, so you'll be expected to travel across the contract and visit sites regularly, with occasional pan-contract travel where required.

As a senior leader, you'll set an exceptionally high standard for safety culture, professionalism and technical integrity. You'll lead by example, build strong relationships with MoD personnel and end users and work collaboratively with other VIVO specialists, including SHEF, Asbestos Responsible Persons and Authorised Persons.

You'll be someone who can influence without relying solely on authority, bringing people with you through clear communication, technical credibility and strong relationship management. You'll maintain high standards in a changing environment, remain focused on delivering results and continually look for opportunities to improve the way VIVO manages compliance and risk.

If you're ready to take a leading role in shaping technical compliance across a major Defence estate, providing assurance to senior stakeholders and helping create a culture where safety, compliance and technical excellence are embedded into everything we do, this is an opportunity to make a significant impact.

VIVO provides facilities management and accommodation maintenance for the UK military and its partners. VIVO embodies both experience and innovation.

What we do

We put our Customers and Families First. They are the driving force behind everything we do. We drive forward improvements for them to ensure the service they receive, whether reactive repairs or a major project, is completed safely and on time. In order to achieve this, we have 4 core values: open, caring, agile and collaborative. These are at the heart of everything we do.