MoJ Property Directorate - Civil & Structural Engineer

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Position

Civil & Structural Engineer

Location

National

Band

SEO

Contract Type

Permanent

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). On 2 April 2021, the Prisons Maintenance Group (or PMG) joined MoJ Estates Directorate and the team received a new title, MoJ Property. This change has aligned us with our Profession – the Property Profession - and brings together a property portfolio including Prisons, Probation, and MoJ HQ and Arm’s Length Bodies. We also provide property services on behalf of the Home Office.

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

The Technical Services Team ensure that all new build and refurbishment construction projects conform with technical, Health, Safety, Security and Legislative requirements that are not mandated elsewhere, or where our specific build type has a slightly different requirement. The team works closely with stakeholders and leading industry experts to develop our standards - continuously changing, innovating and improving standards to align with MoJ policy, sustainability objectives, operational requirements and modern construction practices.

This in an exciting time to join the team as we grow significantly in order to meet the demands of our ambitious estate expansion programmes worth over £2.5 billion in value. The successful candidate will use their engineering expertise to support and improve these programmes which, due to their scale, have the potential to influence the entire UK construction industry. As a result of this rapid expansion of the team and the Estate, there are excellent opportunities for career development and advancement within the property profession.

The successful implementation of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) - including Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Platform Design for Manufacture and Assembly (PDfMA) - is critical as part of the Cabinet Office’s implementation of Government Construction Strategy. As a pathfinder organisation, the development of digital construction capability is highly visible at Cabinet Office level and informs the digital construction and BIM strategy of other Government and non-government organisations. MoJ is quickly emerging as a leader in MMC and the Structural & Civil Engineer role is key to this success.

The post holder will support the Senior Standards and Assurance Manager in their work linking the Property Directorate and other parts of the Cluster and Other Government Departments.

Job Description, Duties and Responsibilities

The Civil/Structural Engineering responsibilities include the following:

Lead on the production and updating of Civil and Structural Technical Specifications and provide support to the Civil and Structural aspects of Design Guidance, Technical Specifications and drawings, pulling-in other Team members to contribute their expertise as necessary.Represent Shared Estate interests and support other Government departments on cross-Government working groups.Deliver projects to maintain and develop the BIM technical standards library, aiming at continuous improvement in construction standards.Dealing with queries on Technical Specifications and Design Guidance from any source, including supply chain, manufacturers, members of the public, lawyers, etc.Deliver Government Soft Landings interventions and Post Occupation Evaluation reports.Manage construction technical enquiries put to the Technical Standards Team.Contribute to advice, guidance and support on construction technical standards matters across the Shared Estate and to other Government departments (OGDs).Present papers to the Property Standards Governance Board as required.Consider the content of Derogation Requests within your area of expertise and provide written recommendations for consideration by the Senior Standards & Assurance Manager.Draft Estates Technical Notices as directed by the Senior Standards & Assurance Manager.Contribute to advice, guidance and support on construction technical standards matters across the estate managed by MoJ Property and to OGDs.Assist with the testing and approval of products and elements unique to the estate that are Civil and Structural elements.Assist with ensuring that technical standards are being applied to all estates-related works within the MoJ estate.Provide comment on Civil and Structural aspects of mandates, business cases, RFIs and Notices of Change for compilation by the Senior Standards & Assurance Manager.Monitor developments and innovations in the Civil and Structural practices and advise of adoption where appropriate.

Expectations of post holder in executing the role

Post Holders are expected to display a commitment to Continuous Improvement, leading change, and improving performance. All those appointed to new roles in the team must be wholeheartedly committed to these principles and evidence this in their application.Effective communication is a critical element of this role, as is the ability to prioritise and manage a workload, analyse complex information, present recommendations and make effective decisions.Post Holders must provide clear direction and focus, visibly championing the changes which deliver greater efficiencies.The Senior Leadership Team expects all leaders with the team to operate in a culture of openness and honesty, demonstrating a commitment to change through involvement and empowerment, and by delivering results.

Additional Information

The post holder must have, or be happy to apply for an enhanced CTC level of security clearance.

Skills and Experience

Essential

You must have knowledge and experience in a technical construction environment. You must have strong written and oral communication skills. You should have the ability to use evidence to make decisions. You should have experience of analysing a range of complex data. You should have good stakeholder management skills and be able to confidently deal with senior management, delivery colleagues and supply chain representatives. You should have the ability to work collaboratively. Experience of working in a digital construction/BIM environment would be an advantage.

Qualifications

A recognised qualification in a Civil/Structural Engineering construction related discipline is desirable

Government Property Profession (GPP) Technical Skills

The GPP 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 Practitioner Level – Property & Construction Projects and some or all of the following Technical Skills will be tested during the selection process:

Property Professional Expertise – PProperty Programme and Project Management – E

Behaviours

We will assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Seeing the bigger pictureManaging Quality ServiceWorking togetherMaking Effective Decisions

Flexible working hours

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

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

The post is National and ad hoc attendance at 102 Petty France, London will be expected.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. We are happy to accommodate any reasonable adjustments you may require during the selection process. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

The Property Directorate offers flexible working subject to local agreement.

This post is advertised as Permanent & Full Time, part-time applicants will be considered under job share arrangements. The unit is supportive of and encourages flexible working and compressed hours candidates will also be considered. Non-civil service candidates would typically start on the pay band minimum.