View Vacancy – Head of Estates and Health & Safety – British Embassy Mexico City

Main purpose of job:

The Head of Estates will be responsible for the day-to-day leadership and management of the Mexico Estate ( Mexico City, Monterrey, Cancun and Guadalajara). They will drive Estates reform, leading and working proactively with the four person Estates team, Technical Advisors and stakeholders both in London and across the Latin America region to both ensure and deliver a safe and compliant platform.

With accountability and ownership of the Estate, the Head of Estates will further lead on all facilities expenditure, effectively using funds to prioritise and address FCDO statutory requirements within the One HMG Service Level Agreement.

Roles and responsibilities:

Manage own time and workload effectively, and oversee the work of the Estates team, in order to deliver on the following roles and responsibilities:
 
Estates Management/Health and Safety

• Lead on project management of the section: proactive planning, prioritisation, sustainability, obtaining quotations and/or putting out to tender, conceptual and practical delivery and completion of estates project works within health & safety, environmental and budgetary parameters; and actively manage projects to completion to the required standard in close consultation with the Regional Technical Lead (RTL), Technical Works Supervisor (TWS), Health & Safety Committee, Regional Security Advisor (RSA) and other relevant stakeholders.
• Actively manage platform H&S risks: implementation of Preventative Maintenance Plans and contracts with external suppliers for Embassy, Residence and Post Hirings, in consultation with Post Procurement Manager (PCM) and Procurement Hub, as required to meet HMG Procurement processes/obligations. Post data captures including continuous improvement of network, implementing recommendations of periodical reports, completion to deadline, and in line with budget and handling risks, keeping senior managers updated and abreast of ongoing works and new developments along the way.
• Make/update policies: in close co-operation with the RTL and H&S Committee, proactively manage Estates H&S policies, keeping files and records, and providing advice and instruction to staff and contractors at the contractual stage of projects and while works are taking place.
• Update the Post Data Capture, seeking advice from Estates, Security and Network Directorate (ESND) with regard to H&S process, procedures and responsibilities.
• Maintain a comprehensive inventory of Estates items at the Embassy, outer offices, Residence, and accommodation using Plan On as appropriate.
• Provide quality customer service on all estates matters across Mexico, ensuring a consistent approach is being taken across all posts.
• Act as the Client/primary point of contact for all Forward Maintenance Register projects, capital investment projects, major lifecycle replacement programmes and investment development appraisals.
• Design, develop, manage and be the owner/custodian of an Estates wider risks and issues log and provide regular updates on the log to post/stakeholders as required.
• Participate in appropriate (initial and continuous) training as required including but not limited to: Legionella Duty Holder/Responsible Officer, Fire Safety Manager, Safe systems of work familiarisation, construction and design management regulations (CDM), construction/operational site safety management etc as directed by Head of Corporate Services (and guided by FMCU).
• Assist with the organisation of large-scale Embassy events, as necessary.
• Active contribution as a member of the Health and Safety Committee and Post Housing Committee.
• Relationship building with key Estates-related stakeholders, internally (Embassy, London) and externally (Landlords, suppliers, contractors).
• Other ad-hoc tasks as required by the Head of Corporate Services and/or CSM.

Core HERA Approver

• Set up Suppliers, approve Requisitions and monitor Receipt of goods and services on HERA.
• Approve purchases in line with requisition, manage and distribute budget and charging instructions.
• Back-up to primary approvers when they are away.

Budget owner

• Control, monitor and forecast Estates budgets, including Utilities, Facilities & Capital Works.
• Value for money purchasing of Estates and maintenance items.
• Project management of the budget, ensuring spend is in line with priorities.

Learning and Development

• Develop and implement an effective and relevant personal Performance Development Plan (PDP) as part of the annual appraisal cycle.

Corporate

• Active participation in the Embassy on a corporate level, including crisis and other corporate activities.
• All employees in the Embassy network are expected, as part of their job, to contribute towards the corporate activity of the organisation.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 

• Team of four staff: 1xAO Accommodation Officer; 1xAO Maintenance Officer; 1xAA Estates Assistant; 1xS2 Handyman/Relief Driver.
• Budget allocation for Estates: Utilities, Maintenance and Projects approved by ESND/TWO, Furniture and Fittings, and Capital works (£600K approximately).
  

• Strong team manager.
• Proactive profile.
• Ability to work with multifunctional team.
• Strong customer service skills.
• Excellent project and budget management skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent delivery, with an eye for detail.
• 3+ years’ experience in a similar role (e.g. Project Management, Architecture, Facilities Manager).
• Strong organisational skills and ability to prioritise and manage concurrent tasks and conflicting deadlines.
• Adaptability to work with other sections, some overseas.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish.
• Legal status to live and work in Mexico in your own right, from time of application.