View Vacancy – HK – Head of Global Compliance and Standards, G6

Main Purpose of Job:

The Head of Global Compliance and Standards position is a G6(L) role based in Hong Kong reporting directly to the FCDO Head of Estate Operations & Chief Engineer (SCS1) based in London. This is a specialist role that requires external professional technical accredited qualifications, and the post holder will be the senior manager accountable for the successful day to day management of the Global Technical Compliance & Technical support (including Sustainability) teams as head of the Compliance and Standards Group within Estate Operations (EO). In addition, the postholder will be the global SME in all aspects of the EO operational estate H&S compliance, sustainability and technical performance, custodian of the FCDO building operational standards and policies and technical lead in all aspects of the worldwide inspection programme. The post holder is an intrinsic member of the Estate Operations senior leadership team and will participate in, and contribute to, the successful delivery of the EO business plan, the wider ESND business plan and the overall delivery objectives of the FCDO. 

This post holder is required to: lead, develop, motivate and manage not only the direct reports, but, through a matrix management model, ensure the global compliance team, the FCDO sustainability team, the global network of fifty-two contracted Technical Works Supervisors (TWS) and the global network of twenty-two Regional Technical Leads (RTL) ensure the ONE HMG platform remains safe, agile and compliant.  In addition, the post holder is accountable for an annual budget of circa £13.5 million. 

The post holder is a senior member of the EO team and will represent the team at both internal and external events and, by arrangement, stand in for the Chief Engineer at Director and Ministerial meetings. The post holder will engage with Heads of Missions, corporate services directors and DHMs on all matters of compliance and standards and act as a primary advisor on completion of Post annual Management Assurance Process (MAP) returns and submissions. The post holder will provide targeted ad-hoc direct specialist support to posts that are struggling to provide a safe, compliant and agile estate, or need SME advice and guidance in the interpretation and deployment of FCDO estate policies and interpretation of global FCDO H&S and technical standards that are applicable to their post. 

A major part of this role involves developing and maintaining key stakeholder relationships with FCDO head office London, overseas posts, suppliers, Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) and One HMG partners.  Regular reporting on global adherence to compliance and standards is required, as is analysis of technical data and standards for relevance and applicability.  A strong knowledge of international H&S and building operational standards is a requirement.

As a global role, there will be regular travel between Hong Kong and London and frequent travel to Posts across the overseas estate to provide specialist support, leadership, and advice.   The post holder will act as the penultimate arbitrator on the interpretation and application of compliance and standards globally and have/be able to obtain a security clearance of DV.

What the Jobholder will be Expected to Achieve: 

Global Estate Compliance & Contract Management:

• As the global SME on all matters of operational compliance, the post holder is to originate and submit subject area business plan activities for incorporation in the wider EO and ESND business and delivery plans.
• Management of, and verification of, all aspects of the global technical compliance, sustainability, H&S policies and tracking and reporting business plan delivery within the post holder’s area of responsibility, as a key contributor of the global EO and ESND business plans.
• Originate and ensure successful delivery of the Global Technical Compliance & Technical support (including Sustainability) teams business plans to: time, budget and to the agreed quality.
• Deliver a structured transition from the historic FCO H&S Compliance models to the FCDO tiered approach of global compliance using alternative methods of compliance where it is appropriate to do so.
• Develop a worldwide statutory inspection model and associated supply chain that is not reliant on a UK fly-in fly-out approach. Establish and deliver appropriate process, procedure, reporting and governance models for the compliance function to dovetail with, and support the wider EO reporting and governance structures.
• Provide additional specialist compliance input including data related to non-building related outputs (ie safe systems of work), within the business plan to ensure that it aligns to the wider FCDO and Directorate requirements.
• Directly oversee, lead, and as required, proactively course correct the compliance and standards team resources to ensure all compliance policies and procedures are adhered to, to ensure delivery of the FCDO’s objectives.
• Develop and maintain close and effective operational working relationships not only within peer groups, but also with senior stakeholders in internal and external organisations, with significant focus on One HMG partners and the five eyes community.
• Lead the roll-out of the global compliance policy maximising the use of the 4- tier maintenance standards compliance model.
• Develop and deliver strategic communications and deliver targeted engagement and training session across the wider FCDO and partners to ensure policies and procedures are unambiguously understood.
• Take ownership of, and accountability for, SME areas during development of EO (in compliance with the HMT Green Book 5-case model), Strategic Business Case (SBC), Outline Business Case (OBC), Final Business Case (FBC) for the delivery of projects and programmes, with a particular concentration on compliance and adherence to property standards and policy related matters.
• Develop the compliance function capability within regions and expand the team to ensure sufficient governance and resilience is always in place to support operational delivery.
• Act as the penultimate arbitrator on disputes relating to the interpretation and understanding of Estate Operations policies and standards and technical compliance related matters associated with the global operational estate.
• Prepare and deliver presentations/papers to senior management boards such as ARAC, ExCo and Management Board and respond to questions and challenge.
• Provide timely and sound specialist advice to EO contract management teams and the wider ESND on matters related to compliance and standards, ensuring that all activities fully align to policies and standards. Where dispute is identified, undertake the role as final arbiter in matters relating to building compliance and property standards.
• Proactively, and in a regular structured manner, engage with members of the ESND and wider FCDO senior management teams to review operational activities and provide leadership and support in compliance and standards.
• As the SME, take ownership to determine the direction of travel on outputs/activity where compliance matters are core to the situation and advise the wider ESND SLT as required.
• Provide specialist advice and leadership on the impact to the network of changes to legislation and/or compliance related policies that may change risk profiles and brief senior stakeholders and the FCDOS’s central H&S function accordingly.
• Through the application of high levels of analytical and specialist skills, resolve complex and/or sensitive cases to achieve correct outcomes ensuring risk management and corrective actions are implemented and documented.
• Be responsible for ensuring that FCDO property standards remain up-to-date and accurate at all times through regular reviews and audits (at least annually).
• Ensure the necessary competence and capability exists within the wider compliance team members in order to facilitate operational and strategic requirements. Develop structured training and succession plans to ensure continuity and resilience remains within the compliance function.

Financial Management:

• Oversee the Compliance and Standards group budget of circa £13.5 million per annum and ensure, with commercial support, accurate budget delivery in line with FCDO policy, currently ± 1% of budget allocation.
• Through close collaboration with other senior leaders within EO, lead the teams to prepare and submit annual Admin & Capital budgets related to the compliance and standards group activities.
• As arbiter and senior point of governance within the compliance group; verify, quality assure and validate all financial reports and data before forwarding to the Head of Estate Operations. Act as the penultimate arbitrator for the (technical) allocation of Global Maintenance Programme (GMP) project funding allocations and financial performance.
• Develop and deliver a robust audit and governance structure and processes within the compliance team to ensure all fiscal accounting meets the FCDO’s fiscal policies.

Stakeholder Management:

• Within Directorates, Regions and Posts, identify senior stakeholders, influencers, partners and enablers who either receive, need or interface with aspects of compliance in their areas of operations and convert this data into a live stakeholder engagement map resulting in dynamic RACI documents.
• Building from a dynamic stakeholder map; develop and maintain productive and mutually beneficial relationships with all senior stakeholders with a focus on Regional Directors, HoM (as Country Plan Owners), DHM, and One HMG partners.
• Identify and use opportunities at senior management level to leverage greater use of existing resources within the compliance domain and seek to achieve benefits for all parties through the application of improved processes and use of technology.
• Engage with counterparts at the ‘Head of global compliance level’ and above, within the Five Eyes partners community to create long-term working relationships to leverage the FCDO’s global footprint and gain greater access to shared practices, market and technical intelligence and resources/supply chain within a very niche specialist space.
• Ensure that all customer/client expectations are properly managed. Liaise with OGDs, Suppliers, FCDO Corporate Departments, Asset Management and Security; Corporate Procurement Group, Global Transaction Processing Centre, Central Finance and ALBs to ensure the estate meets the Compliance and Standards policies and procedures.

Resource Management:

• For the global compliance delivery model, originate and stress test budget requirements (both admin and capital (for equipment)) for inclusion in the wider Estate Operations’ overall spending review (SR) submission and annual budget cycles. Once wider funding has been secured, allocated budget delegated authority to individual G7 Team leaders and hold your G7 direct reports responsible for budget spend and accounting within their areas of delegated authority.
• Develop appropriate governance, assurance and tracking processes within the compliance division to monitor and drive best quality/value/VFM within available funds and delegated authority.
• Introduce structured processes to ensure that commercial and accounting controls are embedded within the compliance division so that actual spend can be tracked against planned cashflow, analyse variations and introduce necessary corrective action in good time to prevent over or under spend at financial year end.
• Review compliance teams’ monthly budget forecasts and contribute to departmental data in the EO wide commercial review meetings. Retain accurate data and registers of actions so that necessary records can be made available to senior management/internal audit as necessary.

Staff Management:

• Undertake and oversee day to day management of the Compliance and Standards Group within Estate Operations with a matrix model of management with three direct G7 reports, one direct SEO report and an overall labour force (including contractors) of circa eighty-three members of staff spread across the globe.
• Develop, motivate and lead senior members of your teams to ensure that roles are clearly defined, and incumbents receive appropriate training and support, performance feedback and learning and development opportunities.
• Proactively ensure the teams have a profile that meets the FCDO’s diversity, inclusion and equality characteristics and that all staff have a feeling of belonging.
• Act as, and demonstrate, the characteristics of a senior mentor to enables all teams’ members to have the confidence that they can seek advice and guidance and that you are a trusted confidant.
• Develop a bespoke FCDO compliance skills matrix for each role within the compliance group, ensuring that sufficient resilience for each role is built in and embedded within the team structure.
• Mentor team members to ensure ongoing personal and professional learning and develop regimes are in place and foster a culture of continuous improvement with succession planning a central focus.
• Be responsible for the origination, documentation and regular testing of business disaster recovery, emergency call cascade models and emergency evacuation/recovery models within the group, feeding this planning into the wider ESND planning exercise as required.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• Overall, the post holder has three G7 direct reports and a combination of 83 primarily external contractors and FCDO staff globally dispersed.
• The various contract values that the post holder is directly responsible for equating to circa £13.5 million per annum, primarily admin.

• In possession of a professional qualification in Facilities Management either IWFM or AssocRICS and associate IEMA.
• Extensive experience in managing a globally remote teams with potentially contradictory, multiple priorities, whilst working collaboratively and acting as a subject matter expert.
• Able to demonstrate extensive business, operations and service delivery experience with people management responsibilities in a large dynamic international complex organisation.
• Strong presentation, influencing, coaching and communication skills, in both oral and written forms. Fluent in English both oral and written.
• Ability to deal effectively with various levels of management, including Ministerial and Executive board level, acting as an ambassador and intelligent client function senior leader for Estate Operations and the wider ESND.
• Ability to review and understand detailed and sometimes complex technical information and communicate, clearly and succinctly, findings to an audience with varied degrees of technical knowledge and experience.
• Ability to draft technical policy documents, update reports and advice for submissions to Head of Estate Operations/FCDO governance requirements.
• A comprehensive understanding of UK as well as international H&S legislation in relation to the built/operational environment and how they impact project delivery and compliance.
• A strong knowledge of sustainable procurement, project delivery and estate operations.
• A comprehensive understanding of, and experience of, operational TFM delivery in live, highly prestigious, and secure facilities within an international organisation.
• At least 10 years’ experience and Professional qualifications or equivalent in a Management/Property/Surveying/FM or engineering related subject, and membership of a Management/Property/Surveying/FM/ engineering related professional body.
• A demonstrable track record of improving building H&S compliance results within an international organisation.
• A strong technical, and facilities management knowledge with associated experience.
• Strong UK Health & Safety legislation knowledge, with experience of interpreting and applying H+S standards and legislation internationally across a wide and diverse property portfolio.
• Detailed understanding of the application of property standards and safe working practices across a global platform.  
• Strong demonstrable Leadership and Management skills.
• Experience in the delivery of transformation programme to adjust to changed far reaching policies and procedures.
• Have a strong knowledge of how the FCDO operates and how it interfaces with other government parties and bodies.
• Have strong negotiating skills, relating to contracts including achieving value for money and maintaining a quality service.
• Have demonstrable experience in the completion of operational audits and contract compliance audits as well as practitioner level experience on Quality Assurance systems.
• Experience of leading change management exercises within a large international organisation.
• A strong understanding of UK H&S and Infrastructure legislation and how this applies in an overseas context including demonstrable evidence or pragmatic and appropriate application of UK legislation overseas.
• Detailed understanding of the application of property standards and safe working practices to a global estate.
• Ability to draft technical policy documents for submission to Head of Estate Operation/ FCDO Board.
• Have a strong knowledge of how FCDO BAU is influenced by security requirements including, insider threat and protection from third party or hostile actors.              
• The ability to use the full suite of MS Office products including Visio, Project, Teams.