Building Services Manager  
Employer  Kingston Council
Location(s)  Kingston
Contract Type  Permanent
Working Hours  Full Time
Grade  K
Hour Per Week  36
Salary Range  £53,946 - £59,313
Salary Basis  Per annum
Leave Entitlement  29 days
Application Deadline  30/01/2023, 23:55
Anticipated Interview Date(s)  Week Commencing 6th February

About the Borough  

This special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned.

Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston's riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.

Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London – with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.

Kingston’s people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.

We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston’s key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.

Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.

About the Role  

This is a new role within a new management team and new service delivery model. It is an excellent opportunity to shape the role and steer building services delivery, and to help form a new team managing the full range of Facilities Management services at the Royal Borough of Kingston. 

As Building Services Manager, you will be responsible for line managing and supporting an Engineering Services and Compliance Lead, and also pick up responsibility for the delivery of building fabric services and minor works up to the individual value of £100k. The role also manages the Mechanical, Electrical, Public Health and Building Fabric Services provider and works closely with the Capital Delivery team and wider Property, Investment & Development service.

Reporting to the Corporate Head of Property & Facilities Management, this role provides an excellent opportunity for suitably experienced and skilled candidates to shape and make their mark within the early stages of delivery of new Facilities Management (FM) services at The Royal Borough of Kingston.

It is expected that to be effective in this role a high degree of physical attendance in the workplace is required. Ratio of days of attendance and remote working will vary in line with business requirements but are likely to be around 4:1.

For more in-depth information about the role, please refer to the job description at the bottom of the page. 

About Us  

The Facilities Management team manages the built environment to ensure safety, efficiency and comfort for all users as well as playing the key role in maintaining the council’s assets in optimum condition. The need for a highly skilled and experienced, strategic and operational management team is critical to its success. A brand-new team of six staff is being recruited to progress and manage a newly commissioned FM service, being delivered by specialist contractors.

Here at Kingston we are keen to promote collaborative working across stakeholders and services. We are seeking to build a highly professional, expert and approachable team that strives for the best possible outcomes for all.

About You  

To be successful as Building Services Manager, you must have:

• A bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent is essential.
• Affiliation to CIBSE or other recognised, industry-related body.
• Must have a substantial, proven background in managing building services, ideally in a public sector, client-side capacity with a breadth of experience across an extensive and varied property portfolio.
• Must possess skills and experience to manage £1m+ supply partner contracts, achieving maximum quality and value for money whilst building and maintaining effective working relationships.
• Must have a collaborative work ethic with excellent leadership and influencing skills.
• Must be an effective communicator at all levels.

Our Offer To You  

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. The COVID-19 pandemic has required us to be even more flexible in how we work and manage staff workloads, ensuring they have the correct equipment and resources to be able to maximise their talents and looking after their wellbeing.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• Three volunteering days per year
• Flexible and agile working arrangements
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership

Application Process  

Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. 

Additional Information  

We pride ourselves on being a diverse, tolerant and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.

We are proud to be recognised as a Disability Confident employer, and are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.   

We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government’s minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living.

The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

Important Information - Criminal Records

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory result to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

Job Profile  

Building Services Manager Role Profile August 2022.pdf – 113KB