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 - 05/02/2023, 23:55

Anticipated Interview Date(s)  - Week Commencing 13th February 2023

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  

As a Workplace & Soft FM Services Manager, you will be responsible for managing the Webdesk,  a range of workplace-related strategic and operational activities, including input to the council's Future Workplace programme. You will also be managing supply partners and contracts delivering soft FM services such as:

• Cleaning
• Washroom services
• Window cleaning
• Waste management incl confidential waste
• Pest control
• Manned security guarding
• CCTV monitoring

The role reports into the Corporate Head of Facilities Management and responsible for line managing teams of FM Operations Officers and FM Assistants.

Although we are a hybrid working organisation, 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.

About Us  

Facilities Management 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.

About You  

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• A degree/HNC level in a related discipline or equivalent.
• Hold or be working towards an affiliation to IWFM or other recognised, industry-related body.
• Hold an IOSH or NEBOSH certificate in general health and safety.
• Have experience of management of manned guarding and CCTV monitoring.
• Must have a substantial, proven background in managing workplace and soft FM services, ideally in the public sector.
• Have strong leadership skills.
• Must have a collaborative work ethic with excellent leadership and influencing skills.
• Must be an effective communicator at all levels.
• Must possess skills and experience to manage budgets with our supply partner contracts, achieving maximum quality and value for money.
• Be able to build and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders.

For a more information about the role, please refer to the job description attached at the bottom of this page.

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.