For jobs located in Wales, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable.
From the design and development of policies to the delivery of services supporting work, welfare, pensions and child maintenance, DWP is the Government’s largest department.
People are at the very heart of what we do. We ensure disabled people can live more independent lives; help tackle poverty and homelessness; provide a financial foundation for a secure old age; and support families ensuring children can fulfil their potential.
DWP has the largest commercial estate in government and our team is committed to being smaller, greener and better – helping people to work, grow and thrive. Our estate provides accommodation for colleagues who support millions of daily customer interactions in Jobcentres and Health Assessment centres, back of house offices delivering frontline services and hub sites housing expert functions such as Policy, Finance, Digital and HR.
The DWP Estates function ensures the smooth and efficient operation of this network on a day-to-day basis. We manage a private sector supply chain that delivers essential services such as security guarding, maintenance, property and leasehold, construction, cleaning and facilities management. Many of these services are business critical and we cannot safely open our offices without them.
This senior management position will be responsible for making decisions for health and safety matters on behalf of the Estates Director and Head of Design, Compliance and Sustainability. This role is key to enhancing the culture, capability and application of Property H&S within DWP by supporting the design, plan, build and implementation of our exemplar Real Estate function.
Supporting the cultural transformation specifically in the assurance of all real estate and property health & safety requirements. This role is critical to the continued success of the Directorate as it develops the Estates health & safety system. As well as continuing to improve our safety culture and compliance across our portfolio and throughout our supplier partners.
For this role you will need to demonstrate both in your application and in the interview process the following Essential Leadership attributes and behaviours
* Ability to quickly develop positive stakeholder relationships and maintain them to deliver high quality outputs through collaboration across all DWP.
* To be able to influence at every level of civil service.
* Drive team performance yourself and through others, both in your team and the wider estate’s function
* Prioritize and role-model continuous self-learning and development while supporting others to meet their professional goals.
* Personally engage with and lead through change – demonstrating a positive practical outlook that focuses on ways to make things work better.
* Strive for continuous improvement, innovation and efficiency, taking responsibility for managing and improving all relevant standards, policies, processes, and governance relating to the role.
* Ensure everyone clearly understands and owns their roles, responsibilities and business priorities. Giving honest, motivating and enthusiastic messages about priorities, objectives and expectations to get the best out of people.
* Ensure working practices of the team adhere to both departmental and civil service standards, policies, and processes and that appropriate governance is followed at all times.
Job Description
* Lead the Estates Health and Safety team, including creation and delivery of the annual plan; reporting of MI and assurance information; developing and maintaining suitable and sufficient H&S management arrangements; and responding to incidents.
* Direct the development and implementation of a positive Health & Safety culture and environment across the Estates Directorate property portfolio, for employees, suppliers, customers, and the public, reflecting the changing needs arising out of Health & Safety legislation and best practice.
* Management of the Project Safety Manager, who has responsibility for ensuring the department discharges its CDM duties with competent people and provides assurance for safe project delivery (>£100m pa).
* Undertake the role of Estates main point of contact and subject matter expert for all Estates Health and Safety matters, providing specialist expertise, advice and challenge as required, balanced with welcoming and responding to views and challenges of others.
* Discharging all Health and Safety matters on behalf of the Estates Director and Head of Design, Compliance and Sustainability, presenting reasonable conclusions from a wide range of complex and sometimes incomplete evidence, making decisions confidently.
* Regular liaison with Estates Leadership to ensure roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, understood, and executed and that the appropriate skilled resources are available across the Directorate.
* Adopt a government wide perspective to ensure alignment of activity and policy contributing to and leading elements of the cross-government H&S agenda.
* Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts with all appropriate cross Government Health & Safety related networks and forums. Ensuring Estates roles and responsibilities are relevant and managed whilst helping to progress shared objectives.
* Representing Estates Health & Safety with Departmental Trades Union.
* Ensure DWP retain overall accountability for the health and safety of its employees and customers whilst ensuring the Authority’s building and project compliance obligations are executed, in the most effective and economic way, by all internal colleagues and Supplier Partners.
* Provide assurance to the Department and its Ministers that the Department is meeting its statutory and health and safety obligations.
* In conjunction with supplier partners, ensure the Department has visibility of accidents, incidents, near misses and workplace ill-health issues and meets all its statutory health and safety obligations.
* Roll out initiatives and programmes in partnership with the supply chain and DWP People group to ensure a ‘one team’ consistent and effective approach to all areas of Health & Safety.
* Drive the language and culture of Health and Safety up and into the wider business, working with other Departmental H&S SME’s to ensure a holistic approach to protection of our business and our customers.
* Be the senior Subject Matter Expert representing the Department when interacting with enforcing bodies (e.g. CPFSI, HSE).
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .