Senior Operational Contract Manager – Belfast

Overview

Senior Operational Contract Manager – Belfast

About the job

Job summary

Explore the world of HMRC Estates, where we lead the way in government property transformation. As a key player in one of the UK’s largest property programmes, HMRC Estates offers safe, inclusive workplaces and exceptional career development opportunities. Our team is dedicated to delivering high-quality, user-friendly services that enable our colleagues to thrive in an environment where they truly belong. Watch the video below to meet some of our team and come and discover a career in your hands at HMRC.

Build a Career in Property with HMRC Estates

Are you looking for an organisation that cares about the work-life balance of its workforce? An employer who offers structured personal development, progression opportunities and outstanding training? Well look no further! At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

We do this by taking equality, diversity and inclusion into account in everything we do.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome and encourage applications from all people from all backgrounds with the relevant experience and skills. We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career at HMRC accessible to you. What’s more, most roles offer hybrid working where you spend part of your working week at home giving you even more control over your work-life balance.

Inside HMRC Estates: Meet our Workplace Operations team

Job description

As a Senior Operational Contract Manager within HMRC Estates, you will play a pivotal role in overseeing the delivery of Hard and Soft Facilities Management services across our estate. Reporting to the Head of Operational Contract Management, you will lead a small professional team focused on optimising supplier performance, ensuring contract compliance, and delivering value for money.

You will act as a key interface between suppliers, local teams, and senior stakeholders, managing escalations, building relationships and driving continuous improvement. Your role will involve shaping contractual requirements, issuing variations in collaboration with commercial teams, and providing evidence-based assurance on contract performance and risk mitigation.

This is a leadership position that offers the opportunity to influence service delivery, support strategic contract transitions, and contribute to the development of a high-performing operational team.

Person specification

Here are some of the key responsibilities as a Senior Operational Contract Manager:

• Manage the Operational Contract Management team, under the direction of the Head of Technical FM & Planning Management.
• Networking & leading discussions with a wide range of people across HMRC, other Government Departments, external organisations and suppliers.
• Chair meetings and engagement with suppliers in line with the Strategic Supplier Relationship Management.
• Manage your team’s delivery of supplier KPI performance investigations and lead on conversations with the supplier and local teams.
• Act as the key interface with local teams to create a positive, cohesive and collaborative working environment with customers, stakeholders and the wider Estates function.
• Deputising for the Head of Operational Contract Management FM when needed.
• Working closely with the Senior Business & Performance manager to achieve outcomes.
• Supporting and monitoring contract and service risks and ensuring teams have mitigations in place for each risk, reviewing these regularly.
• Challenging and improving performance of the service providers and suppliers for productivity and value for money, using monthly data to drive continuous improvement and providing recommendations.
• Give evidenced based assurance to the Head of Operational Contract Management on FM contract supplier performance and contract compliance.

Occasional travel and overnight stays may be required as part of the role.

Essential Criteria:

• Knowledge of the Facilities Management industry.
• Demonstrates commercial awareness.
• Proven track record of delivering results and meeting targets.
• Ability to analyse and interpret information, engaging stakeholders to make informed decisions and deliver business focused solutions.
• Evidence of working with a range of people across different levels in an organisation, demonstrating negotiation skills and building relationships.
• Able to direct and co-ordinate work across a number of sites.
• Able to improve the effectiveness of operations, increasing output, achieving best value or improved compliance and securing good external relationships.
• Passion for the industry and delivering exceptional customer service.

Essential Training:

If not already held, you must be willing to obtain CMCP Contract Management – Practitioner within 18 months of take up duty.

Additionally, if not already held, you must be willing to obtain IWFM Level 5 and wider contract management learning within 2 years of taking up the role.

Full time only

Due to operational needs, these posts are full-time; however, applicants who need to work a more flexible arrangement are welcome to apply. We can’t guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly as any agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate. Any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.

Leeds Location:

Moves Adjustment Payment will be available for this role, provided the successful applicant is a current HMRC colleague in Bradford and meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the HMRC’s Moves Adjustment Payment guidance.

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Government Property Profession Skill 1 – Property Professional Expertise.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,544, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £13,194 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension – We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV including your job history.
• A 500-word Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the essential criteria and person specification outlined in the advert.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Sift

At sift your CV and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and you will be asked strength-based questions to also explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.

This is an example of a strengths-based question:

“It is often said that the customer’s needs should come first. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?”

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

There will also be a Technical question on Government Property Profession Skill 1 – Property Professional Expertise.

Interviews will take place via video link (Microsoft Teams).

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days(Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Merit List

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.

Criminal Record Check

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Hybrid working at HMRC

HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Additional Security Information

Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for CTC is 3 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:

Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.

Terms and Conditions

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants – GOV.UK.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).