The British Embassy Amman has a vacancy for the position of Head of Estates & Logistics, job grade Higher Executive Officer (HEO), on a fixed term contract for two (2) years.

We are seeking an experienced candidate with leadership potential who will work with the Head of Corporate Services (HoCS) to establish the Corporate Services (CS) Team as a centre of excellence serving a diverse staff base. The jobholder will drive Estate reform, maintaining assets to statutory requirements, and leading on structural improvements. You have responsibility for adherence to health, safety, and welfare for the benefit of all staff at the Embassy in a ‘zero harm’ culture. You will champion reduction of the Embassy’s carbon footprint through greater use of renewable energy, reduction in waste, and the increase of sustainable practices. You will also lead on logistics planning, ensuring that people and goods get where they need to be efficiently and effectively. This role has been established following a major restructure to the Corporate Services and the candidate should be able to manage continued change with a positive attitude. 

Duties and responsibilities:

The Head of Estates & Logistics will play a key role in delivering Estates services, providing day-to-day leadership of the CS Estates Teams. The jobholder will assist and support the HoCS to deliver these services, with a particular focus on the large and expanding office and residential estate, to customers under the One HM Government (HMG) Service Level Agreement and Schedule of Services. This role oversees the efficient delivery of services, including collation of management information, assessing, and improving customer satisfaction, and liaising with counterparts in the wider network, but particularly the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) posts, HMG partners on platform, London stakeholders, and MENA Regional Hubs.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

– Estates priorities

• Set priorities to maintain the estate so that they meet relevant UK Health and Safety standards and enable staff to operate from, and live on, a fit for purpose platform.
• Working with the Estate Manager and Technical Works Officer (TWO), develop and deliver a planned and preventative maintenance programme covering the entire estate and establish a means to triage and prioritise ad hoc or urgent requests.
• Working with the Estate Manager and Technical Works Officer (TWO), maintain the new asset register and forward maintenance register (FMR) which stems from it. Understand how to leverage and use funding from HQ to ensure estate maintenance standards are met. Taking advise from the UK-based Technical Works Supervisor and the Regional Technical Lead who are both based in Amman.
• Chair the Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW) Committee, ensuring that appropriate action is taken to address issues raised. Provide quarterly briefings to People and Platform Board about Post’s exposure to liability and risk, recommending remedial action where appropriate.
• Be able to work with Estates Operations in UK to ensure that HQ-funded projects are successfully concluded in Amman, with a full handover of the assets to Post. Initiate and lead development and conclusion of Post-funded projects aimed at improving the facilities.
• Set strategy and policy on UK staff accommodation units. Working with the Post Housing Committee (PHC) and Head of Corporate services, reach decisions on allocation and use of accommodation within the guidelines and constraints of the FCDO Estates Policy, making adjustments to the estate holdings as required in advance.
• Develop a set of performance targets for estates-related services that align to the One HMG Service Level Agreement and report quarterly on Estates performance against the targets. Seek and act on customer feedback and use this to drive continuous improvement in estates management.
• Work with the Embassy Climate Officer and Greening committee to help drive our climate goals and reduction of our carbon footprint, through reduction of reliance on fossil fuels, recycling, upcycling, and use of solar energy. Paying particular attention to the reduction of water waste on the Embassy estate in one of the driest countries it the world.

– Logistics priorities

• Oversee maintenance of the fleet so that it meets relevant UK Health and Safety standards, maintains warranties, and is fit for purpose. Ensure that the Logistics Officer has a system in place for vehicle maintenance and forward planning for vehicle procurement as they approach end of life.
• Working with the Logistics team, develop a coherent logistics plan for the Embassy to enable staff and goods to get to where they need to be on time in an efficient and effective manner. Maintain an updated transport policy that sets out clear service standards when official transport may/ may not be used, and notice periods required for bookings.
• Work with the Logistics Officer to develop a transport strategy that sees the reduction of reliance on fossil fuels in the fleet and a proven lower carbon footprint.
• Develop a set of performance targets for logistics related services that align to the One HMG Service Level Agreement and report quarterly on Logistic performance against the targets. Seek and act on customer feedback and use this to drive continuous improvement in transport management.

– Finance and contract management

• Overall responsibility for estates and logistics related budgets of maintenance, machinery, equipment, furniture, and utilities of £2.6m. Effective financial management, ensuring that budgets are monitored, profiled, and spent in accordance with estates priorities. Ensure financial controls are in place at all times and spend is fully auditable.
• Take a strategic overview of the balance of Estates and Logistics operations between in house provision and outsourcing, flexing between them where it makes operational and value for money (VFM) sense.
• Responsible for operational management of all estates contracts, reporting back to Head of Platform Services on delivery standards and assessment of works against KPIs set.

– Communication and engagement

• Working alongside Head of Corporate Services, ensure that estate works that affect colleagues are properly planned and communicated. Work collaboratively with a range of contractors (UK and local) and understand how projects are effectively managed.
• Engage with Embassy senior management on a regular basis, seeking feedback and demonstrating continuous improvement. With Head of Corporate Services, provide regional resilience and support, leveraging Amman as a centre of corporate excellence building on best practice and lessons learnt. Deputise as Logistics lead in crisis situations.
• Develop and leverage an effective network of contacts across other embassies in Amman and with contacts in relevant teams both in the UK and globally.

– Leadership

• Direct management of 1 x Estates Manager and 1 x Logistics Officer. Indirect management of Technical Works Supervisor (UK staff). Overall responsibility for an estates and logistics team of 23 staff.
• Provide leadership across the Estate and Logistics Management teams, including performance and talent management of staff. Inspire staff to deliver to the highest standards and instil a culture of continuous improvement, customer service and professionalism.
• Design development plans to upskill the team with the required competencies to enable them carry out their duties as per the UK standard in a safe and professional manner.

The above list is not exhaustive, and the jobholder will be required to be flexible as specific responsibilities could change in the future and this would be at the discretion of the line manager/ senior management and agreed with the jobholder. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs. The jobholder may also take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in the Embassy’s emergency planning and any other response to a crisis.

Key behaviours required:

• Leadership – Ensure colleagues and stakeholders have a clear understanding of objectives, activities and time-frames. Take into account different individual needs, views, and ideas, championing inclusion and equality of opportunity for all. Consider the impacts of own and team’s activities on stakeholders and end users. Role-model commitment and satisfaction with role. Recognise and praise the achievements of others to drive positivity within the team. Effectively manage conflict, misconduct and non-inclusive behaviour, raising with senior managers where appropriate.
• Seeing the Big Picture – . Understand the strategic drivers for your area of work. Align activities to contribute to wider organisational priorities. Remain alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact your work area. Seek out and share experiences to develop knowledge of the team’s business area. Understand how the strategies and activities of the team create value and meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders.
• Making Effective Decisions – Understand own level of responsibility and empower others to make decisions where appropriate. Analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions. Invite challenge and where appropriate involve others in decision making. Display confidence when making difficult decisions, even if they prove to be unpopular. Consult with others to ensure the potential impacts on end users have been considered. Present strong recommendations in a timely manner outlining the consideration of other options, costs, benefits and risks.
• Changing and Improving – Work with others to identify areas for improvement and simplify processes to use fewer resources. Use technology where possible to increase efficiency. Encourage ideas for change from a wide range of sources. Clearly explain the reasons for change to colleagues and how to implement them, supporting individuals with different needs to adapt to change. Encourage an environment where colleagues know that they can challenge decisions and issues safely. Take managed risks by fully considering the varied impacts changes could have on the diverse range of end users.

The jobholder will also need to role model the Embassy values of:

• Integrity
• Honesty
• Objectivity
• Impartiality

Eligibility:

If you are selected for this position, we will be able to employ you as long as:

• You have the right to live and work in Jordan; and
• You receive the appropriate level of security clearance.

This is a high pressured but rewarding role for a candidate interested in customer service and operational delivery. It will require and test management and communication skills as well as teamwork and resilience.

This is a busy management role that calls for an experienced, well-organised self-starter with drive, initiative, and high-quality personal skills. The role requires someone that can take a strategic overview and translate this into customer focussed day-to-day operational delivery, confident and competent in decision-making, and able to access and influence the right support from the UK and elsewhere, across the services that we deliver.

The ideal candidate will need to be resourceful, resilient, and have a strong track record of people management to be able to get the best of out the CS team. As with all CS jobs, no two days are the same. The Embassy and associated compound require ongoing and significant maintenance. This brings with it regular and unusual challenges. Your actions will matter hugely to staff and the ability to think creatively, have excellent people and resource management skills, and sound judgement are all essential qualities.

Excellent interpersonal skills are essential, and you will be comfortable dealing with staff at all levels, from the support staff up to the Ambassador. You will be expected to build co-operative and productive working relationships with everyone that you come into contact with.

Essential

• Relevant experience in a similar estates/ facilities management customer-facing role, ideally for at least five (5) years.
• Technical qualifications or proven experience in one or more of the following areas: health and safety management, project management (Prince 2/ Agile or similar), fire management, building management, building or structural engineering, building design, or architecture.
• Management expertise and experience of working with, motivating, and managing operational delivery teams.
• Highly organised and able to deal with challenging situations, confident in handling day-to-day tasks and decisions.
• Excellent team working skills including evidence of working collaboratively with multicultural colleagues.
• Confident and clear communicator, and fluent in English. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both verbally and in written communication.
• Holds at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Strong IT skills and literacy in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).