The British Embassy Amman has a vacancy for the position of Technical Works Officer, job grade Administrative Officer (AO), on a fixed term contract for two (2) years.

We are seeking an experienced candidate with management potential who will work with the Estates Manager and Technical Works Supervisor to establish the Technical Works Group (TWG) as a centre of excellence serving a diverse staff base. The jobholder will manage day to day maintenance of estate-related assets to statutory requirements and oversee planned improvements. You will work to the Embassy’s health, safety, and welfare standards for the benefit of all staff at the Embassy in a ‘zero harm’ culture. You will also help reduce the Embassy’s carbon footprint through greater use of renewable energy, reduction in waste, and the increase of sustainable practices. 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 Technical Works Officer plays a key role in delivering Estates services, providing day-to-day management of the TWG and deputising for the Estates Manager when they are on leave. The jobholder will assist and support the Estates Manager to deliver Estates services, with a particular focus on the expanding office and residential estate, to customers under the One HM Government (HMG) Service Level Agreement. The role is responsible for operational delivery of maintenance services, including keeping maintenance records, organising work rotas for the skilled trades team and assessing and improving customer satisfaction, acting on feedback on service delivery.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

The Estate comprises an office building and a compound which includes leisure facilities (swimming pool, gym, tennis/ basketball court, football pitch, children’s play area). A major part of the estate are the leased properties for UK Based staff (around Amman) and a representational Residence for the Ambassador near 4th Circle. The Embassy and associated compound require ongoing and significant maintenance after major investment in infrastructure over the last five years.

• Set in place day-to-day work schedules 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. Agree daily work schedules, organise materials needed, and ensure tools for the job are fit for purpose and well maintained by the trades team.
• Ensure Technical Works Group (TWG) have daily tasking organised to deliver on planned and ad hoc maintenance requests, work to enhance the facilities and remedial or urgent works identified. Help team to problem solve more technically difficult tasks, providing expert knowledge and guidance. Inspect work as it is done or completed, checking it meets UK safety standards and specifications. Make or direct corrective action where this is not the case.
• Working with the Estates Manager and Technical Works Supervisor (UK staff) deliver planned and preventative maintenance to set deadlines covering the entire estate and triage and prioritise ad hoc or urgent requests. Recording as appropriate what was done and the outcomes.
• Work with Estates Manager and Technical Works Group to deliver on projects which enhance or improve the office and recreational facilities to time and budget set.
• Supervise external contractors providing maintenance or works to Estate assets, ensuring technical competence and adherence to health and safety risk assessments and safe working practices. Inspect work as it is done or completed, checking it meets UK safety standards and specifications. Reporting to Estates manager if this is not the case.
• Seek and act on customer feedback and use this to drive continuous improvement within the Estates team.
• Contribute to the Greening committee with technical advice on what is possible and ideas following the Energy Audit.

– Health, safety, and statutory compliance

• Ensure works completed by TWG or external contractors are compliant with H&S regulations and that Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) guidelines are understood and followed.
• Check and sign off on portable appliance testing (PAT testing) of electrical equipment. Be PAT test trained.
• Champion a ‘zero harm’ culture at BE Amman and encourage staff to use the H&S reporting portal (Evotix). Schedule and complete urgent H&S requests including repairs or short-term mitigations. Understand when to raise risks higher and seek guidance on best practice.

– Finance management

• Have control of the Estates imprest for small cash purchases. Reconcile monthly transactions with the Finance Team and retain all receipts and records of spend following financial due diligence and risks around cash holdings.
• Custody of a Government Procurement Card (GPC). All purchases must be receipted and accounted for promptly on the FCDO’s in-house finance and procurement system (Oracle-based), following audit guidelines and taking into account value for money. Training will be provided.

– Communication and engagement

• Working with Estates Manager, ensure that estate works that affect colleagues are properly planned.
• Keep customers up to date on progress of projects or maintenance requests and dealing with any complaints or feedback.

– Staff management

• Overall management of a technical works team of seven (7) staff and several external contractors who provide regular maintenance of some of the Estate assets.
• Provide line management to the Technical Works Team, 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 technical skills to enable them carry out their duties as per the UK standard in a safe and professional manner. Put in place a system to allow continuing professional development (CPD) for all trades in the team.

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:

• Managing a Quality Service – Gain a clear understanding of customers’ needs and expectations. Plan, organise and manage your own time to deliver a high quality service which gives taxpayers a good return for their money. Act to prevent problems by identifying issues, reporting them and providing solutions. Keep customers and all colleagues up to date with progress. Show customers where to access relevant information and support that will help them to use services more effective.
• Delivering at Pace – Always work with focus and pace to get the job done on time and to a high standard. Follow the relevant policies, procedures and rules that apply to the job. Use own knowledge and expertise to organise work. Keep focused on delivery and take responsibility for the quality of work produced. Keep a consistent level of personal performance. Keep managers and stakeholders updated on how work is progressing.
• Developing Self and Others – Identify gaps in your skills and knowledge and make plans of how to develop these. Take time to achieve development objectives. Listen to and act on feedback from colleagues to find areas you can develop. Share knowledge and skills learnt with colleagues to contribute to the learning and development of the whole team.
• Working Together – Proactively contribute to the work of the whole team and remain open to taking on new and different roles. Get to know your colleagues and build supportive relationships. Listen to alternative perspectives and needs, responding sensitively and checking understanding where necessary. Ask for help when needed and support others when the opportunity arises. Be aware of the need to consider your own wellbeing and that of your colleagues. Understand that bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable.

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 rewarding role for a candidate interested in customer service and operational delivery and will require and teamwork and resilience.

This is a busy middle management role that calls for an experienced, well-organised self-starter with drive, initiative, and good technical skills. We are looking for a confident self-starter with proven initiative in overcoming obstacles, and someone who has the ability to handle multiple tasks and prioritise with minimal supervision.

As with all CS jobs, no two days are the same. 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 Technical Works team.

Excellent interpersonal skills are essential, and you will be comfortable dealing with staff at all levels and be able build co-operative and productive working relationships with everyone that you meet.

Essential

• Relevant experience in a similar estates/ trades management customer-facing role, ideally for at least five (5) years.
• Proven experience with relevant certification in one or more of the following areas: health and safety compliance, maintenance works, refurbishment projects, building works [first and second fix], or facilities management.
• Management expertise and experience of working with and motivating and managing operational delivery teams.
• Highly organised and able to deal with challenging situations, confident in scheduling day-to-day tasks and making decisions on triaged, ad-hoc, or emergency requests.
• Excellent team working skills including evidence of working collaboratively with multicultural colleagues.
• Good working level communication skills in English, both oral and written. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both verbally and in written communication.
• Holds at least a recognised Skilled Trade advanced qualification in a relevant field: mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or HVAC systems/ air conditioning preferred.
• IT skills and literacy in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).