Job Overview
In 2027, CRFCA and the 13 RFCAs will be merged into one Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB) with a head office and 13 regional offices. The Director VE will continue direct the management, maintenance and development of the Volunteer Estate through the estate team of the 13 regional offices.
The CRFCA Director VE leads the management, maintenance and development of the Volunteer Estate. This includes establishing and maintaining effective working relationships at a senior level with Defence customers, with the Estate Teams of the RFCAs, each responsible for their own region of the VE, and with the industry partners contracted to deliver Facilities Management (FM) services. The CRFCA Director VE represents the VE and the interests of those tasked to manage and maintain it within senior Ministry of Defence forums.
The CRFCA Director VE leads the CRFCA Deputy Director VE and the 9-strong CRFCA Estate Team in undertaking the contract management and assurance, risk management and data stewardship of the 4 no. regional FM contracts, coordinating the efforts of the RFCA Estate Teams in these duties. The role holder is appointed by the Ministry of Defence as the Buyer’s Representative for the 4 no. FM contracts, with personal responsibility for deciding what profit should be paid in accordance with the formal contract performance management regimes.
Working alongside the Heads of Estate of each of the 13 no. RFCAs, and using the resources and priorities provided by the Ministry of Defence, the CRFCA Director VE has overall responsibility for ensuring that the VE remains safe, compliant and fit for purpose to meet the needs of its customers, both now and into the future.
The CRFCA Director VE is also responsible for leading the CRFCA Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HSEP) team; this team provides direction, guidance and formal assurance on HSEP matters nationally in respect of all of the RFCAs’ undertakings, not just in respect of estate matters.
Principal areas of accountability, tasks and duties
Leadership and management.
a. Shape with the Ministry of Defence the future arrangements for the Facilities Management of the VE post the end of the current contracts in very late 2028 and very early 2029.
b. Shape with the Ministry of Defence the strategic asset management of the VE.
c. Lead the CRFCA Estate Team, ensuring that CRFCA Board direction is delivered to enable the achievement of CRFCA outputs and outcomes mandated in the Service Level Agreements with the VE’s customers.
d. Embed a culture of continuous improvement within the CRFCA/RFCA Estates function.
e. Develop CRFCA Estate Team members through the exchange of knowledge and experience, managing staff performance consistently and fairly.
f. Support and encourage professional development and training opportunities for all CRFCA Estate Team members.
g. Demonstrate a personal commitment to the achievement of the aims and objectives of the CRFCA, and ensure this is embedded throughout the CRFCA Estate Team.
Communication/engagement & stakeholder management.
a. Develop and maintain open, honest and collaborative working relationships at a senior level with key Defence senior stakeholders, the RFCAs and industry partners.
b. Lead the resolution of any issues which the customers, RFCAs and industry partners have been unable to resolve at a working level. As appropriate, escalate concerns to the CRFCA Chief Executive and/or directly to Ministry of Defence stakeholders.
c. Produce quarterly and annual VE governance reports for the CRFCA Board and sub-ordinate governance forums.
d. Lead the provision of responses to Parliamentary Questions, Ministerial Correspondence and Freedom of Information Requests.
Contract management & assurance.
a. Be accountable to the Ministry of Defence for contract management and assurance, data integrity, reporting and risk management in relation to the FM contracts.
b. Be accountable for the delivery of the objectives set out in the Service Level Agreements with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and with the Navy, Army and RAF.
c. Be accountable for having effective processes in place to capture, assess and mitigate both safety risks and capability risks on the VE.
d. Ensure that opportunities for continuous improvement and innovation in the delivery of FM services, are identified and exploited, within resource constraints.
e. Ensure that from a customer perspective there is a pan-VE common user experience in respect of FM services, agnostic of which industry partner is delivering the service and which RFCA is managing and assuring the delivery.
Performance management.
a. Lead the delivery of assurance activity to meet estate compliance and contract performance objectives.
b. Lead the formal, periodic assessment of industry partner performance in the delivery of FM services.
c. Lead the FM Quarterly Performance Review meetings with each of the FM industry partners.
d. If formal rectification plans are put in place to address areas of persistent industry partner unsatisfactory performance, lead periodic reviews of the effectiveness of the plans.
Programme management.
a. Oversee the forward development and in-year delivery management of the annual planned works programme with the Defence customers, helping to ensure it is aligned with Defence strategic objectives and that its constituent projects remain on target to meet the time, cost and performance metrics agreed with the customers.
b. As required, ensure that business cases are written and staffed in accordance with Defence policy.
Financial management.
a. Ensure that forecast commercial commitments in respect of the FM contracts do not exceed the Approved Budgetary Limits set by HM Treasury.
b. Produce the annual, rolling 10-year budget submissions for the VE into the Ministry of Defence’s annual Strategic Planning Cycle.
c. Produce monthly in-year expenditure forecasts for DIO in respect of the delegated budgets and an end-of-year accruals forecast.
d. In respect of the planned works programme, oversee the production of monthly in-year expenditure forecasts and an end-of-year accruals forecast for DIO and for the Defence customers who fund the works.
Staff management responsibilities
6. Direct line management responsibility for:
a. Deputy Director Volunteer Estate
b. Head of Health, Safety and Environmental Protection.
Budgetary responsibilities
The Director VE is responsible for the in-year management of the circa £60m p.a. budget provided by the Ministry of Defence for the operation and maintenance of the VE.
Success profile
Technical skills and qualifications. The skills and training identified below represent those required on appointment or to be achieved within a short time scale (up to 12 months) from appointment:
a. DIO training modules for Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) contracts.
b. DIO training modules for its Infrastructure Management System (IMS) – modules applicable to FM delivery.
c. DIO training module for its Asset Information Management – Common Data Environment (AIM CDE) system.
d. Practitioner knowledge of the FDIS contract terms.
e. Working knowledge of DIO’s EM02 guide for conducting FM assurance.
f. Working knowledge of DIO’s SPEC024 Asset Management system.
g. ISO 44001 Collaborative Business Relationships Management.
h. Civil Service Learning - Finance Certificate Foundation v1.10.
Experience.
Essential
(1) Definition, procurement and mobilisation of Facilities Management contracts.
(2) Understanding and complying with Facilities Management statutory, regulatory and best practice requirements.
(3) Understanding and acting upon building compliance and building condition metrics.
(4) Risk management in respect of built assets.
(5) Formal contract management and performance management of multi-year, multi-£M Facilities Management contracts.
(6) Managing complex, multi-faceted customer and industry partner relationships within Estate Management and Facilities Management settings.
(7) Producing budget submissions.
(8) Producing regular, accurate expenditure forecasts of outturn.
Desirable
(1) Strategic asset management experience (as defined within the Government Property Career Framework).
(2) Demobilisation of Facilities Management contracts.
(3) Facilities Management experience on a Defence or public sector estate.
(4) Facilities Management experience on a large, geographically disparate estate with varying ages of property, from historical, listed assets to brand new ones.
(5) Stakeholder management experience of military stakeholders.
Behaviours (Civil Service Behaviours (Grade 6/7).
a. Seeing the bigger picture
b. Changing and improving
c. Making effective decisions
d. Leadership
e. Communicating and influencing
f. Working together
g. Developing self and others
h. Managing a quality service
i. Delivering at pace
Government Property Career Framework Requirements –
Property Leadership - Senior Practitioner / Senior Leader
a. Property Professional Expertise (E)
b. Customer and Client Service (E)
c. Stakeholder Engagement (E)
d. Strategy and Business Planning (E)
e. Analytical Decision Making (P)
f. Technology and Innovation (E)
g. Sustainable Practice (P)
h. Commercial Acumen (E)
i. Property Programme and Project Management (P)
j. Health and Safety, Compliance and Inclusion (E)
[_A* = Awareness; __W = Working; __P = Practitioner; __E* = Expert]_
Professional membership. Hold Chartered, Certified or Fellow membership of a relevant professional body such as CEng, CIWFM, CIOB, RICS or RIBA.
Mandatory training for the role
Training to be undertaken in accordance with the CRFCA People Learning Plan.
Additional requirements
Regular travel to London (monthly) and UK-wide (less than monthly), with occasional overnight stays (typically quarterly).
The job holder will be required to be vetted to Security Check (SC) level.
The job holder is required to comply with the RFCAs’ Code of Conduct and to avoid any conduct which discriminates against colleagues, potential employees or contractors on the grounds of any protected characteristics, as identified by the Equality Act 2010.
As part of our commitment to integrity and safeguarding all applicants for Crown Servant posts are required to declare whether, within the past five years, they have been dismissed from any employment for gross misconduct involving bullying, harassment, discrimination, or victimisation, or have left a role following a formal disciplinary process where a finding of gross misconduct related to these behaviours was made, even if dismissal did not occur.
This declaration requirement applies regardless of whether the previous employment was within the Civil Service, Armed Forces, private sector, or another public body.
A disclosure will automatically disqualify a candidate so the application must be rejected. All personal data will be treated confidentially.
Pay: £72,840.00 per year
Work Location: In person
