View Vacancy - Estates and Facilities Officer AA (23/22 ACC)

Main purpose of job:

BHC Accra is a large post, currently employing 40 members of staff from the UK and 200 Ghanaian members of staff from across 12 UK government departments), and is charged with delivering high impact and complex policy, programmes and campaigns on the full breadth of the Africa Strategy.  All staff embody the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s approach to cross-departmental ways of working and the High Commission aims to be a highly-inclusive place to work, celebrating a workforce with both diversity of thought and background.

The Jobholder is responsible for ensuring that the Estate Portfolio of the Mission is maintained in accordance with UK Health & Safety Guidance. The responsibility extends beyond the maintaining the physical structures of the owned and rented Estate to effectively managing the needs/requirements of officers (UK – Based and Country based staff) in relation to provision of estates services that include; management of amenities, utilities, cleaning & waste management, janitorial services, statutory payments, management of tenancies and leases as well as small projects of the Mission under £3,000.

The BHC Accra’s Estate is an ever evolving one which has seen substantial changes over the past few years and is about to under a Seismic Project on the parts of the owned Estate. Substantial elements of the Jobholders duties shall directly feed into the Special Projects Officer’s role as well as the Head of Estates role in ensuring seamless coordination of works. Effectively managing the estates records on housing and allocations of UK-Based staff on Pyramid as well as ensuring rent and statutory payments are effective via the use of Distribution Sets based on PRISM information. The Jobholder’s duties shall include ensuring all the property and staff data across these platforms are accurate and can be accessed efficiently.

Ensuring the forward planning of planning routine maintenance of the BHC estate as well as housing allocations that directly feed into the Post Housing Committee. This role is essential in providing the Head of Estate with sufficient and accurate data that is heavily relied on by PHC.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Contract management duties for maintenance of amenities and other BHC properties. The jobholder is expected to be the primary point of contact for amenities maintenance contracts such as the Pool Cleaning Services, leading in meetings and ensuring that discussions concerning the management of the three (3) BHC pools follow UK – Civil Service Contract Management guidelines.
• Raising requisitions for supplier payments in relation to contracts under the Estates Team. The Jobholder is responsible for ensuring that payment terms under contract are strictly adhered to whiles following the agreed KPI’s. To ensure accurate invoicing and receipting of all requisitions managed within the Estates Team.
• Responsible for monitoring the Missions amenities to ensure UK Health & Safety Guidelines are strictly followed on all the Missions properties. Routine and specified inspections shall be managed and accurate records passed on to the Health & Safety Teams and Technical Works Group Leads.
• Lead on the preparation of accommodation for UK – Based staff in the Mission. The Jobholder shall effectively manage contractors, vendors, messengers and cleaners in ensuring that housing setups are planned and completed within agreed timelines. Instructions regarding housing allocations from the Post Housing Committee shall be executed by the Jobholder.
• Managing the inventory records of all Missions fixed and moveable assets. Ensuring Pyramid records are accurate and periodically updated with ever changing Staff at Post information. Acting as the key team member responsible for Pyramid updates, the Jobholder shall effectively coordinate changes to inventory records with the Estates, Security & Network Directorate in London
• Responsible for making purchases with a Government Procurement Card for goods and services valued under £3,000. Always ensuring value for money and accurate quotes submitted by competing suppliers/vendors for the Mission.
• Coordinating utility service providers such as Electricity Company of Ghana and Ghana Water Company Limited whiles ensuring value for money in services received. Ensuring accuracy in invoicing and receipting, the Jobholder is responsible for maintaining all records of utility usage and payments that directly feed into the budget for the financial year.
• Managing the Cleaners and Messengers within the Mission. The Jobholder shall line manage these teams effectively to achieve the overall Estates Team’s objectives. This shall include providing periodic training for team members on effectively carrying out their duties under UK – Health & Safety Guidelines. Mid – Term and End of Term appraisal reviews shall be conducted for both teams with the aim to improving the Learning and Development objectives of the overall Estates Team.
• Responsible for managing the tenancy/lease renewals of the Missions rented estate. Period updates to the tenancy/lease records for properties at Post shall feed directly into lease renewals. Ensuring that the tenancy/lease documents to be signed by the Deputy Head of Mission and Corporate Services Manager are accurate, signed and safely recorded for rental properties. The Jobholder shall ensure that Landlord obligations within tenancies/leases are always accounted for, reporting directly to the Head of Estates and Corporate Services Manager.
• The first point of contact for all estates related enquiries from the Corporate Services Help Desk. The Jobholder is responsible for ensuring all logged estate calls from the Help Desk are executed within the agreed SLA’s and appropriately closed at all times. Working independently to handle and/or escalate all feedback from the Help Desk as appropriate.
• Working with the Heads of Corporate Services, the Head of Estates, Clerk of Works for the Seismic Project and ESD project manager to provide the needed information on the Mission’s Estates in a prompt manner.
• Ensuring BHC Estates operations continue during the seismic programme. For example, finding creative solutions for hosting events without the Residence; problem solving how the Residence staff will function from the new environment; ensuring the BHC’s fall-back locations and communications continue in times of crisis. Many of the problems are not yet known – a can-do attitude and ability to solve problems creatively is a must.
• Providing Estates support to the Residence manager, head chef, domestic staff, and other TWG staff and, at times, being willing to assume an active management role where directions and decisions are unclear.

• Bachelors in relevant field Built Environment Field (i.e. Land Economy, Real Estate Management, Architecture, Building Technology) Business Administration, Management or other relevant field of study.
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience in working in the Built Environment space.
• Dealing with logistics, administration and budgets.
• Excellent communication skills, fluent in written and spoken English.
• Excellent IT skills (including working knowledge of MS office packages (excel; word, PowerPoint etc).
• The ability to respond flexibly to competing demands, often at short notice.
• Discretion and confidentiality.
• Strong organisational skills and good attention to detail (events planning; guest lists).
• Ability to write accurate, professional English at speed, in formats including formal letters and minutes.
• Good team player with strong customer service skills.
• Ability to plan ahead, anticipate problems / clashes and proactively sort them out.
• Able to work under minimal supervision and deliver for senior-level individuals.