View Vacancy – AUH – Estates Manager B3(L)

The British Embassy in Abu Dhabi has a vacancy for an Estates Manager.

The jobholder will provide leadership and strategic direction to all: Maintenance, Accommodation, and Transport teams in Abu Dhabi, with direct line management leading a team of three; and serving as countersigning officer for five staff members. The role reports to the UAE Head of Estates.

The jobholder will also act as the lead for all contracts and health and safety provisions, and they will have day to day oversight of the Estates Management duties, as well as administration of an Estates budget (approx. AED 8 million).

The job holder will provide deputising cover for the UAE Head of Estates in Abu Dhabi, as and when required.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Deliver and communicate London-led and local Estate policies in consultation with all stakeholders;
• Act as Abu Dhabi lead on all Health and Safety (HS) policy implementation, including training and meeting maintenance provisions in line with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) HS guidance; including Risk Management;
• As the appointed Health and Safety Administrator for Abu Dhabi, promote Post (Embassy) Health and Safety Mission Statement;
• Act as Embassy lead for all Fire Safety Provisions as the appointed Fire Safety Manager;
• Abu Dhabi lead on all Procurement and Tendering provisions. Ownership of all purchasing/ contracts delivery, ensuring actions are carried out according to the FCDO Procurement guidelines;
• Maintain and monitor performance of all Abu Dhabi commercial contracts through operating procedures and Contractual KPI Management, as per terms of agreement.  Work closely with Dubai on UAE-wide contracts and to ensure UAE-wide consistent application of policy and procedures;
• Oversight of all posts’ Health and Safety compliance records, Planned Preventative Maintenance plan, Projects/ Tasks – Refurbishment & New Builds and Schedule of Works. Providing strategic leadership and focused Project Management;
• Advise on cost effectiveness and provide value for money analysis;
• Responsible for an operationally effective Estate through focused management;
• Final coordination and negotiation of rents on leased properties; deliver recommendations with clear justifications to the Post Housing Committee;
• Oversight and delivery of all Accommodation provisions (Residential Accommodation Portfolio) on and off-site;
• Oversight of external contractors/ companies affecting Post’s integrity. Provide advice and recommendation to Senior Managers/ London of associated risks and concerns;
• Budgetary oversight of all Maintenance, Accommodation, and Transport sub-heads for Abu Dhabi. Monitor forecast and spends to meet Post’s overall objective +/-1% and reporting up to Senior Management;
• Approve purchases of supplies, equipment, and services up to a maximum purchase value of £25,000;
• Responsible for an operationally effective Estate through focused management and strategic planning;
• Ownership and delivery of the Forward Maintenance Register, with oversight of maintaining and updating an Asset Register;
• Ownership of Estate Database (Pyramid) data, ensuring accuracy and timeliness of updates and reporting.
• Provide support to: Deputy Logistics Lead as part of the Embassy’s Crisis Planning.

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad-hoc tasks as required. 

Key competencies required:

• Leading and Communicating – Showing pride and passion for public service, leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction, integrity, and enthusiasm. Managing and engaging with people in a straightforward, truthful and candid way, and upholding the reputation of the organisation.
• Making Effective Decisions – Using sound judgement, evidence, and knowledge to arrive at accurate, expert and professional decisions and advice. Being careful and thoughtful about the use and protection of government and public information to ensure it is handled securely and with care. Reaching evidence-based strategies, evaluating options, impacts, risks and solutions and creating a secure culture around the handling of information; and aiming to maximise return while minimising risk and balancing a range of considerations such as social, political, financial, economic, legal and environmental to provide sustainable outcomes.
• Managing a Quality Service – Valuing and modelling professional excellence and expertise to deliver service objectives and striving to improve the quality of service, taking account of diverse customer needs and requirements. Effectively planning, organising, and managing time and activities to deliver a high-quality, secure, reliable, and efficient service, applying programme and project and risk management approaches to support service delivery.
• Changing and Improving – Being responsive and innovative, and seeking out opportunities to create effective change. Learning from what has worked well and what has not; being open to change, suggesting ideas for improvements to the way things are done; and working in ’smarter’, more focused ways. Seeking out ways to improve policy implementation and making use of alternative delivery models including digital and shared service approaches wherever possible.

• Knowledge/ Background/ Certification of Health and Safety practices in the work place.
• Experience of working strategically with Project Management and Development best practices. Excellent organisational skills and with a keen eye for detail.
• A minimum of five years of experience leading and managing a diverse and multi-disciplined team. Demonstrates excellent staff management skills and effective communication skills.
• Strong analysis, organisational, and time management skills.
• Flexible, decisive, and resilient under pressure, with a proven track record of delivering results regularly within tight deadlines.
• Excellent customer care skills and the ability to respond to a range of customer needs.
• Excellent interpersonal and active listening skills, with the ability to cultivate and maintain a range of contacts at all levels.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and spoken. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication.
• IT literate and well-versed in the use of Microsoft Office applications, particularly MS Excel.