Building Repairs Manager (Voids)

Job Introduction

Fantastic opportunity to join us as our Building Repairs Manager (Voids) and lead our void property surveying team! You'll have a good knowledge of building surveying and void property service management plus be a great communicator, with relevant experience of surveying and managing repairs or voids contracts.  

Your new role

You will be specifically leading, managing, training and reviewing our performance to meet the requirements of the voids process, ensuring all provisions are addressed to the standard set out in the contract along with undertaking additional surveying activities. You will be based at one of our Council offices leading a voids team.

The team is responsible for providing a repair and voids service, ensuring that it is undertaken in accordance with our NEC term service contracts including all contractor payments. Your voids team will assist us in maintaining and improving our properties, ensuring the right repair is carried out at the right time whilst helping us to provide suitable homes when needed.

You will lead and manage a team of surveyors who are responsible for surveying our assets, assessing the condition, evaluating and diagnosing what work is required, assessing the best options to carry out the work, issuing specifications, agreeing the void category and managing a varied range of void property projects.

For all details of what the role will involve please see the full job profile attached at the bottom of this page!

Who is the person?

You need to: 

• Have relevant experience of managing similar repair or void contracts 
• Have a relevant construction related qualification, ideally have an appropriate qualification such as member status of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) with an appropriate level 4 or level 5 repairs qualification or a plan to work towards gaining the qualification.
• Have good knowledge and experience of building construction technology and building pathology together with the ability to coach and advise others.  
• Have good knowledge of the Decent Homes Standard and HHSRS with experience of applying it in practice.  
• Have good knowledge of Energy Performance Certificates and the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard and experience of applying them in practice.
• Have knowledge contract management, ideally NEC contracts, including experience of managing contractors, application of contract service schedules, KPIs, contractor meetings negotiating contractual matters, resolution of disputes and improving the service. 
• Have experience of developing relationships with other services, clients and customers, understanding their aspirations, managing expectations and ensuring that excellent communication occurs to ensure that they are fully informed regarding the voids service, receiving exceptional customer service. 
• Have experience of working with interdepartmental teams and working towards a common goal while acknowledging conflicting priorities.
• Have good knowledge of the Social Housing Regulator consumer standards and experience of applying building related legislation, contract law and guidance including the building regulations, planning law, party wall act, fire safety, electrical inspections, gas installations, legionella, with the ability to advise others.
• Have knowledge and experience of construction related health & safety legislation generally with the ability to advise others, specifically the CDM Regulations 2015 and asbestos at work regulations 2012 with the ability to advise others.
• Be able to assess technical staff, demonstrate and coach practical surveying skills as appropriate; specifically, be able to carry out stock condition surveys, identify stock data and record stock information. Surveys undertaken include energy performance certificate (EPC) surveys, identifying building defects or elements that are at the end of the lifecycle, assess quality of work undertaken, offer solutions to resolve any issues and condition assessments to identify potential planned maintenance schemes.
• Have relevant knowledge and experience of making contractor payments, applying cost control and budget management techniques including undertaking audits. Demonstrate commercial awareness and be able to undertake cost estimates for building work, exercise financial control and assess value for money for the service provided when evaluating the contractor’s application for payment on a cost reimbursable contract. 
• Have relevant knowledge and experience of using all Microsoft packages; in particular, be able to demonstrate practical IT skills using Excel spreadsheets to analyse data to prepare measures including using capability charts. You will need to be able to use various software packages to accurately update data as part of undertaking the role. 
• Be able to work independently and as part of a team, using PLAN (Proportionate, Lawful, Accountable, Necessary) to resolve problems and find appropriate and effective solutions.
• Be able to interrogate, analyse and evaluate stock and voids data, to ensure that data is accurate and use measures to evaluate the performance of the voids service.
• Have relevant knowledge and experience of recruiting, managing and developing staff, including coaching apprentices, to meet the demands received by the team including applying HR policies as appropriate.
• Be organised and methodical when measuring demands received by the building voids team and managing resources available to provide the repairs service.
• Be able to investigate void service complaints or enquiries from stakeholders and respond to as appropriate. 
• Have a full driving licence and provide a car for work, as you will be visiting sites across Portsmouth and will need to travel effectively between them. 

About Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.

We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours. 

Our recruitment process

Full information about our recruitment process can be found on our support for applicants' page: Support for applicants - Careers portal

You must demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. If you apply without a detailed personal statement, it is unlikely that you will be successful. 

We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.

Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our career's portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616 800.