Assistant Operational Contract Manager

For jobs located in Wales, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is one of the governments largest public service departments with a sizeable annual budget, serving over 20 million citizens.

The estate spans 1.4 million square metres across 800+ sites and supports around 78,000 colleagues.

Our vision includes DWP colleagues, supply chain, partners and, most fundamentally, the customers the Department exists to serve. They are the reason for our existence.

We are responsible for the day-to-day operation of our vast Estate by managing a private sector supply chain that delivers essential services such as Security Guarding, Maintenance, Property and Leasehold Management, Construction, Cleaning and Facilities Management.

DWP Estates is not just about maintaining buildings - its about transformation. Our strategic goals include:

• Transitioning to a smaller, more affordable, and adaptable estate to meet future needs
• Investing in infrastructure through planned replacement works
• Embedding sustainability in line with Government Greening Commitments (GGCs)
• Delivering cost-effective services while maintaining high standards
• Creating a professional, best-in-class working culture across the Government Property profession

Our Estates strategy ambitions have been refreshed to take us through to 2030:

OPTIMISE: Continue to transition to a more affordable and adaptable DWP estate that creates productive environments

INVEST: Investment in an improved environment that better meets the needs of customers and colleagues and minimises service disruption

SUPPORT the drive for sustainability throughout DWP

DELIVER: Expertly deliver improving, cost-effective services for DWP

THRIVE: Continue to develop a working culture for DWP Estates that is best in class across government

There is no better time to join the award winning DWP Estates team.

This role supports the effective operational contract management of one or more key estates suppliers within DWP Estates.

What will the successful candidate be doing?

Working under the direction of an Operational Contract Manager (Grade 7), the post holder will help assure supplier performance, analyse and challenge management information, coordinate governance activity, own defined areas of delivery, and support the execution of contractual obligations.

The role provides hands on exposure to complex estates and facilities management contracts, including NEC arrangements, and works closely with Commercial, Finance, Health & Safety and Service Delivery colleagues.

The role requires strong personal leadership, taking ownership of defined areas of delivery, influencing stakeholders, and driving performance improvements through effective coordination, challenge and follow up.

Key accountabilities

Performance and Governance

• Supporting supplier performance management within the estates function, providing ongoing analysis of performance, risks and issues against agreed contractual obligations. This includes tracking corrective actions, identifying emerging trends and escalating concerns to the Operational Contract Manager where required.
• Supporting performance management governance through review and analysis of Management Information, preparing inputs for formal performance reviews and contributing to governance forums led by the Operational Contract Manager.
• Contributing to Operational Contract Management reporting across the Estates portfolio, including supplier performance and risk management information, ensuring alignment with functional governance requirements and best practice. Supporting reviews of estates audits against contractual obligations.
• Supporting assurance that suppliers deliver work orders in line with contractual and customer requirements, provide required data to systems, and working with the DWP Cost Management team to support accurate and timely payment.

Relationship management

• Effectively managing the supplier/client relationship across the Estates stakeholders, this role will lead translation of Estates business requirements into the services, and will support the DWP Estates Category Management team who will oversee the contractual relationship between DWP and the supplier.

• Building strategic, collaborative and effective relationships across the wider Estates stakeholders, dealing resiliently with challenge, and understanding the holistic picture in order to influence direction and ways of working through the contract and the Supplier.

• This role will work collaboratively to ensure Estates Control Framework and End 2 End processes are effectively embedded and articulated with the Supplier and monitor the performance of the Supplier and health of the relationships.

• Building a strategic and collaborative relationship with the Supplier to foster innovation and actively identify risks, continuous improvement opportunities to improve service, efficiencies and value for money.

• Ensuring the estates suppliers deliver outcomes that our customers need and at the requisite service quality including management of the work order processes.

Change Management

• Managing service or other change requests, validating operational / business requirements with the Estates stakeholders. Providing supporting information and undertaking contract administration activities and assurance against contractual requirements to support the DWP Category Management team to execute necessary contractual changes.

• Maintaining records of all decisions made and instructions issued to nominated suppliers. Maintaining an auditable change control register.

• Working closely with broader DWP Estates Teams, Service Delivery and Operations teams, to ensure change requests accurately reflect DWP requirements. Overlaying supply chain insight and operational information to determine required changes in scope, service and volume to accurately reflect DWPs requirements.

• Proactively identify areas for continuous improvement.

• Supporting re-procurement activity through ensuring procurement documentation, including performance metrics / KPIs, accurately reflects the desired capabilities and requirements related to the estates Supply Chain and takes account of any previously identified gaps in service, operational insights or past performance trends.

Strategy

• Implementation of Supply Chain category strategy and development plans as agreed by the DWP Estates Category Management team and the Estates stakeholders.

Health & Safety

• Working with the DWP Estates H&S Team to ensure nominated suppliers meet their Health and Safety obligations and ensuring they carry out commensurate corrective actions where necessary.

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Exposure to estates, facilities management, infrastructure or operational service delivery environments across multiple sites. [Lead Criteria]
• Experience supporting the management of Facilities Management supplier performance, including tracking actions, risks or issues, monitoring progress against agreed requirements, and escalating concerns appropriately.
• Experience analysing management information or performance data, identifying trends or issues, and presenting clear, accurate findings to support decision making.
• Experience working with a range of stakeholders to coordinate activity, resolve issues and deliver agreed outcomes within an operational or delivery environment.
• Experience operating within established governance frameworks, processes or controls, ensuring accurate records are maintained and appropriate audit trails are in place.
• Experience managing competing priorities and delivering to deadlines in a fast paced operational or delivery focused environment.

Desirable Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Experience supporting or working with large scale or multi site suppliers or contractors
• Awareness of NEC or other commercial contract structures, or experience working within contractual frameworks
• Experience supporting change, continuous improvement or performance improvement activity
• Working towards, or interest in, membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. MCIPS, RICS, contract or commercial management)

Qualifications / Professional memberships

Desirable

• Certified membership of a recognised contract management or commercial professional body, e.g. ASCM, IOSCM, RICS, MCIPS