Building Services Assistant

Job summary

We are looking for a Building Services Assistant to help ensure our building remains safe, efficient, and welcoming for all users. Supporting the delivery of building operations, you will assist with a wide range of activities, including visitor management, contractor coordination, routine inspections, and maintaining building standards.

Every day will bring variety as you work closely with colleagues, building users, contractors, and stakeholders to support the smooth day-to-day running of the site. You will help maintain compliance with health and safety requirements, contribute to fire safety arrangements, and assist in creating a safe and professional environment.

This is an excellent opportunity to develop your skills and experience in building operations and facilities management while being part of a supportive team that values professionalism, customer service, and continuous improvement. Your contribution will help ensure our building remains a safe, efficient, and productive place to work.

Please note that this is a Reserved post and therefore it is important that applicants consider whether or not they are eligible to work in a reserved post before they apply. Eligibility includes sole British nationals who do not have any ties to any other nations.

Office attendance details

This is an office-based role based in Taunton, Somerset and is not eligible for hybrid working.

The postholder will be part of a weekly rota to provide office coverage between 07:00 and 19:00, Monday to Friday.

Job description

• Act as first point of contact and escalation for building and facilities issues.
• Ensure statutory compliance across facilities, health & safety, and fire safety, under guidance from the Facilities Management team.
• Oversee contractor management, audits, and inspections.
• Support senior leadership with building operations and risk management
• Maintain a safe, efficient and welcoming environment for staff, visitors and partners.

Person specification

• Experience of working as part of a team and providing a good level of customer service.
• Good communication skills and the ability to deal professionally with colleagues, visitors and contractors.
• An awareness of the importance of health, safety and security in the workplace.
• Reliable and professional, with the ability to remain calm when dealing with problems or unexpected situations.
• Well organised, with good attention to detail and the ability to follow procedures and instructions.
• Proactive and willing to learn, with a positive approach to resolving day-to-day issues.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,113, UK Hydrographic Office contributes £8,434 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

At the UK Hydrographic Office, it's very important to us that our people feel valued.

We offer a huge range of benefits such as training and development, well-being support, flexible/ homeworking, a fantastic state of the art building, high spec equipment, and so much more.

See our attached Candidate Information Pack for more details.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Please click "Apply now" where you will be asked to attach your anonymised CV and write a 500 word supporting statement on the below criteria.

Timeline:

• Advert Closes for applications: 2nd November 2026
• Shortlisting: week commencing 9th November 2026
• Interviews: week commencing 30th November 2026

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

Lead Criteria:

We have identified a lead criterion for this role, which we may use to differentiate between applications in the following scenarios:

• To conduct an initial-sift in a high volume of applicants (over 20 applications). This would be conducted after the above pre-sift on the mandatory criteria.
• To establish a merit-order in the event of a tie

The lead criteria for this role is identified below.

Pre-sift criteria:

• Are you eligible for a reserved post, this includes being a sole British national with no ties to any other nations Y/N?

If you do not meet this pre-sift criteria, you will not be taken through to be scored against the sift criteria.

Sift/Shortlist Criteria:

All applications are processed anonymously. You will be asked to write a 500 word supporting statement which covers the criteria below from the person specification for the role:

Experience:

• Experience of working as part of a team and providing a good level of customer service.
• Good communication skills and the ability to deal professionally with colleagues, visitors and contractors.
• An awareness of the importance of health, safety and security in the workplace.
• Reliable and professional, with the ability to remain calm when dealing with problems or unexpected situations.
• Well organised, with good attention to detail and the ability to follow procedures and instructions.
• Proactive and willing to learn, with a positive approach to resolving day-to-day issues.

Both your CV and 500 word supporting statement will be used to score the above.

Interview Criteria:

You will be interviewed against the following criteria:

Civil Service Behaviours (AO level):

• Communication and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together (lead criteria)

See here for further information: Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK

Interview Process:

• Single Stage face-to-face Interview at our Headquarters in Taunton, Somerset.
• You will be contacted to book a suitable slot if you are shortlisted.
• Interview will be with a panel of no more than 3 people and will last approx. 45 mins

Onboarding Checks:

In the event you are offered a role with us, you will be required to go through Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which will include Employment and Right to Work Checks. Security Clearance (SC) will need to be obtained prior to the role commencing. You will also need to apply for Developed Vetting (DV) which can be completed while working for us but the offer will remain conditional until DV is gained. Please see our attached Candidate Pack for further details and Terms.

Please note, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship.

Residency Requirements:

DV – reserved

This is a Ministry of Defence reserved post and open to sole UK nationals only. Successful applicants will require Developed Vetting (DV) and therefore need to have resided in the UK for a minimum of 24 consecutive months within the last 10 years.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk
• Email : recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk

Further information

Further Information

The Department’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment based on merit, open and fair competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, details of which can be found at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can further contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk or view more details at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Attachments

Additional Pay Information Opens in new window (pdf, 163kB)UKHO Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 5713kB)