Estates Contract Manager

Job summary

Dstl is seeking a confident and proactive Estates Contract Manager to lead and manage the delivery of Estates contracts across our unique and highly specialised estate. This is a key role responsible for ensuring that contractors deliver the goods, works and services required by the organisation, in full alignment with contractual obligations and customer expectations.

Working on behalf of the Estates Technical Leader, you will provide strong leadership, proactive contract oversight and effective performance management. You will also support the development and delivery of other outsourced services, with opportunities to broaden your experience and contribute to wider Dstl activities.

A central part of this role involves close collaboration with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), supporting partnering activities and working alongside the Estates Contract Technical Lead and the Buyer’s Representative to ensure successful contract delivery. You will engage regularly with senior stakeholders, end users, DIO colleagues and service suppliers, ensuring that services are delivered efficiently, safely and to the required standard.

Dstl recognises the importance of diversity and inclusion as people from diverse backgrounds bring fresh ideas. We are committed to building an inclusive working environment in which each employee fulfils their potential and maximises their contribution.

Job description

In this role you will:

• Provide oversight of the delivery of Dstl’s obligations within the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC), on behalf of the buyer’s representative. Any issues are to be escalated, through the Contract Technical Lead, to the Buyer’s representative. This includes assurance activities, to evidence Dstl’s delivery.
• Contribute to the development of the Gold Contract Management Plan for Hard FM Contract and agree and lead on any other Contract Management Plans (CMP’s) required for Estates contracts (Gold, Silver and Bronze level).
• Undertake Contract Manager obligations contained within the CMPs. Including, but not limited to, contract management meetings, review of payment applications, performance management activities (including KPI review), maintenance management organisation (MMO) review of performance reports and risk management (Early Warning Notices (EWNs), rectification plans etc).
• Ensure the Estates contracts are delivered effectively; managing risk, stakeholder relationships and the associated costs to ensure both parties receive mutual benefit in line with contracted terms & conditions.

Person specification

We are looking for someone who has:

• Experience of contractor management and supplier relationship management
• Experience of understanding customer needs and delivering the required outcomes
• Experience of managing multiple service contracts simultaneously
• Sound commercial awareness, finance management and business acumen.
• Commitment to delivering high-quality, cost-effective services.
• Experience of working to budget and quality

Please see full Job Profile attached at the bottom of this page

Important Information

Our work in defence, security and intelligence requires our employees to be UK Nationals who are able to gain a high level of security clearance to undertake the projects we are involved in to protect us from security threats. For this reason, only UK Nationals will be able to apply for this role. If you are an international or dual-national candidate, and you think you have the skills we need, please consider applying to any of our government, security or defence partners.

This role will require full UK security clearance and you should have resided in the UK for the past 5 years. For some roles Developed Vetting will also be required, in this case you should have resided in the UK for the past 10 years.

Qualifications

Government Commercial Function, Contract Management Expert Level Accreditation. If
not already held, should be passed within a reasonable timeframe (dependent on course
dates).
• Evidence of good standard of general education to HNC/HND level.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Leadership
• Changing and Improving

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Leadership

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £50,066, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory contributes £14,504 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Benefits

Dstl’s full range of great benefits can be found in the information pack which includes:

• Financial: An excellent pension scheme starting from 26% employer contribution (find out more here). In Year Rewarding Achievement bonuses and thank you vouchers. Rental deposit scheme and cycle to work scheme.

• Flexible working: Options include alternative working patterns such as; compressed hours, job shares and annualised hours (agreed number of hours per annum paid monthly i.e. working term-time only).

• Working hours: Flexibility around your working day (e.g. start time, finish time). Ability to bank hours in a 12 month reference period including the ability to accrue and use 3 days per calendar month.

• Where you work: Depending on your role, blended working may be available including remote working to suit you and your team. This can be discussed at interview.

• Annual leave: 25 days pro rata (rising to 30 after 5 years) plus 8 public holidays with the ability to buy/sell 5 additional days per annum.

• Family: Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks with full pay, an additional 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid

• Learning and Development: Dstl encourages and supports charterships, accreditations and provides employees access to fully funded apprenticeships up to level 7 (Masters Degree). Dstl will pay for 2 memberships with relevant bodies/institutions. Employees also have access to Civil Service Learning.

• Facilities: Onsite parking, EV Charging points, restaurants, cafés and gyms.

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.

We want you to have your best chance of success in our recruitment process, so If at any stage of the application process you would like help or assistance please contact the Dstl Recruitment Team dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk and we will do all we can to support you.

Sifting will take place week commencing the 29th June with interviews to be arranged from the 14th July 2026 and will be held at Dstl Porton Down

Your interview will consist of behavioural & technical interview to include a 10 minute presentation, 'You are the Estates Contract Manager for a large, safety-critical Hard FM contract in a defence environment. The latest monthly performance and compliance report shows systemic assurance failures, deteriorating reactive and remedial performance, unresolved safety-critical risks, and low confidence in supplier data and commercial controls. How would you prioritise and technically stabilise this contract over the next 3–6 months, as part of a wider team?'

.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (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.

This job is not open to candidates who hold a dual nationality.

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 : Dstl Recruitment Team
• Email : dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk

Further information

Should you wish to raise a formal complaint about the Dstl recruitment process you should email dstlrecruitment@dstl.gov.uk stating the nature of the issue. We will respond within 5 working days.

Attachments

20260330_L6ContractManagerRoleProfile_V3O Opens in new window (pdf, 200kB)Dstl Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 4978kB)