Regional Workplace Services Manager (Central)

Job summary

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme, as well as delivering modern, cost-effective real estate service solutions.

The GPA is committed to representing the communities we serve by making Diversity, Equality and Inclusion part of everything we do.

To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.

Job description

The Workplace Services Manager role leads delivery of high-quality customer services across one of four GPA operational regions (North, Central, South and London). Passionate about customer service excellence, they need to be able to inspire their teams of civil servants and delivery partners to transform and ensure the integrity of the workplace experience across their region. We are seeking to build a diverse team of senior operational leaders who combine:

• Deep workplace and facilities management experience, technically skilled but also with the stakeholder engagement and advocacy skills to help customers get the best from their workplaces and the relationships between property, technology, people policies and organisational culture
• The ability to build communities, within our buildings across client organisations, between our buildings and their places, and between multiple delivery partner organisations (commercial and non-commercial), and/or
• Excellent change management to support the transformation of our workplace services.

You will put customer service excellence at the heart of everything the team (including our delivery partners) do, and:

• Lead, organise and manage delivery of workplace services in your region across multiple suppliers, in a mix of directly managed contracts and strategic delivery partnerships with other government departments and delivery agencies, combining stakeholder engagement, supply chain management and contract management, taking national accountability for policy and service issues and developments as required
• Ensure the effective integration of new assets, services and teams as part of the ongoing GPA onboarding programme and the delivery of projects in the Hubs and Whitehall Campus programmes, and
• Lead and inspire your own teams, growing them in line with the development of new GPA business; making sure our teams have the capabilities to be able to support and encourage our customers in the adoption of smarter working and making best use of their workplaces, as well as identifying and resolving problems quickly and effectively, always keeping customers informed of progress. Teams will comprise 10-15 FTE, building over time, overseeing services for 60-80k customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Budget management responsibility for the region, including forecasting, management and improvement including the approvals in line with the delegated authority matrix.

• Actively participate in and support the development and deployment of the WSD strategy
• Responsible for Supplier Management and the application of commercial toolkit where applicable to drive standards to the expected level. Develops strong relationships with service providers to develop a culture of string collaboration and customer focused delivery.
• Contributes to and embeds change programmes and the GPA, Workplace Services Strategies into the operating model
• Tender processes to ensure the GPA finds suitable contractual arrangements to support customer needs
• Responsible for ensuring effective incident management support in line with the defined processes and policies.
• Ensure that team provides close collaboration with other GPA and wider Government departments to support the needs of HMG and the GPA strategic objectives
• Responsible for ensuring that PQs and FOIs are responded to in a timely manner by providing quality information as required
• Responsible for ensuring that the correct governance and controls are in place to provide assurance over supplier performance
• Develop robust succession plans to de-risk the business for team
• Any other reasonable and authorised activity as needed from the business from time to time
• Supports wider engagement as a WSD Senior leadership representative where required
• Deputise for the WSD Deputy Director as required

Key stakeholders include: customers (anyone using one of our buildings), client organisations (government departments, arm's length bodies and others), commercial and non-commercial delivery partners, Crown Commercial Services, CPNI, regulators/inspectors, professional organisations (e.g., IWFM, RICS), other GPA teams.

Person specification

You will be:

• An excellent leader and manager, with experience of building capability and driving continuous improvement, encouraging diversity and collaboration and promoting a high-performance customer service culture
• Someone with the authority and gravitas to influence stakeholders at senior level (inside and outside government), maintaining support for a demanding change agenda amidst other competing pressures
• Creative, innovative and adaptable, able to evolve as the Agency develops
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, dealing with uncertainty and handling a range of challenges competently as they emerge

Experience and technical skills

Essential criteria:

You will be an experienced leader of workplace-related services (hard and soft FM, operational security, ICT services, hospitality, community engagement) with first class commercial acumen and the ability to get the best out of key suppliers, managing and escalating issues and engaging in key decision making with strategic consequence.

You must be able to demonstrate experience of FM procurement, mobilisation of suppliers/contracts, and transition of service between FM providers.

Desirable criteria:

Appropriate professional qualifications and memberships would be desirable, such as CIWFM/FIWFM or equivalent and APM Registration or Chartership. Applicants from other sectors with relevant transferable skills and experience - such as hospitality or events management - are also encouraged.

Qualifications and Accreditations

Essential criteria:

CIWFM or a commitment to undertake and achieve within 12 months

Desirable criteria:

FIWFM

APM Registration or Chartership

Asbestos Management

You will need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of security vetting being undertaken for the role, which for CTC is 3 years UK residency, SC is 5 years UK residency, and DV is 10 years UK residency.

If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the recruitment team prior to submitting your application.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• Customer Perspective
• Commercial Acumen
• Property Market Knowledge
• Innovation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £68,568, Government Property Agency contributes £19,864 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities and wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and well-being and aim to create a sense of belonging in a workplace where everyone feels valued. The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

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 (RIS) to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Please note - At this time GPA are unable to offer any Visa Sponsorship to candidates as we do not currently hold a visa sponsorship licence. Please do not apply for permanent roles with GPA if you will require your employer to take on the sponsorship of your current or any future visas.

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Sift

The sift is due to take place 1st May 2026.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to include a CV and a 750-word personal statement.

The personal statement should then align with the person specification.

Interview

GPA policy is for interviews to be held face to face, with virtual interviews only by absolute exception. The date and location will be confirmed if you are invited to interview. If you feel this will be a problem for you, please contact recruitment@gpa.gov.uk to discuss prior to submitting your application.

At interview, applicants will be scored against 4 behaviours - Managing a Quality Service, Seeing the Bigger Picture, Communicating and Influencing, and Delivering at Pace.

Interview questions will be a blend of Behaviour, Experience, Strength and Technical (core skill) questions.

Interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to GPA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via gparecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5-years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback

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

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Graeme Bell
• Email : graeme.bell@gpa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : gparecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact HR@gpa.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission:
Click here to visit Civil Service Commission

Attachments

GPA Skills and Specialisms Opens in new window (pdf, 259kB)