Job title: Business Manager – East Midlands Building Consultancy
Work base: South Kesteven District Council Offices and Agile Working / Service: Building Control Partnership
Salary:SK20 to SK22
Up to £52K / Hours:
Working hours will be 37per week. Week by week arrangements will be in accordance with business requirements and by agreement with your line manager, subject to your right not to work more than 48 hours per week unless by agreement.
Contract type: Permanent
Work Style:Office/Agile/Home office / Date:23 September 2015
East Midlands Building Consultancy Job Description

The East Midlands Building Consultancy operate a building control partnership betweenSouth Kesteven District Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council. It is becoming recognised as an entrepreneurial organisation, offering excellent customer service, and successfully competing with the private sector, by developing imaginative ways of providing services.

We are about to start the process of evaluating different company and business models for the externalisation of the Consultancy. The new company will be at the forefront of service delivery and capable of developing new markets and income streams by reputation. This is a unique and unrivalled opportunity to work with us to establish a company that will operate outside traditional local authority concepts.

We are seeking a Business Manager capable of strategically managing and directing the team, ensuring that high standards are adhered to, and with a strong commercial edge to market the service and create new business streams. The Consultancy will be encouraged to trade and open up new markets, and the existing building control partnership will be developed to enable the integration of additional local authority or private sector services.

This challenging and exciting new role will help the Consultancy move forward with an external facing customer focus and an eye for developing new markets. The person we are looking for will be a business entrepreneur with the vision and ability to take the unit to the next stage of its development. An experienced senior manager with significant administration, marketing and business acumen.

Applicants must have an extensive knowledge of building control legislation and the management of a building control service together with the appropriate qualifications. You will be able to inspire others and have a passion for being at the forefront of change. It is essential to have a demonstrable track record of successfully leading and managing teams to successfully achieve key outcomes.

You will be an inspirational and self-motivated leader with excellent communication and negotiating skills, who can face new challenges and effectively change traditional building control into one that is commercially aware and able to maximise income. You will be responsible for ensuring that customers are amazed at our services which continue to provide improvement and value for money.

  • To lead and manage the East Midlands Building Control Consultancy, ensuring that the partnership meets all annual business plan and service plan targets, and that professional, mandatory and statutory standards including Health Safety and Welfare are adhered to
  • To lead andmanage an effective and efficient building control team, providing motivational leadershipand ensuring a seamless and modern approach to the provision of services
  • To manage and develop the relationship with existing and potential Council partners, representing the partnership in a polished and professional manner
  • To manage the development of new markets for the partnership, maximising income and thereby reducing contributions by the partnership local authorities
  • To work to establish a new Building Control Company
  • To continue to develop the Company, ensuring a quality service to its customers
  1. To manage the development of the partnership into a profit making company with an entrepreneurial and imaginative attitude
  2. To proactively take forward and maximise business development and marketing opportunities in accordance with the business plan generating imaginative and effective solutions to deliver a service of excellence and maximising income
  3. Todevelop service level agreements with South Kesteven District Council for the ongoing provision of:
  4. Financial/accountancy services
  5. Information, Communication and Technology provision and support
  6. Legal Advice
  7. Human Resources - advice and support
  8. To ensure that the partnership has adequate and effective trading and service level agreements with councils and clients for the provision of building control services and additional functions
  9. To make recommendations to, and actively service the Board regarding the client base, trading agreements, charging policies, levels of service, performance indicators, profit and other necessary matters
  10. To produce and deliver the annual business resource and service plans as directed by the Building Control Board
  11. To provide effective leadership and development for the team, encouraging best practice in a business partnership working arrangement
  12. To manage and develop employees to create a culture where they feel able to generate imaginative and effective solutions to service delivery issues, ensuring that performance targets are met
  13. To conduct all duties with regard to employment standards, procedures and practices including for example, health safety and risk management
  14. To ensure that building control and office systems and procedures are fit for purpose and comply with modern practice and regulatory standards, providing an effective platform for new local authority partners to join the consultancy
  15. To promote and generate enthusiasm for the partnership and encourage appropriate behaviours within teams/partners/colleagues
  16. To undertake effective communication with agents, colleagues, service managers, councillors, town and parish councils, outside agencies and the wider community
  17. To develop the integration of duties and provide support to the development management and enforcement services of the associated local authority planning services
  18. To promote and encourage the use of the East Midlands Building Control service, including associated products and business partners
  • To work with diverse communities and people to support their access to and involvement with services.
  • To promote equality of opportunity.
  • To be clear about performance targets and actively contribute to their achievement.
  • To take responsibility for own personal development.
  • To embrace and promote the Council’s priorities.
  • To adopt and demonstrate the values and behaviours of the behavioural framework
  • Demonstrate commitment and support for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Agents, colleagues, service managers, councillors, town and parish councils, outside agencies and the wider community in carrying out the role as an ‘ambassador’ for the partnership

Office space is flexible in the South Kesteven District Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council offices of the building control partnership.

You will serve at any location appropriate to the building control partnership which currently covers Grantham, West Bridgford and the surrounding districts of Rushcliffe and South Kesteven. The area covered will increase as the partnership develops.

This job is politically restricted.

You may be required to perform duties other than those given in the job description for the job. The particular duties and responsibilities attached to jobs may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed.

You may occasionally be required to deal with potentially dangerous structure situations in inclement conditions and out of hours.

You must have the legal authority to work in the UK. Non-EU nationals must have the relevant approval to work in the UK from the UK Border Agency. Copies of all documents provided by you as proof of identity are retained for our records, by providing these proofs the council will treat this as your consent for this to happen.

The person specification details the essential and desirable personal criteria which the job holder should possess in order to be able to successfully perform the job. Candidates will be assessed through application (A), Interview (I) and testing (T), where relevant.

KEY CRITERIA / JOB REQUIREMENTS / Essential or desirable / Assessment By
A/I/T
Behaviours /
  • manages time effectively and delivers against agreed objectives
  • communicates clearly using straightforward language
  • works with others to get the job done well
  • challenges the norm and finds ways to improve
  • takes personal responsibility for own work and that of the team focussing on solutions and actions to ensure agreed objectives are met to a consistently high standard
  • responds to customer’s needs and learns from feedback to improve the customer experience
  • treats all individuals with respect and dignity valuing equality and diversity
  • possesses an in depth and working knowledge and understanding of health and safety issues and fosters good practice within the team
/ E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E / Interview (I)
Skills /
  • possesses excellent knowledge and understanding of current building control and construction legislation ie Building Act, Building Regulations and associated legislation
  • able to provide able to provide readily understood professional advice to customers and stakeholders, using tailored language specific to their level of understanding needs
  • must be highly driven and self-critical in order to achieve set targets and goals
  • a working knowledge of developing business markets, a high level of business acumen and excellent financial management skills manage and develop employees to create a culture where they feel able to generate imaginative and effective solutions to service delivery issues
  • working knowledge of developing business markets
  • possess a high business acumen
  • must be inspirational to the team so as to develop a creative attitude to new ideas and concepts and encourage the team to be innovative in their approach
  • must be highly driven and self-critical in order to achieve set targets and goals
  • good negotiating skills, actively listening to others’ viewpoints and explaining the organisational perspective
  • excellent level of written English skills including letters, reports and verbal presentation skills
  • a high level of IT skills and an understanding of how the application of technology can help promote, improve and streamline services
/ E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E / Interview (I)
Qualifications /
  • A corporate member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors or Chartered Association of Building Engineers or similar
  • A management qualification (DMS)
  • Evidence of continuous professional development.
  • Full driving licence.
/ E
D
E
E / Application (A)
Experience /
  • significant experience of working at a senior level in a building control service or in a senior management environment
  • experience of working in local government building control services
  • experience of instigating enforcement procedures, preparing and presenting evidence supporting the Case at hearings and inquiries and acting as an expert witness
  • experience of successful private sector business management including marketing services and associated products to other organisations and partners
/ E
D
E
E / Interview (I)/Application (A)
Aptitudes /
  • Customer focussed approach with a drive for continuous improvement
  • A leader who can inspire by being energetic, determined, positive, decisive and resilient
  • An enthusiastic and effective ambassador for the Council who can enhance its reputation
  • An excellent role model who will promote the highest standards and live the Councils values and behaviours
  • Willing to embrace and tackle difficult issues, including under performance
  • Resilient, tenacious and able to handle pressure positively
  • Able to work collaboratively while seeking the highest standards for own area of responsibility
  • Able to challenge and receive feedback to improve motivation, delivery and performance
  • Appetite for change and understanding of how to manage it positively
  • Willing to work unsocial hours including evenings and weekends if required
/ E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E / Reference

Deliver Council’s goals and priorities:

  • We are crystal clear about our goals
  • We are clear about out priority actions to deliver our goals
  • We stick to our priorities and goals
  • We consistently deliver what we have agreed

Communicate to build the team:

  • We pick up the phone or go to see colleagues whenever possible
  • We value each other
  • We spend less time in formal meetings, the meetings we attend will be structured and have actions resulting from the conversations we have
  • We will endeavour to make decisions more quickly and be more responsive
  • We use straight forward language and are clear in our communications
  • We say “we” rather than “they” when talking about Council issues
  • We build strong relationships with whoever we need to, to get the job done

Challenge to improve:

  • We challenge the way we do things in order to make things better
  • We have the confidence to make changes to improve our work
  • We set clear expectations for performance and hold people to account
  • We address poor performance where we need to within our framework
  • We are a learning Council and go out of our way to seek out best practice

Action and Accountability:

  • We have an agreed framework of policies and processes
  • We take action to deliver our priorities, working how we want within the agreed framework
  • We take responsibility for driving delivery of agreed plans without referring upwards or waiting to be chase
  • We err on the side of action, we get on with things until someone says “no” rather than waiting for someone to say “yes”

Respond to customers:

  • We know who our customers are both external and internal
  • We listen to our customers and make decisions based on their needs
  • We put ourselves in our customers’ shoes
  • We do not pass the buck when something goes wrong for customers
  • We are honest when we get things wrong and learn from the feedback people give us.

Leadership:

  • Inspires and leads teams by providing clear direction to achieve excellence
  • Champions change and improvement focussed on the council’s priorities
  • Managers work to make best use of resources to deliver the council’s priorities

Development:

  • Demonstrates a commitment to their own and others’ development to promote a learning organisation