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Job Title: Project Manager
Pay band: 8 / E
Location this role could be based: East Asia
Department: Asset Management
Contract type: Indefinite
Role Purpose:
The Project Manager (Capital Projects) Global Estates (GE) leads on modernisation and refurbishment estate programmes and projects in property portfolio (in the UK and overseas) as well as delivery of parts of the capital investment programme, leveraging internal and external resources in their network to deliver a more fit for purpose and affordable future estate for the British Council.
The role will also contribute to the development and implementation of estate portfolio strategies and asset management plans through identifying regional and strategic business unit estate requirements and opportunities to drive value for money and improvements to the global estate.
The role will strategically partner the business, leading and aligning GE Capital Projects with the business strategy through building and leveraging the senior leadership network within British Council, the wider Government departments, and our professional services partners.
Main accountabilities but not limited to the following:
Leadership & Management
- Provide professional leadership to the global network managing Business as Usual (BAU) estates across 100+ countries to ensure the British Council global estate remains legally compliant and fit for purpose.
- Provide leadership, management, and support to assure the effective development and implementation of GE strategies, plans and changes across a matrix managed organization; regionally and globally.
Capital Projects
- Lead the commissioning and management of capital change estate projects within their portfolio (in the UK and overseas) and the overall portfolio management of the capital investment programme to ensure benefits are delivered.
- Develop and gain approval for business cases for GE capital projects, supporting the prioritization of funding relating to the global property portfolio.
- Develop client briefs into full project specifications in conjunction with workplace design, Transaction Management, Regional/Country property managers and other GE capital and strategic projects.
- Deliver projects including relocations, fit out, refurbishment, compliance and maintenance projects, feasibility/condition surveys, ensuring successful delivery to the required time, budget, quality and all necessary British Council estate standards and brand guidelines are met.
- Provide project governance and assurance with a focus on project risk management/mitigation and compliance including safe working practices in project delivery.
- Organise the delivery of prioritised forward works to maintain the operational effectiveness of the estate and meet requirements.
- Develop creative and innovative project management solutions to maximize service delivery and client needs.
- Financial Management Ensure prudent budgeting and spend controls, accurate forecasting for income and expenditure, managing prioritisation and commitment to reporting and cost optimization programmes.
Strategy and Planning
- Contribute to the development and implementation of real estate strategies through identifying and realizing opportunities to drive forward on value and improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of the global estate.
- Contribute to the delivery of regional and country rationalisation strategies in accordance with priorities identified in the capital plan and contributing to updates as required.
- Implement key initiatives in capital planning including liaising with other members of GE on the procurement of a global professional and technical services framework contracts, the global roll out of smart working and an estate governance and business case roll out.
Business Partnering & Stakeholder Engagement
- Strategically partner the business, supporting and influencing the formation of GE strategy and implementation of projects/initiatives through understanding the business strategy as well as wider opportunities.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with the network, strategic business units and related corporate functions to ensure that capital projects reflect business needs and are delivered on time, within agreed budget and to the design/specification agreed with business clients. Work closely with Project Owners/Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) and local coordinators.
- Pro-actively share insights to challenge, influence and add value to decision making, optimizing opportunity whilst balancing risk.
- Implement global approaches for building GE strategy to strengthen GE reputation as a valued business partner.
- Advise on business decisions and projects with property related dependencies and implications (new offices, acquisitions, growth, and cost saving strategies, etc.)
- Lead stakeholder engagement activities across British Council including liaising and influencing local stakeholders, passing information to GE colleagues, organising regular reviews and surveys of GE services and the GE supply chain to enable better decisions, improved estate performance and achieve organizational objectives.
Transaction Management
- Provide support and professional advice realignment of Transaction Management (TM) activities with GE Capital Projects and where necessary, oversee and undertake property transactions, in conjunction with the GE Transaction team and global professional service partners.
Partnership working
- Work closely with the British Councils multi-disciplinary global property partners to successfully deliver all aspects of occupational real estate management and project delivery.
- Work closely with other specialists in Global Estates, Finance, Global Information Systems, Human Resources, Procurement, and others, to ensure that inter-dependencies between GE and other corporate functions are properly managed and that opportunities for improvements are identified.
Innovation and Continuous Improvement
- Lead change in their area of specialism/matrix/portfolio create compelling vision, manage stakeholders, manage risks and dependencies, robust plan, embed changes, achieve benefits, etc.
- Set high standards and reflect best practice in the work of the team, ensuring that the GE team strives to achieve the right business outcomes.
- Develop innovative approaches to portfolio optimisation to support workplace strategy.
- Work with other members of the GE team to develop global standard business GE processes.
Technical and Subject Matter Expert
- Provide insight and professional advice on GE matters and plans to build stakeholder/client and GE team awareness and enable better decision making, improved estate performance and achieve business objectives.
- Gather/share knowledge/trends from the global real estate sector to grow the professionalism of the GE team and identify opportunities for British Council benefit.
- Provide Real Estate expertise in relation to service delivery, delivering demonstrable improvements in value, performance and sustainability of the regional portfolio, working collaboratively with other GE functions/team.
Role specific knowledge and experience:
- Proven professional experience in an equivalent position within a complex matrix global organisation, delivering capital works outside of the UK in challenging markets, understanding of robust project governance and controls.
- Proven track record of delivering complex high-profile projects, on time, on budget and to a quality standard.
- Thorough understanding of the real estate and project management lifecycle and principles.
- Strong vendor management and commercialism skills, particularly in relationship to alliances/partnerships with service providers.
- Financial Management of Capital Projects experience, from creating business cases to controlling costs, managing budgets, and reporting on benefits.
- Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary estates team.
- Experience of managing service provision through both in-house staff and professional partners.
- Sound understanding of relevant real estate legislation.
Requirements:
- Graduate degree level (architecture, civil engineering, management etc.)
- Accredited member of relevant professional institute such as Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Project Management Professional, Prince2, etc. via qualification and/or experience in a property related project discipline. (Desirable)
- Significant post qualification experience at a senior level. (Desirable)
Additional Information
Conditions of Employment: Local Direct Hire
- Applications are welcomed from candidates currently in this location with a natural right to work.
- Applications are also welcomed from candidates currently based in other British Council country offices. However, please note candidates must have a natural right to work in the country, on a permanent basis, as immigration clearance and/or on-going visa support is not provided by the British Council for this role. Relocation support is also not provided.
Closing Date: Tuesday 21 November 2023 23:59 PM (GMT+8)
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Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion(EDI) Statement
The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment. We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.
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