Operations Directorate

Grade 2: - £17,361 - £17,682 (pro rata) per annum
Open-Ended/Permanent - Annualised Hours
Contracted Hours per Week: 0
Closing Date : 04-Feb-2021, 7:59:00 AM 

Job Family: Estates and Information Infrastructure Services

OUR CHARACTERISTICS: We are a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, in a unique and historic setting.    

OUR VALUES: We are inspiring, challenging, innovative, responsible and enabling.

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Business, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives. 

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

It is expected that all staff within the University:

• Contribute to our learning culture by engaging in mentoring, training and coaching.
• Positively contribute to fostering a collegial environment; as well as demonstrating commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Have due regard to Health and Safety requirements appropriate to grade and role.

Family key attributes

• Roles in this family manage and maintain the integrity of University buildings, estates and information services.

Overall family purpose

• Ensure safe, sustainable and fit for purpose buildings, internal and external environments in and on which to conduct University business.
• Liaise and engage with stakeholders across the University to identify and plan infrastructure projects to update and improve services and facilities.
• Align services to meet organisational strategic and operational objectives.
• Design new, adapt existing and implement services, working with external contractors and suppliers.
• Manage and monitor systems, mechanisms and processes to ensure compliance with internal and external regulations.
• Implement procedures to ensure safe and secure buildings, facilities, estates and information networks.
• Design and construct real and virtual test environments to ensure the most fit for purpose technology and services are available to underpin University business needs.
• Manage technology driven services and third-party platforms to underpin teaching, learning, research and administrative activities across the University.
• Engage with external suppliers, contractors, manufacturers and developers to ensure the highest-standards and quality of buildings, estates and information services.
• Work collaboratively and network across the University with staff in other families to ensure a smooth, timely and high-quality delivery of service.

Link to key strategic plan

• An economically sustainable approach to delivering infrastructure services across the University;
• Develop an academic estate that will allow the University to deliver world-class education, research and student experience;
• Ensure the long-term availability of suitable residential accommodation;
• Ensure the continuing renewal and maintenance of our estate;
• Improve the environmental sustainability and ease of travel around our estate and city locations;
• Support and facilitate a first-rate digital learning environment and experience on a par with the best in the UK;
• Running and ongoing development of a first-rate digital learning environment on a par with the best in the UK;
• A stakeholder-focused orientation, offering satisfying careers to all staff;
• Ensure that an increasingly diverse workforce is treated equally, fairly and with respect, and that all staff are demonstrably valued and actively engaged.

The Department and role purpose  

A key part of the Durham wider student experience strategy is ensuring all students have the opportunity to spend at least part of their time at university in residence in one of our colleges. We consider it of particular importance for new undergraduate first years to live, work, eat and socialise together as part of a community of learning. Most of our college residences have undergraduates from all years living alongside postgraduates and visiting university fellows. We also offer those postgraduate students who would prefer it, the opportunity to reside in a postgraduate only community at Ustinov College.

The University is embarking on an ambitious programme of residential development over the next ten years. This will comprise an accelerated and comprehensive maintenance schedule alongside the building of four to six new colleges to ensure Durham can meet the aim of having at least 50% of its student population in University managed accommodation by 2027.

The College Community Team will work in partnership with the Principal, College staff and senior students to ensure an exceptional service is delivered consistently to meet the operational needs of the Colleges, University and its customers.

This is a, front-facing, service focused role, and the post-holder will support communication and service provision within their given Community, to ensure agreed service standards are maintained.

The Housekeeping Shift Leader will support the delivery of agreed exceptional service standards that are effective, efficient and offer value for money. This is a, front-facing, service focused role, and the post-holder will be responsible for leading shifts of the Housekeeping Assistants, within their team, and the delivery of service standards, maintaining a welcoming and a pleasant environment for students, University employees and commercial customers.

Core responsibilities

• Delegate tasks and monitor completion across the work team.
• Contribute input to deliver a stakeholder focussed service.
• Respond to straightforward requests for information from stakeholders.
• Follow documented service procedures, referring to more experienced colleagues with less straightforward issues.
• Solve day-to-day routine problems, establishing basic background information within the role.
• Learn new skills and techniques on the job working alongside more experienced team members.
• Record information accurately and provide standard reports as required to team members and more experienced staff.
• Learn about the hazards and risks within own area of work and report incidents in accordance with recognised procedures and protocols.
• Liaise with staff in other areas of the organisation to ensure a seamless, smooth and efficient service.
• Resolve queries and requests for information and advice and escalate more specialist and complex queries or issues to more experienced team members.
• Communicate with line managers, team members, other staff, students and visitors in person or using electronic tools and applications.

Role responsibilities

• Work with team members and line managers to ensure the safe, secure and appropriate buildings, facilities and infrastructure services across the organisation,
• Follow and apply strict procedures and guidelines to ensure compliance with regulations for all activities.
• Apply escalation procedures to highlight interventions required by more experienced team members
• Assist team members to understand and comply with risk assessments, updating training records as required.
• Accept deliveries, carry out stock checks and order required stock.
• Apply a range and combination of manual dexterity, physical effort and sensory skills within the role.
• Maintain and apply an understanding of health, safety and wellbeing within the context of the role.
• Clean and maintain specialist equipment, tools and resources, under supervision.
• Assist team members to collect, carry and transport equipment and resources.
• Carry out a range of tasks that require a more than standard level of physical, manual and sensory dexterity, following training, for short periods of time.
• Wear and use protective equipment and clothing to carry out tasks on a day to day basis.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements

• The post-holder will adopt and promote a flexible approach to work times and locations, within contracted hours.
• May be required to work evenings and weekends, as business demands.
• Working in the Housekeeping and Cleaning Services team will require an element of physical manual handling, which can include lifting and transporting equipment and deliveries.
• Carry out cleaning duties.
• Use computers for communication and management systems.

The contact is annualised for 1109 hours working any 5 days out of 7. Salary is based on 21 hours per week pay over 12 months. This position will be based at St Mary's College.

Recruiting to this post

In order to be considered for interview, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above.

In some cases, the recruiting panel may also consider the desirable criteria, so we recommend you evidence all criteria in your application. 

Please note that some criteria will only be considered at interview stage.

How to apply

We prefer to receive applications online.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

What you are required to submit

1. A CV; 
2. A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above with examples of how you satisfy the person specification.

Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.

Contact details

For further information please contact Donna Pudwell (donna.pudwell@durham.ac.uk / 0191 334 6207).

At Durham University, our aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system.  Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

Essential Criteria

• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Basic numeracy and literacy skills.
• Evidence of personal development to maintain skills.  
• Ability to work alone but build positive relationships and work as part of a team.
• Experience of managing time in order to meet deadlines.
• Ability to follow instructions, written or oral, accurately.
• Basic IT skills including Microsoft Office.

Desirable Criteria

• Health and safety compliance knowledge.
• Previous housekeeping and/or cleaning experience.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.